The Supreme Beings of Life and Death

by Ashkar

What if Ainz was joined in the NW by the 41st and final member of AOG? He is still the Ruler of Death but a different race/build. How will Ainz deal with being an Angel of Death in this new world that fears heteromorphs? Will Taylar, the Angel of Life, be able to balance everything out? And why is Taylar so attached to Albedo? kind of canon, with my own twists and additions

25. Zesshi & Dwarves & Dragons, Oh My!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything (except my OC)

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Flashback"/Flashback

{Message}

(Telepathy)

*SPELL/ABILITY/MARTIAL ART*

*[METAMAGIC]*

A/N: I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out. After losing nearly 20k words, it took me months to want to write again and another few months to actually retype all that I lost. I hope it was worth the wait for this chapter. Everything after Zesshi up until the last section is what I lost and had to retype. I know I didn't rewrite everything the way it was and I hope it is to everyone's liking as I know I missed some things I originally had in this chapter. I started replying to reviews by message for everyone so I could lessen the ones at the start of the fic... I'm not sure if it will work out because I have no replies typed as I'm writing this, but we'll see lol... I'm glad you all enjoyed the Draconic Kingdom chapter... I was a little worried I ended it too fast, but none of you seemed to mind so I'll assume I did it right lol... This chapter is the Dwarven Kingdom Arc... there will be a little more than that, but that will be the major part of it... I hope you enjoy it!

Jennifer: As I said above, I would have messaged you so you didn't have to wait for this response, but your profile isn't one I can message so here you go lol... You'll get one of those 'God of Death' moments in this chapter... When I started writing this fanfic, there were 3 specific instances in Overlord that I wanted to do my own spin on Ainz as the 'God of Death'. The first one was the Lizardmen Arc... blocking out the sun, summoning a plague of undead, forming a platform with them, etc. The other two I haven't gotten to yet, but that will change in this chapter because this is one of the others I planned. I don't want to spoil it so I'm only going to say it happens in the Dwarven Kingdom, but I hope you enjoy it... I'll try to add a few more because the other one I have planned is farther down the line

Next Chapter Time!

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Zesshi Zetsumei had been going through the same routine for months now. The loud beeping coming from the table next to her bed told her it was time to start the day. She knew it would be like all the others, but she got out of bed anyway.

Zesshi dragged her feet into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She needed the cold ones in the morning to wake her up and for her body. Zesshi had always been the strongest, no one could challenge her before.

Now, she had been beaten within an inch of her life more times than she could count in the last few months. She knew she was never in danger of dying. Well, except one time she thought she was going to.

Zesshi had sparred against many in Nazarick, but the one time she went against Princess Aureole will forever haunt her. She had seen the Princess plenty, everyone in Nazarick and the Saiko Kingdom loved her.

She was always so happy and energetic. She would light up when either of her mothers would be around, and that went twice as much for her father. However, Zesshi found out that, while she was sunny and happy and energetic, the Princess was also as brutal as they came.

By the time their sparring session had ended, and Zesshi is still half-convinced she did die, Zesshi had a broken arm, broken leg, 11 broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken collar bone, broken jaw, 8 missing teeth, broken nose, and her left eye was swollen shut.

Zesshi could never look at the Princess the same ever again. She had no idea what she did to the girl, but she simply stayed as far away from her as possible. She didn't want to accidentally incur her wrath.

She toweled off after leaving the shower and went to throw on her training gear. She grabbed her scythe from against the wall when she was finished and headed toward the canteena for breakfast.

The food here was always the best thing Zesshi had ever eaten, and she said that every day. At first, those from Nazarick were cold to her, but they had warmed up to her over these few months.

She is sure tales of her training had a lot to do with that. Whether they liked them because she got her ass kick regularly or they saw she was growing, Zesshi didn't know. Zesshi did nod toward a few greeting her then sat down to eat her breakfast and start her day.

Today was training with Cocytus like it was every day. There was only one other in Nazarick who could train Zesshi with a scythe, and she hadn't been deemed worthy of such an honor.

She honestly wasn't sure if they ever would. She had never even landed a hit on Cocytus. Why would she think herself worthy to be trained by her king?

As soon as she stepped out of the canteena, she took off in a sprint. This is why Zesshi woke up so early every morning. She was required by Cocytus to get to the Sixth Floor without the help of magic.

She knew the route by now, but it still took her an hour to get there at a dead sprint. The first time, it took her 9 hours to figure out how to get there. It was the first time in her life she could ever remember being exhausted. She was soon exhausted every day, however.

When she arrived on the Sixth Floor, she was greeted by none other than her king, Ainz Ooal Gown, instead of Cocytus. Zesshi always had the same two reactions when she laid eyes on her Great King.

Desire and Frustration.

The desire was easily understandable. Zesshi may have not spent very much time around her king, but she had spent enough time around him to know every woman she'd ever seen had this same reaction to her King.

Ainz was, by far, the best looking man Zesshi had ever seen. The fact that he was also the strongest man she'd ever seen only added to his allure. That, ultimately led to her second emotion though, frustration.

Zesshi had searched the world over to find a mate strong enough to her liking. When she finally found him in Ainz, she knew she had almost no chance to have her wish granted and have children by him.

While it frustrated Zesshi that she has little to no hope, she understands his reasoning, and quite frankly, can't argue with it. Her King could have any woman in the world he so desired, but those he showed true affections for could only be described as powerful.

Both of her Queens not only possessed a strength Zesshi didn't believe she could ever achieve, but they both were also everything Zesshi would never be as a woman.

She'd never have a face with a quarter of the beauty they did. She'd never have the elegant grace and Queenly demeanor they had. And she certainly would never possess the womanly assets that either Queen possessed.

Even his mistress, Rubedo, was leagues ahead of Zesshi in everything she just named about the Queens. Her King was adding more women as well, and she thought she might be able to wiggle in there considering the power of Lupus Regina and Narberal, but that was quickly going out the window.

Zesshi was stronger than Lupus Regina and Narberal when she arrived, but she didn't know if that was the case anymore. Both of them had continued to get stronger and stronger while Zesshi was stuck sparring day after day with Cocytus.

Zesshi couldn't be certain, but both of them had an aura around them now that nearly matched Zesshi in power. A scary thought considering Zesshi knew they were both magic casters.

But none of that mattered now.

There was no Cocytus in sight, no Sebas, no Shalltear, no Aureole, only her King. No matter how long this lasted, Zesshi was going to savor every moment of it. She sped right over to him and took a knee in front of him.

"My King."

"Rise, Zesshi. It is good to see you. I hear your training has gone well and you haven't taken a day off since arriving."

"I only wish to get stronger to be worthy of my King, your majesty."

If Ainz had a Yen for every time he heard a woman say that since arriving, they wouldn't have needed to raid all those guilds on Yggdrasil's last day to fill their coffers. It didn't even affect him anymore, it was simply par for the course.

"Yes, well, I've heard you learned that brute force is not the way to win a battle."

"Of course my King, you must use misdirection, feints, and control the battlefield around you. You must always approach every battle thinking your enemy is stronger than you, your majesty."

"Very good. Now, I want you to show me what you've learned, Zesshi Zetsumei."

Zesshi watches as Ainz pulls his scythe out of his inventory and is in his armor in a flash. The sight made her want him even more, but it was drowned out by her excitement. She finally got to spar with her King!

She immediately jumped back and got in her stance. Ainz seemed to be studying her. She knew he was probably trying to guess her fighting style, but he'd be in for a surprise there.

Cocytus knew so many styles, Zesshi couldn't name nearly half of them, but she incorporated moves from all of them into her own style. However, before she could make a move, Ainz rushed her.

Zesshi saw the blow coming and brought up her weapon to defend, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop his power. Their weapons collided and Zesshi gripped her weapon tightly as she slid back from the power in his blow. She didn't stop until she was nearly thirty feet away from Ainz.

Zesshi didn't get a moment's rest as Ainz rushed forward again, but this time, Zesshi sprung forward as well. Ainz swung at her, but this time Zesshi twisted her body.

*FLOW ACCELERATION*

Zesshi spun right over the oncoming blade of Ainz. The moment she landed, she saw his weapon coming back at her before she could attack, but she expected this. The split second before their weapons connected she used her next skill.

*FORTRESS*

Their weapons connected, and this time Zesshi held her ground against Ainz. Their weapons were locked instead of her succumbing to the power of his blow. Zesshi didn't count this as a win, it was just another step in her attack.

*SEVERING STRIKE*

Zesshi ducked and spun while bringing her scythe around. She directed it right at Ainz neck. Ainz got his scythe around in time to meet the blow. Zesshi nearly grinned seeing Ainz unable to push her attack away at first.

When the power of her Martial Art wore off, Ainz pushed her weapon up and attacked her himself. This was also expected by Zesshi, and she was glad to see her strategy paying off. As soon as their scythes connected, Zesshi made her next move.

*INSTANT COUNTER*

Her scythe bounced off Ainz's and immediately was redirected toward his ribs. Ainz was fast enough to see it coming and blocked it. However, Zesshi's scythe bounced off again and was directed at his thigh.

Ainz brought his scythe down to block it, but to his surprise, it didn't work. It didn't impact his leg but traveled up his scythe just inches from being blocked. Ainz had to duck and spin around to avoid the blow.

And although his weapon wasn't in a good position to attack, that didn't mean Ainz couldn't. He brought his right foot up as he spun and it connected with Zesshi's stomach with a thud.

Zesshi never saw the kick coming, to focused on her finally landing a strike on someone from Nazarick, and her King no less! Zesshi went flying back and didn't stop this time until she was in the wall.

She hit the ground, heaving to get her breath back as all the air left her lungs from the impact of his kick, a little blood coming from the corners of her mouth. She struggled to her feet but made it up quicker than she thought she would.

"Very good, Zesshi. You really have grown, but you forgot that you have more weapons at your disposal than your Martial Arts and weapon. Now..." Ainz got in his own stance. "Give me everything you got, Zesshi Zetsumei!"

She was still recovering from that kick, but Zesshi had never smiled so genuinely in her entire life at that. She got back in her own stance, and they both sprung forward for the next round.

They both raised their scythes, but Ainz was thrown off by Zesshi. She swung down a good fifteen feet in front of him and her scythe impacted the ground.

Ainz looked down, thinking the ground would erupt in front of him as some sort of attack, but saw nothing. When he looked back up, Zesshi was horizontal with the ground, both of her feet coming right at Ainz face.

Ainz ducked out of the way and went to attack Zesshi and end this for leaving herself so open, but that never happened. At the last minute, Ainz saw Zesshi's scythe trailing her body still facing the ground. He had to put his hand on the ground to get low enough to prevent the scythe from slicing his neck.

When Zesshi's feet hit the ground, Ainz pushed himself up and spun to face her. He had no time to praise her attack as she was back on him in an instant. Left, right, left, right, high, low, middle, Zesshi had no discernable attack pattern and Ainz was surprised at her speed.

*HASTE BOOST*

Right as Ainz was about to counter her and knock her weapon back, Zesshi sped up even more. Ainz couldn't believe how fast she was going. It was the first time he'd fought anyone from the New World and had to put some effort into it.

The moment Zesshi slowed down once more, Ainz threw a roundhouse kick at her face. Zesshi ducked under it and spun her scythe at Ainz neck. Ainz saw it coming, ducked down, and sprung forward the moment the scythe passed.

Zesshi didn't have time to defend this time as Ainz's knee collided with her chest. The impact was so hard, her back bounced off the ground only a moment after his knee impacted her chest.

Zesshi bounced and felt something grab her ankle and she was flying through the air once more. She had enough presence of mind to try and get her feet on the ground and just in the nick of time.

Zesshi saw Ainz waiting for her flying body. His hand was balled into a fist and his arm was extended. She knew he was about to clothesline her into oblivion.

Zesshi managed to get a foot on the ground and twist her body underneath Ainz attempted attack at the last second though. She slid to a stop and didn't waste a moment to counter-attack.

*SPRING ATTACK*

Zesshi was on Ainz in a moment. She was going at him again as fast as she was before. Ainz knew this attack though and when the fifth and final attack of the Martial Art was about to happen, Ainz prepared for his counter attack only to be surprised by Zesshi.

*LIMIT BREAK*

*GALE ACCELERATION*

*BOUNDING ASSAULT*

Zesshi fifth attack was followed by her springing forward again instead of backing off to catch her breath. This attack Ainz had never seen. The pattern in which she attacked was similar to Spring Attack, but the blows were more powerful.

Ainz thought it was the end when he noticed her start to slow down again, but he soon realized that Zesshi wasn't quite through with him yet.

*FULL THROTTLE*

*RAPID BLITZ*

Ainz was amazed at her speed. It was the first time he had to focus on blocking or he was worried Zesshi might actually land a hit. He couldn't keep the smile off his face if he tried.

Ainz was defending to see how long the last Martial Art Zesshi used was going to last, but never got the chance to. Zesshi's Martial Art was never even finished before she used more of them.

*ABILITY BOOST*

*SEVERING BLADE*

The last attack changed her attack angle so drastically, Ainz almost didn't see the attack coming. Zesshi's scythe had been near in his field of vision the whole time, but it disappeared on him and he sighted it just in time.

Instead of working his middle and head area, he saw it coming straight for his thigh. He knew it was too fast to get his scythe around and didn't even have the time to dodge it, that is how fast Zesshi was moving now.

*PHANTASMAL SHIELD*

Ainz didn't have many melee abilities, and almost none compared to his spellcasting ability and undead creation, but he did have some. He rarely used this ability, but had no choice unless he wanted Zesshi's attack to land.

Ainz didn't want to feel what that upgraded Severing Strike Martial Art felt like so he used this ability for the first time in the New World. The reason Ainz didn't like using this skill was the position it left him in. He had no choice but to attack immediately after that skill was used or he was left vulnerable

*NEGATIVE STRIKE*

Zesshi watched and the smile on her face died. She should have known she wouldn't have been able to break through her King's defenses, but she thought she had him this time.

A misty wall of wailing faces appeared right where her scythe was going to impact her king's legs. The tip of her scythe bounced off the phantasmal wall, and it left her in quite a vulnerable position.

The force of her weapon bouncing off the wall sent it straight up in the air. When the wall cleared, Zesshi was holding her scythe above her head. It was slightly off to her right side, but she needed to hold on to the bottom with two hands to prevent it from flying out of her grasp.

Ainz was in almost the same exact position as her with his scythe in both hands over his head. Zesshi realized he was about to attack, and it left her with only one option.

She needs to attack with everything she had or this fight would be over. She had no other way to defend against Ainz's incoming attack other than to attack herself. Both of them brought their scythes toward each other.

*TITAN STRIKE*

Zesshi and Ainz's scythe connect, and the impact was severe. A wave of force exploded from in between them as their weapons came together. It left a small crater in the earth on the Sixth Floor, and both combatants came flying out of the dust cloud.

Ainz slid across the arena with his feet digging in the dirt to slow him down. He came to a stop after that incredible impact and looked behind him. He ended up stopping just a little over a foot from the arena wall.

Zesshi, on the other hand, flew toward the wall with no way to slow herself down. She was folded in half like a chair, and the impact when she hit the arena wall was felt by her whole body immediately.

Her back hit the wall and she heard several things break before anything else. Then the back of her head slammed into the wall and her vision started to go black. After that, not only did all the air leave her body, but she threw up a good size puddle of blood as well.

As if she wasn't already destroyed enough, she knew her jaw and both of her arms were broken as well. When she finally fell to the ground in a heap, she is pretty sure one of her broken ribs punctured her lung.

Zesshi could barely breathe, her vision was going black and she was on the verge of passing out from the pain, but she tried planting her scythe in the ground and standing up regardless.

She tried, and she failed. She collapsed back to the ground but did manage to stay conscious. She noticed her King walking toward her as she struggled to her feet a second time, but she saw something in her near unconscious state that she'd remember forever.

Her King was walking toward her with a genuine smile on his face.

Her King used his charming smile all the time to throw off others or get his way, but this was not one of those smiles. It was one of the ones he rarely gave to anyone. She'd only seen it directed at two people who weren't from Nazarick, and now she could say she was number 3.

Ainz walked toward Zesshi and quick changed out of his armor while putting his scythe back in his inventory. The smile was definitely genuine as he walked toward Zesshi. It was from their spar, and Ainz realizing Cocytus wasn't wrong.

Cocytus walks into his King's office and immediately feels at home. Cocytus knew his King was considerate enough to lower the temperature in here when Cocytus was summoned to speak with him. Cocytus knew he had the greatest leader any warrior could ever ask for.

Cocytus took the offered seat on the couch in his King's office directly across from him. It was rare to be summoned directly to Ainz's office for a meeting. He usually sent a subordinate or a message to be read and responded to.

"Cocytus, it is good to see you. How have you been? I keep you so busy around here, I rarely get to speak with you anymore."

Cocytus was touched by Ainz words, and Cocytus loved that his King put so much faith in him. He made sure to let him know with his words.

"I. AM. WELL, YOUR. MAJESTY. YOU. KEEP. ME. BUSY, MY. KING, BUT. I. LOVE. EVERY. TASK. ASSIGNED. TO. ME. IT. HUMBLES. AND. HONORS. ME. AS. A. WARRIOR. THAT. MY. KING. PUTS. SO. MUCH. FAITH. IN. MY. ABILITIES."

"Yes, well, you have learned much about governing from ruling the Lizardmen, and there is no greater weapons trainer in all of Nazarick, Cocytus. You have polished and refined the skill of almost every fighter we have at our disposal. I know Princess Aureole looks forward to training with you before every session."

"I. AM. GRATEFUL. FOR. YOUR. WORDS, MY. KING. IT. IS. THE. HONOR. OF. MY. LIFE. TO TRAIN. THE. PRINCESS. IN. THE. ART. OF. MELEE. COMBAT. BUT. I. MUST. SAY, I. LEARN. MANY. MORE. TACTICS. FROM. MY. PRINCESS. THAN. SHE. LEARNS. FROM. ME, MY. KING."

"You think too little of yourself, Cocytus. You have turned our little divine spellcaster into a good enough melee combatant that I'm going to allow her to take part in battle without anyone assigned to watch out for her. Plus, she tells me all the time what an honor it is to be trained by you. Now, I called you here to ask about one particular trainee of yours. How far has Zesshi Zetsumei progressed in her months here?"

"SHE. HAS. GROWN. GREATLY, MY. KING. SHE. NOW. THINKS. AT. LEAST. THREE. STRIKES. AHEAD. AND. HAS. GAINED. SEVERAL. MARTIAL. ARTS. SINCE. THE. START. OF. OUR. TRAINING. SHE. HAS. GAINED. TWO. NEW. DEFENSIVE. MARTIAL. ARTS, AND. TWO. NEW. ATTACKS. THAT. ARE. QUITE. POWERFUL."

"Powerful to her or powerful to us?"

"I. WOULD. SAY. BOTH, MY. KING. THEY. BOTH. HAVE. THE. POWER. TO. STOP. ONE. OF. MY. ATTACKS. AT. FULL. POWER."

Cocytus didn't miss the eyebrow raise or the look in Ainz eyes that said 'Seriously?'

"JUST. A. PHYSICAL. ATTACK. FROM. ME, MY. KING. I. DO. NOT. BELIEVE. IT. WOULD. STOP. MY. ATTACK. IF. I. USED. ONE. OF. MY. OWN. ABILITIES. IN. CONJUNCTION. WITH. MY. NATURAL. PHYSICAL. ATTACK."

Never once in Cocytus's life would the memory of what happened next fade at all in his mind. He remembered every moment and word of what his King did and said next.

Ainz got up from the couch and went to Cocytus. He placed his right hand on his cold shoulder and rubbed right between Cocytus's antennas with his left.

"You have made us all proud, Cocytus. Nazarick could not ask for a finer warrior in its ranks. I have both a reward and a task for you that you will have some time to prepare for."

"ANYTHING. YOU. DESIRE. I. SHALL. DO, MY. KING."

"Now that most of those you trained will be out of Nazarick, I want you to train yourself, and do so with Sebas as often as you are able. I know you are itching for a true test of your abilities, and one may present itself soon after we handle the Roble Holy Kingdom."

"MY. KING?..."

"I am going to confront the Council of Dragon Lords after we have dealt with the Holy Kingdom, and you shall accompany me along with Sebas. As far as we can tell, the Dragon Lords are the only ones capable of giving us a real fight if they align together and attack us as a group instead of individually. If that comes to pass, I should wish for no one but the best to fight for my life with, and you are one of those people, Cocytus."

Cocytus had been so humbled and honored, he threw himself at the feet of his King and cried. The moment finally displaced Princess Aureole calling him Uncle Cocytus as his favorite memory of all time.

Ainz knew Cocytus was fair in his assessment now. Zesshi was leaps and bounds better in combat now than she was. Ainz had wiped the floor with her last time. This time, he started off at the same power he did in the tunnel but had to increase the power in which he fought to defend against Zesshi.

If he hadn't gone nearly all out, she might have landed a blow on him. She would have had no chance of actually defeating him, but considering their level difference, it was quite the accomplishment.

Zesshi had managed to get to her feet by the time Ainz made it to her, but she looked absolutely terrible. Ainz knew she'd survive, but he did feel a little bad. He didn't mean to rough her up that much.

Ainz decided she deserved something as a reward. He knew what every woman usually asked for as a reward, and it almost always involved him. He knew he'd have to seriously tone it down, but he had an idea.

Ainz put a hand on her upper back to steady her, slides his other arm under her knees, and picks her up bridal style. He didn't carry her anywhere, just sat down on the ground and put her in his lap.

Zesshi immediately wanted to wrap her arms around her King, but they were both broken, and she couldn't move them at the moment. She just rolled into him and buried her head in his chest while Ainz reached with his free hand into his inventory.

Ainz grabbed a high-tier healing potion from his inventory and fed it to Zesshi himself. The effects were immediate, and even if they weren't, Ainz could tell they took effect. Zesshi's arms immediately went around him as much as they could when she finished drinking the potion down.

Ainz chuckled as she wrapped him up, buried her head into him, and took a big sniff. He had no idea why women insisted on smelling him, but it happened way more often than he thought it should.

It wasn't just women like Zesshi or Draudillon, who he caught sniffing him while they danced at the victory feast. Taylar did it, Albedo did it, Rubedo did it, they all did it. He'd smelled himself nearly a thousand times trying to figure out what the hell they smelled.

He still had no idea.

Ainz gave her a couple of minutes like that before he picked her up and set her down. Zesshi did let go, albeit, reluctantly. The smile she had was hard to miss. Ainz doesn't think he's ever seen her smile quite that wide.

"Cocytus spoke true, Zesshi. You have grown quite a bit. That was a very good spar we just had."

"Thank you, your majesty. I only desire to get strong enough to be worthy of my King."

"We may see how strong you truly are shortly, Zesshi Zetsumei. Tell me, the first time you used your weapon to train in Nazarick, did it feel different to you?"

"Yes, it felt... I felt more... in tune with it, my King."

"Your weapons potential is the same as the one I wield, Zesshi. However, you had never been bonded to your weapon previously. As such, it could not grow with you, but after our spar, I believe you have the will to survive the next step if you feel ready to take it."

"S-Survive it?"

"Yes. I suspect you will experience more pain than any person ever has in their life during this process. I do believe you are strong enough to survive. The question is... do you?"

While Ainz waited for Zesshi's answer, a thought went through his mind staring at her.

'At least, Demiurge said she'll survive it. He may just think she can to see what happens. You can never tell with him.'

While they had done their best to curb his more... sadistic tendencies. Demiurge was still very much Demiurge. While they had all changed, all of them still had things about them that others would see as pure evil. Ainz still tortured people with Albedo from time to time and the woman was pregnant!

"I... I shall not let you down, my King."

Ainz watched Zesshi swallow nervously, but looked resolute to accomplish this. Ainz knew the process to have something usually only those from Yggdrasil could do, such as a bonding ritual, were possible without the blood oath from Nazarick. Demiurge had already accomplished it a few times experimenting, but he was curious to see it himself.

"If you believe yourself ready, Zesshi... take my hand."

*GREATER TELEPORTATION*

Zesshi didn't hesitate and they disappeared the moment she took Ainz hand. She was very disappointed he let go immediately after they arrived, but had her eyes widen in surprise where they were now.

She was in the Throne Room of Nazarick, and there were hundreds, if not thousands, of beings present. The only ones she could see that she knew she could defeat were the Death Knights. All the other undead, dragons, demons, devils, and many other races looked and felt to be more powerful than she was.

"Zesshi Zetsumei."

Zesshi turned her head to the sound behind her and saw both of her Queens sitting on their thrones. Princess Aureole stood by her mother while Lady Rubedo was standing beside her sister. It seemed as if every powerful being in Nazarick was present for what was about to happen.

"My Queens, Princess Aureole, Lady Rubedo."

Zesshi may wish nothing more than to be with her King, but she also quickly knew her Queens, Princess, and Ambassador deserved her respect as much as her King did. She took a knee immediately upon seeing them seated there and didn't move until Albedo spoke.

"Rise, Zesshi. It is a momentous day for you, and for Nazarick. We shall see if you can become the first to endure a ritual meant for those whose power is far greater than those of this World."

"I shall not disappoint you, my Queen."

Zesshi turned back to her King to complete whatever it was she needed to. She had already set her will to complete anything, but the slight head nod she noticed from Cocytus made her almost as happy as her King praising her combat skills.

Her King stood there with her weapon in one hand and his in the other. She took her weapon when it was offered, and saw her King reach into his robe to pull something out. It was a clear vial with a red liquid. It looked a lot like...

"You must have the blood of Nazarick for this task, Zesshi. As you are not bound by blood, you must somehow possess it to start the ritual. So Zesshi Zetsumei, do you have the strength to endure drinking my blood?"

Zesshi reached for it the second Ainz popped the top off. She drank it down quickly, and it was hard to describe how it tasted. Strange would probably be the best word. Sweet at first, then bitter and salty. One last taste of sweet before something... metallic maybe. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't taste good.

"Now Zesshi, the true test of your will. Do you see the orbs on my scythe? Look into them."

Zesshi drew her head closer and looked inside one of them. There were seven on her King's weapon. She looked to one in the middle as she wasn't nearly as tall as her King. They all looked the same except the top one anyway.

She didn't notice anything at first. It just looked to be a green globe to her with wisps of white. It wasn't until she noticed the wisps were moving that she saw it. Faces twisted in agony swimming through the green liquid. They all looked to be screaming out in horror, and it made her flinch back and look at Ainz. The smirk on his face was unnerving to Zesshi.

"The souls of all those slain by it, Zesshi Zetsumei. Soon, you shall hear what I hear. Them begging to be set free. You shall be their salvation and their damnation, Zesshi Zetsumei."

The way Ainz said that made Zesshi's skin crawl. She could only imagine what he meant by that, but she would do anything to get stronger.

"I shall be whatever you need me to be, my King."

"We shall see. We shall see." This is the first time Zesshi could honestly say her King looked... evil, and she didn't know what to think of that. "Now, you shall take hold of my weapon, and use your body as the conduit to pass the souls from the globe atop my scythe into your own weapon. Can you endure the agony and pain of tens of thousands to get stronger, Zesshi?"

"Anything for you, my King."

Ainz thought he had the Evil King speech going pretty well, but he was thrown for a minute by how quickly Zesshi answered. The girl looked determined as hell, he was hoping for a little fear. He must be being too nice to everyone around him. He'd have to slaughter a city or something soon to get his reputation back.

When he held out his scythe, she reached for it immediately and that evil smirk came back. Ashryn had been the only one to touch his weapon and endure it, not from Nazarick. Ainz had a good idea why she didn't turn to dust like the guy in town who grabbed it. It is why he rarely pulled it out anymore.

As soon as she grabbed it, Ainz let go. Zesshi's reaction was immediate. She gasped in pain, her eyes rolled into her head, and she went down to one knee. Ainz thought she was enduring it pretty well, until the souls started transferring.

When the globe started to drain, a white mist latched onto Zesshi hand holding his weapon and started moving down her arm. It had only reached her shoulder when Zesshi's pain-filled scream ripped through the Throne Room.

By the time it had passed to her other shoulder, her pain and screams had amplified. Blood was leaking from her nose and it was starting to come out of her ears as well. When they finally encompassed her other hand and started transferring to the other weapon, Zesshi's eyes had filled with blood, and it was starting to come out both corners of her mouth.

Everyone could tell the process was killing her, but each was impressed in their own way. While Zesshi's screams had intensified, she managed to stand herself back up while enduring the transfer.

The process was nearly complete when blood started leaking out of her body from all over. Everyone could see it seeping through her torn up training gear. It was coming from her ribs, her shoulders, her neck, and even the top of her head. There were no cuts, just blood leaking from her pores.

Zesshi let out one last pain-filled scream and collapsed when the transfer ended. Ainz was close enough to catch her before she landed face-first on the floor. She still had hold of both weapons so he grabbed them and handed them off.

He was glad to see her weapon now had the same black twisted wood snath that his did along with four soul orbs instead of the three it previously had. It means it worked, and he could tell she was breathing, even if she was passed out.

"She endured her pain better than we hoped." Taylar said as she rose from her throne. "Now all in Nazarick have bore witness to Zesshi's resolve to aid Nazarick. You are all dismissed. We shall let her rest for now."

Everyone bowed and left the Throne Room while Ainz picked up Zesshi bridal style. He looked over at his Queens and they gave him the nod with their stupid smirks. He knew they wanted to say this would be Zesshi's favorite reward, but luckily she was unconscious so Ainz teleported to her room using his ring and set her on the bed.

There was no potion he could give her to recover from this. She'd have to do it naturally, he was surprised by her will when she managed to crack one eye open. He wasn't surprised by what she said.

"Did I... Did I do it?"

"Hmm... you sure did. I'm very proud of you, Zesshi. You must recover from this naturally. You are to rest for the next three days without training. You have moved on to the next step, and I will have a task for you soon enough. Until then, enjoy your time and relax. You have certainly earned it."

"Thank... you, my... King."

Zesshi never learned if it was true, but she swears her King kissed her on the top of her head right before she passed out that day. She didn't need to learn if it was true or not. To her, that is always how she would remember it.

After Ainz dropped that kiss on her head, he teleported out of her room and back outside his. Lumiere opened the door for him and he entered into quite the sight. Narberal and Lupus Regina were sitting on the loveseat drinking tea, talking with each other.

Aureole was sitting on the end of the couch. She was turned sideways and was braiding Rubedo's hair. Rubedo was sitting in the middle turned so Aureole could do what she was doing while she was facing Taylar and having, apparently, a very happy conversation.

Taylar was laughing and giggling with Rubedo on the other end of the couch, and then there was Albedo. She was in a chair by herself, her feet up on an ottoman, her right hand rubbing her belly, and Ainz could hear her speaking softly to their children.

"I can barely ever get more than two of you together at once, and now, all six of you have been together twice in less than a week. Is this some momentous occasion I'm going to get yelled at for forgetting?"

Ainz got a giggle out of all of them, even Narberal, as he went around kissing each on the forehead. It truly was strange to see all of them together at once. Ainz thought the victory feast in the Draconic Kingdom would be a very rare event, but here they all were again, less than a week later.

"It is very momentous, my love."

Ainz raises a brow at Taylar when she said that. He was curious now. For some reason, every woman in the room was now on the edge of their seat except for Taylar and Rubedo.

They had stood up, linked arms, looked at each other, and then smiled at Ainz. He had no idea what it was about until Rubedo and Taylar both opened their mouths.

"We're pregnant."

Ainz stilled for a moment, letting the words sink in. He thought he heard them wrong at first, but their smiles were undeniable. Before either could see his reaction other than frozen for a moment, both of them were lifted off the ground.

Ainz had Rubedo up in his right arm while Taylar was currently in his left. He couldn't help but laugh and give them each a kiss. It seemed victory over the Beastmen was not the highlight of Ainz week anymore. Rubedo and Taylar were happy as well, but when Ainz set them down, they saw he was panicking now.

"Oh shit! Are you... are you both having twins as well? I'll love them either way, but six babies! Gods! How the hell am I going to-"

"Ainz!" he stopped his rant when Taylar yelled at him. "As far as I can tell, only one each for us."

The smile came right back to Taylar and Rubedo's faces when Ainz blew out a breath and smiled at them once more. Neither could stop the giggle that escaped their lips though, and they certainly didn't protest when Ainz grabbed them both again and embraced them.

---

Today was the day Ainz left for the Dwarven Kingdom. Ainz thought about delaying his trip because of what he learned a few days ago, but he had already delayed this to head to the Draconic Kingdom. Plus, Ainz wanted to meet the dwarves.

He really wanted to see if they were like dwarves from his world's fantasy settings. Ainz would honestly be a bit disappointed if they weren't all loud, gruff, and loved to drink. He had high hopes of drinking with some dwarves, he really hoped he wasn't disappointed.

Ainz thought of changing up who he brought with him, but ultimately decided to stick with who he originally intended to bring. As such, Shalltear and Aura were still coming with him. Ainz didn't just want Aura to learn how to handle diplomatic situations early on, but she was also supplying the mounts for their entire party.

Shalltear was much the same. Ainz wanted her to see diplomacy in action, and hope she'd learn that killing everything or everyone that disagreed wasn't the only path. She had done a great job filling in for Albedo in different roles. Ainz hoped she'd learn even more on this trip.

They had agreed a while ago that they would do a proper 'royal progress' when going on diplomatic missions, but Ainz didn't really have a choice anyway for this one. Ainz had no idea where the dwarves were.

All he had was the Lizardman, Zenberu, who had stayed in the dwarven city years ago as a guide. Even if he wanted to, Ainz couldn't just teleport to the Dwarven Kingdom. After they had picked up Zenberu from the Lizardmen Tribes, they allowed him to take the lead.

Zenberu was a decent guide, but Ainz thought a few times he might just be winging it in his directions. They had to camp twice and Ainz was a little frustrated. He hoped to make it to the dwarves by the first day, but they did finally find what they were looking for on the third day.

He knew he could have sped it up by using Control Amnesia on Zenberu, but he didn't want to resort to that. He had gotten pretty decent at sifting through other's memories with it, but better safe than sorry with an ally.

Zenberu said it was the entrance to the city, but it looked like a crack in the mountain to Ainz. No guards were stationed here and no one answered when they called out. Ainz eventually sent some Hanzos in and they returned with some news Ainz wasn't expecting.

"Master, we have done an initial sweep of the city. We found no signs of life within it."

"Everyone is dead?"

"We do not know master. There are no bodies or blood we could see. It appears the city may have been abandoned."

Ainz had the Hanzos fade into the shadows as he went to take a look himself. He'd be pissed if the Dwarves were extinct. He really, really wanted to drink with them and see how they made Runecrafted gear.

Ainz had the Hanzos direct him into the city and looked around himself. Once inside, it certainly looked like a Dwarven City as he would picture it, but it was completely rundown and abandoned. It seemed as if the Hanzos had been correct in their assessment.

Ainz sent the Hanzos to scout more areas while they looked around the city, but Ainz, Aura, and Shalltear didn't find much of consequence. The only thing of somewhat significance was footprints, but they were old.

It wasn't until the Hanzos reported back that Ainz had some hope. They heard what they thought to be someone mining something. Ainz sent Aura to try to bring back the person mining to speak with him and wasn't disappointed.

First off, Aura talked him into coming back with her and didn't just force him. The second was that it was an actual dwarf. He was starting to think there were no more dwarves but here one stood in front of him.

"Your majesty, may I present to you, Gondo Firebeard of the Dwarven Kingdom."

Ainz could tell the dwarf had been looking around warily upon exiting, but it changed to pure panic when he laid eyes on Ainz. It probably had to do with how Ainz always spread his wings when he was first introduced as a King. He didn't know why he did it, it just kind of happened.

"A... A monster! You didn't say your King was a monster!"

"Watch your mouth you filthy fuc-"

"Shalltear!" She stopped her rant quickly. "I am not a monster, Gondo Firebeard." Ainz had to stop himself from laughing at the stereotypical dwarven name. "I am Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Saiko Kingdom. I was guided her by Zenberu, a Lizardman who stayed here five years ago, in hopes of speaking with the leaders of this city."

"Ah! Yes, the fella with the big arm the young dark elf was speaking about. I, ahh, apologizes for my reaction, your majesty. It is your majesty, correct?" Gondo kept going once Ainz nodded. "I apologize for my reaction, your majesty. I thought young Aura's king was also a Dark Elf. Is the Saiko Kingdom not a kingdom of Dark Elves?"

"It is not, Gondo Firebeard. The Saiko Kingdom is a kingdom of many races, Humans, Elves, Goblins, Lizardmen, Rabbitfolk, Toadmen, Undead, and many more, who recognize myself and my Queens as their rulers. I was hoping to come and talk to the dwarves to form an alliance. Could you tell me why this city was abandoned?"

Ainz figured the Dwarf would be a little cautious to tell him much about what happened here since he knew nothing about Ainz, but that was misplaced thoughts. The Dwarf didn't hesitate to answer Ainz's question.

"Three years ago the city was abandoned and all the Dwarves moved to the capital of Feo Jera because we saw Quagoa getting too close to this city, Feo Raizo. We did not want our cities to be taken down piece by piece by the Quagoa. Everyone rallied to our current capital until our army is big enough to come and take back the cities we abandoned."

Ainz absorbed that information as he stared at the Dwarf. He had never heard of the Quagoa before, but it sounded like they were the natural enemy of the Dwarves. That was definitely a different aspect of Dwarves he didn't see coming.

As far as Ainz knew, Dwarves only had a natural rivalry with Elves. That did make sense to him, you couldn't get two more different races of people so their natural rivalry made sense.

Elves were tall, slim, graceful, dexterous, and usually lived in the forest or anywhere above ground. Dwarves on the other hand were short, stocky, loud, brash, and loved to drink. Plus they all, pretty much, exclusively lived inside of mountains.

"I see, I see. So these Quagoa are the main enemies to the Dwarves in this mountain? Do the Dwarves of the Azerlisia Mountains not think of Elves as their natural enemies?"

"We do not, your majesty. I, umm, I hear the Elf King is not a good man, but we have no reason to dislike the Elves. They stick to their forests and we Dwarves have our mountains."

"That is good to hear, Gondo. Dwarves and Elves are natural enemies where we come from. Could I hire your services to lead us to the Dwarven capital? I wish to discuss terms of an alliance with your leaders, and Zenberu was only aware of this Dwarven city. I will fairly compensate you, and perhaps we can speak more of your culture. There are many things I wish to hear about the Dwarves of the Azerlisia Mountains."

"Is that what you truly wish to do, your majesty? You simply wish to speak on terms of an alliance with the Dwarves?"

"Yes, I would like discuss the terms I wish to put forth. Perhaps I could help you deal with your Quagoa problem, that would be good starting ground. However, I would like to discuss that with those in a position of leadership amongst the Dwarves. I am assuming you do not hold such a position, Gondo Firebeard?"

"It is as you say, your majesty. I can lead you to Feo Jera. I know the underground route the best, but I'm sure I can lead you on the surface if you prefer, your majesty."

"The surface would be best. If we are successful in forming an alliance, I will know what path needs moved for a road to be put down to Feo Jera. If you don't mind, I'd like to talk on the way. There are many things about the Dwarves that intrigue me, and I hope you'll indulge my curiosity, Gondo. I was hoping you could tell me about the Runesmithing dwarves are known for?"

"What could you want to know about runes?"

"I've seen Runecrafted gear in the Arwinter Market before, but there wasn't much of it. After getting an explanation on the difference between enchanted items and Runecrafted items from the merchant selling them, I wondered why there were so little Runecrafted items for sale. From the merchants explanation, I believe it would be much more cost efficient to produce Runecrafted items instead of enchanted, but there were only a few Runecrafted items. I wondered why that was?"

Ainz noticed immediately that Gondo's expression went from one of confusion to excitement. He knew he had the Dwarf hooked into explaining runecraft, but didn't understand why until they spoke some more.

"Exactly! Runecrafted gear is so much cheaper to make, but everyone just gave up on it! I've made it my mission in life to bring back runecraft! I know there are 90 runes, but most of them have been lost to time. I've been trying to develop a new method of smithing to decrease the time it takes to craft a rune and develop new ones!"

Ainz was grateful for the Dwarf's excitement. He realized if he only knew a few, he might get him even farther on his side if he drew a few he knew to see if the Dwarf recognized them.

"That sounds like a good goal to achieve, Gondo. I'm no runesmith myself, but I am familiar with Runecrafted gear. I remember these ones."

Ainz started drawing in the dirt and Gondo watched with rapt attention. Ainz only drew five symbols, 2 lesser, 1 middle, 1 upper, and 1 top tier. Ainz wished he could take a picture of Gondo's reaction when Ainz leaned back and the Dwarf could see. He thought for sure his eyes would pop out of his head.

"Those are the symbols for fire and ice, and the symbol for weight manipulation, but... but those other two. I've... I've never seen them before. Are those... are those upper tier runes?!"

"You are half correct Gondo. That first one there." Ainz points to the one that's an oval with a line sideways through it and a wavy line vertical through it. "is the rune for metalline. It is for weapons and it gives the weapon all metal properties. It is an upper rune, but the other one is not."

Ainz sees him deflate, but he knows that will change in mere moments. Ainz is worried he might actually give this Dwarf a heart attack when he tells him what the last rune he drew was. He'll have to keep it to himself for now that Ainz is aware of 110 total runes and not the 90 Gondo believes is the max.

"That second rune." Ainz points to what looks like a jagged circle with 5 lines coming from the bottom. "is the rune for magma surge. It is also for weapons and allows for a weapon to spew molten rocks and fire when critically hitting an enemy with it. That isn't an upper rune, it is a top tier rune."

Ainz would never forget Gondo's reaction or that rune. Almost every melee avatar in Yggdrasil sought out someone to craft that rune on their weapon. It was hard to pass up having a tier 10 spell go off every time you crit on someone and a 5% chance every other time you swung.

Gondo's reaction was nearly along the lines of what Ainz thought would happen. The Dwarf passed out face first in the dirt. Ainz checked, he was alive. Aura got to slap him awake. He could tell she'd wanted to do it for a while like Shalltear, but he knew Shalltear would probably take it too far and accidentally kill him.

He couldn't take that risk so Aura got the honors. The Dwarf was still in a stupor, but it didn't last long. Ainz heard him muttering immortal angel, lost knowledge, and all other things while he was in his own little world before Gondo started speaking.

Ainz was intrigued by everything Gondo was saying. It was as he thought, everyone seemed to give up on runecraft even though the cost was a fraction of the price for enchanted gear. He heard the history, Gondo's ridiculous self title, and all about Gondo's father and grandfather.

It didn't take Ainz long to realize Gondo would do anything to bring back runecraft, and Ainz only waited until the Dwarf finished speaking to make his pitch. He thought it'd be harder to convince him to come to Carne, but the Dwarf literally offered his soul to Ainz for funding for runecraft and agreed to help him bring every runesmith he could to Carne.

If Ainz got nothing else out of this trip, he would consider it a success. Even if the Dwarves wanted nothing to do with him, he just lowered the cost of a lot of their needs for the Saiko Kingdom.

That was provided Gondo could come through on his end. It wasn't always a sure thing, but Ainz was heartened by the Dwarf's passion. He probably put more belief behind those thoughts than he would have normally. They were finally about to leave the tunnel when Shalltear stopped him.

"My King, the Hanzos are reporting they have spotted a group of 110 coming this way. They believe it to be the Quagoa that Gondo described, your majesty."

Ainz didn't miss that Gondo looked worried about that. It didn't seem like a small group to him. It would be a good way to get information directly from the Quagoa if they could capture them.

"Shalltear, I want you to capture all the Quagoa. Can you do that?"

"If that is your will, your majesty. I shall carry it out!"

"It is Shalltear. Do you know why I want you to capture them and not kill them?"

"So we may question them and they cannot spread word of our presence, my King?"

Ainz smiled at Shalltear, and she swooned, unable to help it. Ainz smiled because she was correct. He didn't know if she left out the other reason on purpose, or simply didn't know herself, but it was the perfect answer.

"Correct, Shalltear. We must understand why they are here. I shall leave you to your work Shalltear. I look forward to seeing how you handle this situation."

Ainz gave Shalltear the reins to test what she had learned over all these months and he wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Shalltear not only managed to capture every Quagoa alive, but she also went about her interrogation the correct way.

She singled out a terrified Quagoa, had him sell out his leader, and then Charmed him to get all the answers they needed. Ainz was grateful all that time he had Shalltear spend with Demiurge and Aureole had paid off for her. He was sure the Shalltear from when they came here would have slaughtered every Quagoa there without hesitation.

Ainz expected Gondo to turn pale or panic at the news the Quagoa were about to attack his capital and possibly take it over, but it never came. The Dwarf just shrugged his shoulders and then Ainz remembered the Dwarf offered him his soul already. He probably wouldn't care what happened to the others.

Ainz also saw Shalltear give him a look when Gondo seemed unaffected by the news. He didn't know what to make of it, but he was sure she had a look he never saw. He had seen the awe from her plenty of times, but he's pretty sure he saw fear flash in her eyes and Ainz couldn't understand why.

Once Shalltear had all their new prisoners back at Nazarick, they made haste toward Feo Jera. If they truly were attacking today, Ainz knew there was nothing he could do. However, if he could save a few runesmiths, it would be worth the travel.

Gondo told them it would take five or six days to reach Feo Jera from underground, but with Aura's Magical Beasts as their mounts, it only took them less than a day to come to the fortress Gondo told them about on the outside of their capital.

Ainz walked up alone to talk with the Dwarves outside in the fortress. He pulled out his little white flag he used to parley with Koa, King of the Beastmen, and explained to the Dwarf that came out how he came to be here.

The Dwarf looked skeptical at Ainz's intentions, but he told him all he could. How they met Gondo, what they learned of the Quagoa, and why they were seeking out the Dwarves.

Gondo and the others had a back and forth about the best alcohol that made Ainz smile. After that, it didn't take much convincing to have the Dwarf go down into the city and tell them of Ainz's arrival.

Ainz has no idea how long he waited. He got bored and started looking through his inventory at different items. So far everything had functioned as it did in Yggdrasil, but he wanted to check on items he hadn't yet.

He tried to do this as often as possible, but he still had a long way to go to get through it all. Ainz had been a hoarder before the last day of Yggdrasil, his inventory probably tripled that day and he only dropped off a decent amount of his gold and the World Items in the treasury.

Ainz was holding the staff he planned to gift to Narberal in his hand to make sure it worked properly when he noticed he had been joined by three Dwarves that were not there before. For some reason, they were sitting on the ground instead of standing, Ainz didn't speak until he had helped them up from the ground, he really didn't want to sit on the ground to talk.

"I am Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Saiko Kingdom. Are you the chosen representatives of the Dwarves to speak with me?"

"I, umm, I'm in charge of the military!"

Ainz was slightly disappointed in that. The man seemed to be a little too on edge for Ainz liking to be in charge of the military. The Dwarf seemed like he would jump out of his boots at any moment. However, Ainz knew he'd have to play the perfect diplomat to move this forward.

"I suppose in times such as these, it would be a good idea to speak with a commander. I am at least grateful the Quagoa have not overrun your city yet. After we learned of your situation, I feared my hope of creating an alliance with the Dwarven Kingdom would be over before it could begin, Commander."

"So you already know why I came?"

"Of course, your situation is obviously dire if you came out to talk with me while your city is being sieged. I'm sure you would be more useful giving orders to your men instead of talking with me if your need wasn't immediate, Commander."

"We have already halted the Quagoa advance and are trying to hold them back now."

"And how is that going for you, Commander?"

"We are holding, but I have other questions. They told me you learned of this attack from some captured Quagoa you have. Can you produce any evidence this is how you learned of the Quagoa's intentions?"

Ainz had tried to be cordial and diplomatic toward this commander, but his patience was wearing thin. He narrowed his eyes at the Dwarf now, and was close to dropping the nice king act in favor of the don't fuck with me king.

"Well, Gondo was present when-"

"Material evidence."

'Yep, nice king time is over!'

That's all Ainz could think about. He had tried to be nice to this Dwarf, but he didn't return the respect Ainz had showed him the whole time. He had enough of this. Ainz rose to his full height and allowed his dark aura to envelop his body.

"I could produce a Quagoa prisoner for you, Commander. I could also simply point out that your city is under siege and that is enough material evidence to show you I spoke true. However..."

Ainz was glad to see the Dwarf gulp and take a step back. He was seconds away from splattering this Dwarf all over the mountainside.

"It angers me greatly as to what you are implying by asking such a thing of me. And while I understand showing up unannounced on your doorstep means certain protocols will have to be dismissed, I have addressed you properly as Commander this entire time. And yet, you have shown me none of the respect I have shown you."

Ainz loves the look he sees on the Dwarf now. He can't wait until he finishes to see how the commander reacts.

"I am a King and I expect to be addressed as such. While I came here to talk of an alliance with the Dwarves, I think I've had enough of your disrespect. I'll leave you to whatever fate befalls your people at the hands of the Quagoa."

Ainz was glad to see the Dwarf's lip quiver and his eyes widen in shock. He only waited to see that before turning back to his mount. He had barely gotten situated on top of his mount when the Dwarven Commander found his voice.

"Wait! I... I apologize, your majesty. The attack was unexpected and I let it affect me more than I should have allowed it to. I am the Commander-In-Chief and I should not be allowing my worry to affect my actions. I apologize again, your majesty."

"I accept your apology, Commander. Good luck with the Quagoa."

Ainz turned his mount to leave, but he did so slowly. He got exactly the reaction he was hoping for before he even fully turned to leave.

"B-But Your Majesty! I-I apologized! Will... Will you not aid us, your majesty?"

"And why would I do that? It's true I came here to see how an alliance could benefit both our kingdoms, but I have been met with nothing but disrespect and suspicion. I only give aid to those who earned it. You have done nothing to earn my aid, Commander."

"I apologize again, your majesty. Please don't let others suffer for my folly, your majesty. The truth is, we are holding off the Quagoa for now, but I fear it will not last long. It is too late to evacuate the city and I do not want my people to suffer because of what I have done. I beseech you, your majesty, will you please lend the Dwarven Kingdom your aid?"

Ainz was, obviously, going to accepted, but he made sure to make it seem as though he was thinking about it. He liked to see this Dwarf sweat after suspecting him of orchestrating this invasion. Ainz waited until it looked like the commander was going to beg before answering.

"Can you give me your word that my aid will be compensated in someway? It matters not if it is in favorable terms toward an alliance or simple monetary compensation if an agreement cannot be reached. I will, however, require some form of payment. Is that something you can give me your word on, Commander?"

The commander's joy at Ainz words may have been short lived on his face, but the way he replied to Ainz let him know the Dwarf's joy hadn't left him even if it was no longer on his face.

"I can, your majesty. I am on the Reagent Council. I can promise you compensation in some form no matter what, your majesty."

"Very well, commander. I shall trust in your word and lend you my kingdoms strength to repel the Quagoa invasion force. I'm sure your people will feel ill at ease around the undead I command so I will leave them here and bring Shalltear, Aura, Gondo, and Zenberu to accompany myself. Is that acceptable?"

Ainz already knew it was the right thing to say before he saw the relief on the Commander's face. He had enough knowledge to know that people needed time to adjust to using undead as security or labor. He'd be able to sell that soon enough. There was no need to worry the Dwarves more than they already were.

"It is, your majesty. I shall lead you down if you are ready, your majesty."

"We are. Please, lead the way, commander."

The moment they started walking toward the capital, Ainz sent a message to Aureole. He was going to use some Death Knights, Aura, or Shalltear to deal with the Quagoa, but he thought that would be a waste.

His created undead couldn't get any stronger than they were when they had been created. Although, he and Demiurge were making strides in that department. Aura and Shalltear were both level 100 so the experience would be lost unless he had them wear an item like Avarice and Generosity. Taylar still had that World Item though and he didn't want to bother her.

That is when Ainz realized this would be a perfect moment for someone else. Not only would she benefit from the experience gain, but Ainz needed her to start killing things so they could move their plans forward with her.

When they made it to the gate the Quagoa were attacking, Ainz only had to wait a moment before a Gate opened next to him and his Champion of the day was kneeling before him. Zesshi had taken a knee immediately upon exiting the gate for her king.

Zesshi had been over the moon happy for days now after completing her bonding ritual. Not only did those from Nazarick now treat her with the respect they showed the others from Nazarick, but she had been gifted, by far, the greatest armor she would ever wear.

She knew she wasn't the only one with this armor, but her's was slightly different from Leinas's. While they were identical colors and design, Zesshi didn't have the patches of exposed skin as Leinas did, and her enchantments were different since Zesshi was already much stronger than Leinas.

Zesshi had been waiting for her King to give her her first mission. When Aureole had appeared in front of her as she was leaving the Canteena from lunch, she had been nervous at first.

Aureole and Zesshi's only true interaction had not ended well for Zesshi. However, the Princess only wished to tell her the King asked for her skills. Zesshi couldn't accept fast enough and was stepping through a Gate to lay eyes on her Great King just moments later.

"My King!" Zesshi's reverence did not affect Ainz anymore. Almost everyone spoke to him in such a way nowadays. "I have come as commanded. How may I be of service to you, your majesty?"

"Zesshi, thank you for coming. I have need of your combat skills, but your purpose here is for another reason. An invasion force of Quagoa have begun assaulting the gate of this city. While I know the Quagoa are no match for your skills, it is time you began to harvest the souls required for your weapon."

"I am at your disposal for anything you require, my King."

After all this time, Ainz was used to the innuendo of just about every woman around him. He did wonder if this is just the way women were since it happened about every time Ainz talked to a female or it only happened to him. He'd have to figure that out one of these days.

"I shall prevent them from entering the city with my Fear Aura while the gate is raised. Once it has opened, I want you to slaughter the Quagoa outside the gate and inside the fortress. Try and capture their commander if possible and allow a few to escape so they may be followed back to where the other Quagoa are hiding. The rest are yours for harvesting, Zesshi."

"I shall make you proud, my King."

Ainz gave Zesshi a nod and turned back toward the Commander. He needed to make sure the Dwarves were out of range of his Fear Aura, they weren't going to be immune like Zesshi, Aura, and Shalltear were.

"Commander, please tell your men to start raising the gate then flee behind you. I shall use my Aura to prevent the Quagoa from entering the city, but I do not believe your men will be able to withstand it as my people can. Once you give the order, please retreat as well. We shall handle the Quagoa."

"As you command, your majesty."

The Commander gave the signal to open the gate and then, literally, ran about two hundred feet behind Ainz. He didn't suppress his chuckle at his actions. Ainz walked a few steps, Zesshi trailing beside him, and activated his aura.

Even with Zesshi's protection, he still saw her shiver when he turned it on, but she didn't flee. It seemed the enchantments on her armor were working properly, at least, that one was.

When they stood in the gate, Ainz was met with the sight of thousands of Quagoa backed away from the gate in a semicircle around it. Some had fled to the bridge, but none had outright fled in terror.

He was sure that wouldn't last long after Zesshi got started, but he wasn't done himself yet. Ainz realized early on that action was great, but saying something unforgettable before hand made the moments of triumph for Nazarick more impactful. He wasn't going to treat this moment any differently.

"Quagoa!" Ainz spread his wings and arms to make himself seem even bigger than he already was. "You have come to Feo Jera to slaughter its inhabitants and take control of this place yourself. You believed you were walking a path to victory with your way around the Great Rift. However..." Ainz turns his black halo aura on. "You have not walked a path toward victory. You have walked a path straight into the embrace of Death! The price of your quest shall be paid with your souls!"

As soon as Ainz finished, Zesshi moved from his side and sliced eight Quagoa in half in the blink of an eye. The Quagoa stood around mute for a few moments as they watched their comrades die.

Ainz was sure it was because of them withering to ash instead of being cleaved in two and bleeding. Zesshi managed to kill thirty more of them before the panic set in. They tried to flee, but it was no use.

Ainz stayed at the entrance, with Shalltear and Aura moving up beside him so no Quagoa could make it into the city, as he watched Zesshi dispatch Quagoa by the hundreds. He was proud to see Zesshi not just wading through them mindlessly either even though they were incredibly weak compared to her.

Zesshi had been slaughtering them, but she was doing it in a way that didn't allow many to flee her wrath and escape. When Ainz saw the Quagoa start trying to cut the cables on the bridge, he said nothing.

Ainz couldn't rescue every person from Nazarick when he saw something might go wrong. He needed to let them grow and develop on their own. He was happy what he saw Zesshi do in the situation, it meant she knew her gear well. It looked as if she didn't notice at first, but right before the cable was cut, Ainz heard her say.

*FLY*

When the bridge fell, Zesshi was floating in the air in the middle of the Great Rift. The Quagoa realized all they did was kill their own comrades and all tried to flee. Zesshi flew over to the other side and continued her slaughter.

It wasn't until a few minutes later when she returned from the fortress holding a red striped Quagoa by the throat that Ainz was sure she was done. He thought it might take her a little longer to kill that many thousands of Quagoa, but Zesshi was, apparently, very eager for this opportunity. He had Shalltear open a Gate and send the Quagoa through to Nazarick.

Ainz had Zesshi stay instead of return as well. Their plans involve her being Queen of the Elves, but they had only concentrated on combat training so far so she would stand a chance against her father. She still needed diplomatic training and could watch with Aura and Shalltear while he negotiated with the Dwarves.

Also, if the Dwarves needed Ainz to handle the other Quagoa, Zesshi could get even more souls to harvest. Zesshi certainly didn't complain, and he headed toward the Council Chambers with the Commander shortly after Zesshi was through with her extermination mission.

Ainz had grown used to the stares of others, but it had been sometime since he faced this much scrutiny. Mothers were hiding their kids from him and that hadn't happened since they took over E-Rantel.

Now, children in Carne or E-Rantel regularly came up to Ainz knowing they might get a sweet treat. It was kind of creepy to think about luring kids to like him with desserts and candy, but it had the desired effect. The kids of his kingdom did NOT see him as some sort of monster.

Gondo had left their group shortly after they started their trek to grab things from his home and gather the runesmiths for Ainz. Of course, the Commander thought he was only going to his home to relax.

The man didn't need to know what Gondo was doing. It wouldn't matter soon anyway. He was promised compensation, and Ainz knew exactly what compensation he wanted. They simply handed it to him on a platter.

The commander had led them to a small room to wait for him to speak with the council for a moment. Ainz is sure it was huge by Dwarven standards, but it was cramped with himself, Shalltear, Aura, Zesshi, and Zenberu all inside with him.

While they waited, Ainz made sure he looked presentable enough in his outfit and his cosmetic Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. The real one rarely left its hiding place behind the wall in his office anymore.

Ainz should have known better than to ask if he looked kingly enough to the others. Aura, Shalltear, and Zesshi all insisted he looked 'beautiful'. Ainz was seriously contemplating making a law that stated no one could call him beautiful. It just felt awkward to him to be called such a thing.

Luckily for Ainz, he didn't need to wait long to be shown into the council room. He brought everyone in the room with him. It would be pointless to teach them diplomacy if they were to stay behind and not witness the interaction with the council.

Well, all except Zenberu. He just wanted to make sure the Lizardman was safe. Ainz wasn't worried about the Dwarves being a threat to him, Shalltear, Aura, or Zesshi, but Zenberu was weak. Ainz needed to keep an eye on him to make sure he made it back to his tribe in one piece.

"Announcing the arrival of his Majesty, Exalted King of the Saiko Kingdom, Ainz Ooal Gown!"

Ainz saw the Dwarven announcer off to the side, and nodded to the man for his skills. Ainz has witnessed enough heralds in this New World to come to the conclusion that they must have a school for it or something. It seemed every herald in every kingdom he goes is very good at what they do.

When Ainz finally took in the council, he was a little at a loss. He had asked Zenberu if he knew any of the council, and now he felt bad for getting mad at the Lizardman's description of them. Ainz now sees Zenberu wasn't lying. It was nearly impossible to tell these dwarves apart.

"I am Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Saiko Kingdom."

Ainz had waited for them to introduce themselves as protocol dictated, but they all sat there frozen. It was only two of the Dwarves who had any look on their face other than rigid uncomfortableness.

The Commander-in-Chief looked comfortable enough with Ainz presence so that was a good sign. The other who didn't look completely shocked was a Dwarf Ainz didn't know yet.

The Dwarf was obviously looking at Ainz with distrust, but Ainz could figure out a way to change the man's mind he believes. It seemed that introducing himself again snapped the Dwarves out of whatever daze they were in.

"We bid your majesty, Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown, welcome to the Dwarven Kingdom. We would offer you a seat to speak with us if you wish to sit. Your followers have seats set up right behind you, your majesty."

Ainz nodded his head in acknowledgment of the Dwarf. Ainz wasn't sure which one this was either so he wasn't sure how to address him. Ainz sat down in his normal regal manner, and witnessed one of the things that still puzzled him to this day.

For some reason, even him sitting down made hearts form in the eyes of Aura, Shalltear, and Zesshi. He was sure he'd be trying to figure out why they had that reaction for the rest of his days if he dwelled on it too long.

Thankfully, they went down the line and introduced themselves after Ainz took a seat. They started with the High Priest of Earth, and went from there. They had many titles Ainz thought every Dwarven city needed, but it was the last one that had him smiling.

The Brewmaster!

If Ainz got nothing out of this trip, he hoped more than anything he'd get to drink with a bunch of Dwarves at least. It would certainly be the highlight of his diplomatic missions so far if he got that chance.

Ainz hoped his thought on Dwarves and their drinking held true in this New World. If it didn't, Ainz would probably be more disappointed in that than anything else he might learn or come across in the Dwarven Kingdom.

Luckily, Ainz's memory was incredible in this body so he had no trouble remembering each of the Dwarves as they introduced themselves. Ainz also learned it was the Master of Caves and Mines that had been addressing him, and the Dwarf wasn't through after his initial welcome.

"I would like to take this time to thank your majesty for coming to our aid. Without your strength, I fear what would have become of our people."

All the other Dwarves nodded in response to the Master of Caves and Mines thanks to Ainz. Ainz remembered they took turns leading the discussions so it must be this Dwarf's turn to do it. Ainz, of course, had a diplomatic answer to such a statement.

"It is common sense to help those in need. Your Commander-in-Chief should have most of the credit though. It is not easy to trust someone you do not know to help you through a troubling time. He showed great leadership and understanding accepting my offer of help."

"Your majesty truly is a generous being. We would be happy to come to your aid should you ever need it as well, but I do not believe we would be much help to your majesty. It only took one of your subordinates to handle a problem we could not solve as a kingdom."

"I did not venture to the Dwarven Kingdom for such aid though, councilors. My Kingdom is indeed mighty when it come to our military might. However, it is other areas we are lacking and where I hoped we could come to some arrangement between our kingdoms."

"I see, your majesty. While we would gladly aid you by whatever means we could, would you be able to tell you the reason you decided to visit our kingdom? The Commander-in-Chief has already informed us, but we would like to hear it from you, your majesty."

Ainz didn't miss that the Master of Caves and Mines narrowed his eyes at him. Ainz understood. It probably looked a little suspicious showing up as he did. However, Ainz had no doubt he could turn their minds around.

"Of course, councilor. I came here to initiate friendly relations between our nations. At the very least, I was hoping to show the Dwarven Kingdom they have a friend in the Saiko Kingdom and set up a trade agreement between our kingdoms."

"Is that so?"

"It is, councilor. I understand the primary food source of Dwarves is mushrooms and meats. Vegetables are too hard to grow in the mountains for you so you are limited in your selections of foodstuffs. My nation has plenty of vegetables and fruits you could never grow on the mountainside. Since my kingdom is made up of many races, it has the added benefit of many different cultures and drinks, specifically, alcohol of many different varieties. Are you interested in the alcohol of other races?"

When Ainz saw every Dwarf perk up, even the one who still didn't look to trust him, at the mention of alcohol, Ainz knew he had most of them hooked. He also made a mental note to make sure and drink with a few of them before he departed these lands.

"I also hear it is hard for the Dwarven Kingdom to trade with other nations. While you do some limited trading with the human empire to the east of you, it is very little and not frequent. This is another area my kingdom could help you with."

It was the Merchant's Guild Master who answered Ainz this time instead of the Master of Caves and Mines.

"Indeed it is, your majesty. We are currently trying to develop an unlimited storage capacity so we may do more trading, but it is coming along slowly. You believe you can help us with these troubles, your majesty?"

Ainz knew he already had the Merchant's Guild Master ready to say yes by how enthusiastic the Dwarf was talking to him. Now was the time to seal the deal with this Dwarf and move on to get others behind the idea of a trade agreement between their two kingdoms.

"I am the answer to your trading troubles for sure, Guild Master, but I can also offer your people more safety than they could ever imagine to have. I am not referring to my kingdoms military might either, councilors. I speak of labor and travel safety."

"Could you elaborate on that, your majesty?"

Not only was the Master of Caves and Mines now leaning in to hear what Ainz was going to say, but even the Master of Food Production was lending his voice to the discussion now.

"While it may still be dangerous for your people to transport trade goods to other nations, we can erase that danger by using... other methods to transport your goods. While horses are adequate, most of the time. I propose we use other beasts of burden for such tasks to limit the danger to your people."

Ainz planned on continuing his pitch, but the scowling Forgemaster interrupted him. Ainz could tell Aura, Zesshi, and Shalltear didn't take too kindly to the Dwarf's interruption. Ainz even had to give a hand signal to reign in their killing intent when the Dwarf forgot to call him your majesty.

"Are you speaking of the undead?"

"Yes, I am. A wagon pulled by one of my Soul Eaters can not only carry much more cargo, but it can defend itself if needed. There would be no reason to risk a single dwarven life in the transporting of goods using such beasts. There is also the undead's use in daily life for your people."

While it looked like it was going to take much more to convince the Forgemaster, Ainz could tell he already had most of them hooked. They were sitting on the edge of their seats listening intently to every word that came out of Ainz's mouth.

"We have been using undead labor to farm in my kingdom for months now. Our farmers have never had it easier while producing double or more of the crops they could before. This same template can easily be used for mining as we have done that already as well. It would extend your miners lives considerably and your production would soar as a result."

Ainz could tell there was a question on the tip of most of their tongues. He knew it would be the big concern for most of them, but he had an answer for them ready to go before they could ask the question.

"Of course, I'm sure you think it will put your miners out of the job. However, while the skeletons can do the labor, they still need to be supervised and given orders. By using this method, you can still employ the same number of miners, but give each a unit of skeletons to oversee. This way, you may spread them out even further than they are and mine more ore than you ever have in your history."

Ainz could tell by the looks on their faces he had them all. Well, all but one. The Forgemaster was still scowling as hard as ever, but he was only one man on this council. He still continued to question Ainz.

"Is it not true that the undead hate the living?"

"Under normal circumstances, you would be correct, Forgemaster. However, undead created and controlled by me shall never have that problem. They will only attack when it is to defend themselves or those that command them. They cannot be given orders to harm others by anyone, even the one who holds their command rod."

Ainz could tell the Forgemaster wanted to question him further, but the Commander-in-Chief spoke before the Forgemaster could.

"Would it be possible to purchase undead as a defensive force, your majesty?"

That question sent the Dwarven Council into a frenzy before Ainz could respond.

"Commander-in-Chief, it is too risky to rely on the military power of other nations to keep the peace!"

"I am aware of that, but I do not need to see them in action to know they would be a great force against the Quagoa. If we could purchase even a handful of them from His Majesty, I believe we can fend off any Quagoa invasion."

"Don't you think it's more dangerous to have the hands of another nation around our throats, you fool?!"

"I told you, now isn't the time to talk about that sort of thing, Forgemaster!"

The Forgemaster and the commander-in-chief glared at each other.

"We'll leave it as that. Those words will be saved for when it's only us. This is not something we should be saying in front of His Majesty, who came all the way here from his kingdom. Forgive this gaffe, Your Majesty. This conflict was caused by the attractive nature of Your Majesty's proposals, and we would be very grateful if you could permit it to pass unnoticed. Now, may I know what Your Majesty desires from this country? I feel that we have practically nothing to offer."

"Certainly not. First, I desire ores. My kingdom's stockpiles are limited."

While that was not really true, it also was. Nazarick has plenty of ores, and most of them these Dwarves probably never even heard of. However, the rest of his vassal nations could certainly use the ore in the future.

"I see." the Master of Caves and Mines started. "You wish for us to use undead labor so there is a surplus and you may purchase them for cheaper?"

"I wished to use undead labor for safety and productivity. Price is something we can discuss if an agreement is reached between our kingdoms. What I also wish to gain is arms and armor for my people. I hear the Dwarves craft the finest weapons and armors in all the lands."

While those from Nazarick, and those directly serving them like Zesshi or the Swords of Darkness didn't need the gear, the regular army would. They had sent out the Veteran's Package outlining the benefits and duties you would receive for enlisting in the military just before Ainz left for the Draconic Kingdom.

The response was a bit overwhelming. Ainz believed they'd get a few thousand to enlist. It would show the world their army wasn't just made up of undead and angels, but his people surprised him. Over a hundred thousand people from their kingdom and their vassals sent in requests to join the army.

That number had nearly knocked Ainz out of his seat when Taylar told him about it on one of her trips to the Draconic Kingdom. They couldn't outfit all those people with things from Nazarick so they'd need normal, high quality smiths to produce all of that gear.

"While we have not thanked Your Majesty for sharing all this with us, these are questions which cannot be answered immediately, in particular, on the matter of war gear. Could you give us some time to discuss this, your majesty?"

"Of course, you may discuss until you reach a conclusion. My objective was simply to let the Dwarven Kingdom know what they could receive if they entered into an agreement with the Saiko Kingdom. My direct subordinates already possess the finest war gear, and our army has only recently started training. Now, shall we discuss the Quagoa?"

"Did you not repel the Quagoa so you would not have wasted a trip to speak with us?"

Ainz is fairly certain now there is very little chance he'll ever get the Forgemaster on his side. The Dwarf was never polite to Ainz and questioned everything he said.

"While that is a primary reason, I was content to simply leave you to your fate after the welcoming I received. I stepped in because I was promised compensation for doing as such."

"And what compensation were you promised?"

"Nothing was set in stone. However, I believe I have a fair compensation in mind for my services so far, councilors. I believe allowing me to recruit the Dwarven Runesmiths of this kingdom to come to my kingdom to produce Runecrafted items should be sufficient."

"Do you plan to take them as your slaves?"

Ainz had been patient enough for the Forgemaster, but Ainz scowled at him this time. This dude was a straight up asshole the entire time. He'd have to remedy that quickly.

"While I have let your disrespect slide so far, Forgemaster. I can only tolerate it so much, especially when you say something so stupid. Did you not hear anything I said before this? Why would I wish to establish diplomatic relations with a kingdom to then turn around and enslave some of their population?"

"I apologize for the-"

Ainz waved the Master of Caves and Mines off. It wasn't his fault this Dwarf was a dick.

"Think nothing of it, councilor. I understand some of your Forgemasters trepidation. It is not easy to get used to dealing with a being who controls undead and angels. I imagine it is rather shocking to the system to learn there are those out there as powerful as I am."

"As you say, your majesty."

"Now, while I was promised compensation for my work already, I believe I can prove my good intention toward an alliance with the Dwarven Kingdom. How about I retake your former capital from the Quagoa? Would that be sufficient proof of my intentions?"

Ainz saw that everyone loved that idea, save for the Forgemaster. The Master of Caves and Mines was even licking his lips. There must be miles of untapped mines in their former capital or something if that is his reaction.

"Is that truly possible, your majesty?"

The Forgemaster folded his arms before him and glared at Ainz before he could answer the Master of Caves and Mines.

"That seems far too idealistic. Why are you giving us so much help? What do you want from us?"

"You've said too much, Forgemaster!"

The Forgemaster snorted at his colleague's words.

"It's like waving a bottle of fine wine in front of a stranger. Do you really think there are no strings attached?"

Ainz figured he'd insert himself into the conversation.

"A reasonable assumption, Forgemaster. You are partially correct as I see the Dwarves as a better option to trade with than the Quagoa. From what I have learned, they would have nothing of value to offer my kingdom."

"That does makes sense..."

"I believe you all shall feel a set of indebtness to me for such an act, and it would ease your worries as to how your Runesmiths would be treated. I wish for the Dwarven Kingdom to thrive as I do all the countries allied with the Saiko Kingdom."

"Could we not simply give you first priority of Runecrafted Gear, your majesty?"

"It is not worth the risk I am taking simply to have first choice of items. If the Runesmiths do not work exclusively for the Saiko Kingdom, I simply don't see the benefits out weighing the risks. When do you believe you can give me an answer to this question?"

"Perhaps we could have one for you tomorrow, your-"

"That might be a little troublesome..." Interrupted the commander-in-chief. "Don't forget this city is still in danger of being attacked by the Quagoa. Even if His Majesty accepts the task of defeating the Quagoa, it will take time for him to gather his troops. With that point in mind, we cannot wait until tomorrow. We should give him an answer right away."

Ainz wasn't sure if the Commander-in-Chief helped him knowingly or unknowingly, but he was still doing a happy dance in his mind. The Dwarf just made it unnecessary for Ainz to interject himself in the conversation until now, and it was ripe for the picking after the Commander-in-chief said that.

"It is not my place to speak here. However, if you are truly in such dire straits, then having me wait will also be quite troublesome. If the situation becomes worse, then I will have to add several more conditions. After all, one must expect to pay more for last-minute work. Don't you agree?"

"The commander-in-chief is right, and Your Majesty's words are also very sensible. Your Majesty, while we apologize for the imposition, can you return to the waiting room while we discuss this? We would like to reach a conclusion as soon as possible."

"As you wish."

Ainz stood and left the room followed by everyone else that came with him. It only took a few minutes to be called back in and Ainz was grateful for it. The stares of Shalltear, Zesshi, and Aura were a little unnerving as he asked them questions about what they witnessed.

"Please accept our sincere apologies for making you come and go constantly. After our discussions, we have decided to proceed as Your Majesty wishes. To begin with, we shall open diplomatic relations and begin trade with Your Majesty's nation. That said, the nature of the trade goods and the methods of the transaction will require further negotiation to work out the minute details."

"Of course, in any event, I shall send a representative over to handle the finer points of international relations in a few days, whereupon you may discuss the matter at length."

Ainz had seen this outcome when he walked back in the room and saw the look on the Commander-in-Chief's expression. Now, he just needed to decide on who to send as a representative.

"Then, there is the matter of the dispatch of our Runesmiths to the Saiko Kingdom. We shall pledge that to your majesty. However, we would like to send a group of inspectors to see how our brethren are being treated, and to ensure their welfare. May we have your permission to do so?"

"Of course. The Saiko Kingdom will accept these inspectors whenever you wish to send them."

All of the Dwarves visibly relaxed after that. Ainz should probably be offended they thought so little of his intentions, but it was par for the course in this New World so far.

"When does Your Majesty plan to retake the Royal Capital?"

"I have a few preparations to make and I need to speak with Gondo once more. After that, I plan on heading toward your former capital. I should be headed out in only a couple of hours."

"We all wish you the best of luck then, your majesty. We will all eagerly await your return after you liberate our capital with your might."

Ainz had to admit, this was the first time he's heard someone say something forced, but also genuine. It was a strange mixture of emotions to listen to in a voice. However, there was still one thing he wanted to talk about.

"I will try and ensure my return is hasty. I did have one other thing I wished to speak about before I departed though..."

"What would that be, your majesty?"

"I am in need of a few gifts, and I was hoping to use this as an opportunity to see Dwarven craftsmanship at its best. I plan to gift a staff, set of chainmail, and a pair of bracers to some of my subordinates. I was wondering if you could craft these items for me, Forgemaster? I will, of course, supply the metal."

Ainz had to endure the stubborn little dwarven asshole for a few minutes longer, but he eventually agreed to Ainz request. Ainz is sure it had to do with the metal ingots he presented the Forgemaster with.

While they were nothing to him or Nazarick, it was only a level 50 metal, Ainz hadn't seen ore above adamantite in this world other than the mine in the Draconic Kingdom. He wanted to see if the dwarf could, in fact, make items out of this metal.

The determination on the Forgemasters face let Ainz know he'd at least try his damnest to come through. That was enough for him to head out to his last destination before he retook the royal capital for the Dwarves.

---

Gondo was nearly at his wit's end already, and he had only been at his task for a couple of hours. He had at least spoken to all the runesmiths and they had begun to gather, but it was tiresome dealing with them entering.

Barely any of them had a thing to say about runesmithing, they only seemed to be interested in the wine his King had given him to draw the runesmiths to this meeting. He had hoped some would be as excited as he was to talk about the future of runesmithing, but they were all more interested in the drink that was promised instead of the future of their profession.

When his King's subordinate, Shalltear Bloodfallen, had finally come to tell him, his majesty was there, Gondo started to get excited again. He knew he was more enthusiastic about runesmithing than most, but he believed his king's lost knowledge would make the others curious about their craft once more.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"A-A d-demon!"

"Y-You brought us t-to a m-monster!"

As Ainz walked out, that is what he heard coming from the gathered dwarves. He had the distinct feeling that if his wings happened to be white, instead of black, he'd hardly ever get this kind of reaction. It certainly didn't happen to Taylar.

"SILENCE!"

Ainz was about to do nearly the same thing, but Shalltear had beaten him to it. It was hard not to laugh as she used, not only her commanding voice, but also a bottle of wine to shut all the dwarves up. They all seemed transfixed on the liquid in the bottle. Ainz patted her on the head.

"Thank you, Shalltear."

"Anything for you, my King~"

Ainz ignored the suggestive tone as he always did, and turned fully to face the dwarves. He swept his gaze over them as he spread his wings and he saw them all cower back into their seats. He should really leave all this diplomacy nonsense up to Taylar and Albedo. It seems he just scares the shit out of people, no matter where he goes.

"I thank you all for coming, and you shall get your bottle upon departure from this meeting. However, if you feel the words of a monster, demon, or any other such creative words you came to describe me as are not trustworthy, you may leave now and none shall stop you..."

Ainz didn't even see a dwarf blink at the mention of leaving. Whether that was out of fear, curiosity, or the chance at a free bottle of wine, he wasn't sure. He did take that as his cue to continue though.

"First off, I am not a demon, I am Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Saiko Kingdom. While our kingdom started off rather small, we count the lands to your south, east, and west as our lands now. The demi-human tribes of the Great Lakes, the Re-Estize Kingdom, Baharuth Empire, Beastman Kingdom, and the Draconic Kingdom all have pledged their fealty to myself and my Queens."

Ainz can see a decent amount of them look shocked at how much land they control, but that was the point. He first needed them to understand their work would reach many if they were to succeed in their task.

"The reason I tell you of our lands is simple. I come to you today with a proposal. I wish for all of you to join me in our capital. I believe with my backing and your thirst for knowledge, we can begin an age of advancement for runecraft and dwarven ingenuity."

Ainz believed at least some of them would be moved simply from that speech, but he was very wrong. All of them had bitter looks on their faces and it seemed as though Ainz's words didn't sway them in the least. Although, one dwarf did raise his hand to ask a question, and Ainz realized he could still bring them to the conclusion he wished for.

"May I ask a question, your majesty?" the Dwarf continued when Ainz nodded. "Why do you wish to advance runecraft? As it stands, it is a dying art in this country."

The dwarf simply helped Ainz with that question. Ainz believed he could get these dwarves hooked with the same information he proved Gondo, but he also planned to 'show' them what their work could bring about.

"That is simple. I believe runecraft has lost its value because it has been stagnant for years now. As I have learned, Dwarven smiths are a proud bunch. I believe you shall be reinvigorated with my knowledge to discover the lost secrets of Runecraft."

"What do you mean 'Lost Secrets'?"

Ainz didn't answer the dwarf with words. Instead, he reached into his inventory to show them all what he meant. There was shock and worry in the stare of every dwarf, but some looked on with awe. It wasn't until he turned the blade around that all the dwarves' looks turned to awe and all other emotions left their faces.

"S-Such an amazing sword!"

"W-What a beautiful sight!"

"Is this a relic from Dwarven mythology?!"

"As you can see gentlemen." Ainz motions to the purple runes on the sword. "There are twenty runes on this sword. My question is, is such a thing possible for you to accomplish?"

None of the dwarves answered, and truth be told, Ainz didn't need them to answer. He knew it was impossible for them to do. Hell, even this sword didn't really have twenty functioning runes on it, it only had two. The other eighteen were simply to make it look cooler.

What the dwarves did do, however, is nearly jump out of their seats and rush to Ainz. Each one of them had a near maniacal look in their eyes as they stared at the shortsword Ainz had in his hand.

"Please! Let me see it!"

"I-I just want to touch it!"

"Give it here, I might learn something from holding it!"

"Insolent insects!"

Shalltear's voice made all the others shut their mouths immediately. The look in her eyes nearly killed the dwarves on the spot, but it was truly Ainz who quieted them down for good.

"You're being too noisy, quiet down." (I had to add this quote, it is one of my favorites!)

In that moment, every other dwarf realized what Gondo had when he spoke to Ainz for the first time. They were in the presence of a true King. Ainz had no reason to shout like everyone else. His normal voice held the authority to make everyone heed his commands while speaking normally.

"Please, take your seats and wait until I am finished. I won't continue until everyone has sat back down, and you won't get to see this sword, or get your bottle if you don't take your seats."

He'd only seen the dwarves move faster when he pulled out the sword as they quickly took their seats once more. Whether it was his commanding presence or out of sheer terror, Ainz didn't care. Only that they all sat back down so he could continue.

"Now that everyone has been seated once more, I shall ask you all again. Is it possible for any of you to create a weapon with twenty runes carved upon it?"

"We cannot, your majesty." The oldest of the smiths answered. "To the best of my knowledge, I have only ever heard of six runes on a single weapon."

A few more dwarves chimed in to say they'd only heard of five or four runes as the most, but Ainz didn't care about that. He wanted to push these smiths well beyond their limits. In Yggdrasil, most people who had runes on their weapons only had one.

Occasionally, someone would put two or three on, but he'd never heard of anything past three himself. That meant he might be able to push these smiths close to twenty if they had already known of weapons with five or six runes upon them.

"Because of this, I believe your runesmithing techniques have been lost to time. Therefore, I am willing to fund the advancement of runecrafting... no matter the cost. I wish to see the dwarven smiths return to their place as legends of the forge. I am looking for those who share my passion for knowledge and advancement. Do any of you share the same drive? Do any of you wish to become legends in your own right?"

While the room was silent for a few minutes, Ainz didn't need them to answer to know what they all thought. It was written on their faces. They had a much different look at this moment than they did when they entered this room. He half-smiled when they did start to answer though.

"I want to be a legend!"

"Me too!"

"So do I!"

"No, you fools. I'll be the one who becomes legendary!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? I'll be the one to bear this burden and become a legend for the ages!"

Ainz let them go on for a while before he stepped in. He was glad to see them so enthusiastic, but he needed more from them than just enthusiasm.

"It is marvelous to hear you say such words, good smiths. However, can you do this alone? It is one thing to raise your voice and speak of becoming a legend, but do you have the devotion to pull it off? I hope you make the decision to come to our capital and see if your words can be turned into action!"

They all went completely silent at his words, and he knew then they were all coming to Carne, he had no doubt. He handed over the sword to the oldest-looking smith who answered his questions for him.

They spoke for a bit longer about runecraft until Ainz informed them he needed to head out for a bit. He let them keep the weapon for now. He planned on putting it in a case in the middle of their research lab in Carne for motivation. He didn't need the damn thing, it was only a level fifty weapon, it would be useless even to the Pleiades.

They all had shit things to say about their royal capital until he informed them he was going to take it back. That seemed to boost their morale even higher than before. He did get valuable information from them about the royal capital though.

He hadn't thought to ask the Regency Council about what to expect there. These runesmiths told him all about the Three Great Trials, the Quagoa, and the Frost Dragons. He figured he'd just have Zesshi wipe out some Quagoa and the capital would be his, but now he was excited when he learned Frost Dragons were the bosses.

Dragons were his favorite kind of fantasy beings. His only interaction with Dragons so far had been the Skeletal Dragon Khajit had summoned and the Brightness Dragon Lord. He was very excited to meet more Dragons from this world.

When Ainz left the runesmiths, he had to deal with a ridiculous amount of praise from Shalltear, Aura, and Zesshi. Their devotion was welcomed, but he hoped it would lessen over time. It only seemed to get worse from his perspective though.

His short conversation with Gondo had the runesmith utterly and completely devoted to him as well. Ainz now had no doubt the dwarf would fling himself from a rooftop if Ainz asked it of him now. A few words about how they had given up their runesmiths so easily was all it took.

Ainz had left Gondo and gone to retrieve Zenberu. The Lizardman was finished with the Forgemaster so Ainz didn't need to wait. After that, he went to the surface and gave his undead orders to escort Zenberu back to the Lizardman village before he made sure everyone else was ready to go. Once they were set, Ainz went to the front gate to meet the guide the Regency Council had selected for him.

Ainz wasn't too happy it was Gondo they chose to send with him. The dwarf was too valuable for him to get killed, but Ainz finally relented after the dwarf told him the reason he wished to go. He agreed to Gondo's reasoning and they set out to reclaim the royal capital of the Dwarven Kingdom.

When Ainz left the city and finally took in Zesshi's handiwork, he was very impressed. It was impossible to tell how many she had killed, but the entire fortress was covered in a layer of ash that, no doubt, used to be Quagoa.

Ainz let Aura lead because of her ranger skills and abilities. While he was somewhat looking forward to the Three Great Trials, Ainz was sorely disappointed. The Great Rift, the Lava Caves and their monster, and finally, The Maze of Death were all incredibly underwhelming.

Ainz had bypassed the first two with a Mass Fly spell, and the third one with the casting of Tatiana's Blessing on Gondo and a Guidance Spell. They were only a few hundred feet out of the Maze of Death when Aura stopped them.

"I hear footsteps ahead, Lord Ainz. I believe we may have caught up to the Quagoa we allowed to escape."

"Splendid. We know that the Quagoa and Dragons shall be in separate areas so Gondo and I will deal with the Dragons. I want Aura and Zeshhi to go with Shalltear to the Quagoa. Shalltear..."

Ainz waited until she was absolutely paying attention to what he was saying before continuing.

"I want you to try and convince the Quagoa to surrender and join us. Use what you have learned to do so. If they refuse, cull their numbers until you believe your point is made before accepting their surrender. However, if it comes to combat, please allow Zesshi the bulk of the kills. She needs them more than you do, and you can still have a little fun..."

"As you command, your majesty."

Ainz was grateful for the simple acknowledgment and continued forward. Aura led the way once more with Gondo, Zesshi, and Ainz in the middle. Shalltear brought up the rearguard as they advanced toward the former Dwarven Capital.

They had only walked a few hundred feet to the rise of the gently upward slope when Ainz and company spotted something that caught Ainz off guard. He had met the Brightness Dragon Lord and seen the Platinum Dragon Lord through scrying windows, but that didn't prepare him for the dragon he was looking at now.

While the former two were everything Ainz envisioned a Dragon would be, the Frost Dragon he was currently eyeing did not. Instead of the lean, powerful, battle-hardened body he expected of a Dragon, this one looked to be... fat.

"This city and its land beyond belong to us Dragons and the Quagoa. Why - I mean - may I ask why you have come to our city, travelers?"

Hejinmal noticed the small Dark Elf that was leading stepped aside and a monster of pure terror took her place. Hejinmal could already tell their gear was beyond his comprehension in value, but this monster with black wings aura of power felt leagues ahead of even the gear that Hejinmal could sense.

"Normally even a small defense force would be sent when invaders come to a new land, but I only see one dragon. Based on your appearance, you're certainly not a scout. Please tell me you are NOT the Frost Dragon Lord?"

Hejinmal was so shocked at the monster's disappointed tone, he couldn't answer his question, even if he wanted to. This monster seemed completely underwhelmed by Hejinmal and it threw the dragon off considerably.

While Hejinmal knew he wasn't nearly the strongest dragon, he was still a dragon. The lowest of his race was still near the top of the food chain, but this monster acted as if Hejinmal was nothing but an inconvenience.

"I suppose it matters not..." Ainz continued when the dragon just stared at him like an idiot. "I wonder how strong the dragons of this world are?"

*GRASP HEA-*

"WAIT!"

Ainz figured a Tier 9 spell would be more than sufficient, but he stopped when he saw the dragon lay down on the ground facing him. He guessed it was the equivalent of someone else taking a knee. It was strange to see a dragon doing it, but it did make Ainz half-smile that a dragon was bowing to him at all.

"I suppose you are kneeling to spare your life, dragon?"

"I believe it is only proper to submit to a might such as yours. My name is Hejinmal. May I have your mighty name, master?"

"I am Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Saiko Kingdom, Hejinmal. Do you believe I will take you as a subordinate simply because you see my power? There are many, many uses for dragons. Your teeth can be made into weapons, your scales into armor, your hide into high tier scrolls, and most importantly, dragon is my daughter's favorite thing to eat..." Ainz did not miss that Hejinmal gulped when he said that. "Why should I accept your fealty, Hejinmal?"

Hejinmal knew he didn't have long to try and think of a reason or he'd be killed. The monster was smirking at him the entire time he'd listed all the things he could use Hejinmal for. There were only two things that made him different from the other Frost Dragons.

Hejinmal doubted the fact he was fat would keep him alive so he went with his other unique quality. Unbeknownst to Hejinmal, it was the one thing he could have said to keep him from being Aureole's dinner.

"I am- I am much more learned than the other Frost Dragons. I've read nearly every book in the dwarven library, your majesty!"

Hejinmal knew he was getting somewhere as he saw the Monster King of Monsters, Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown, pay a little more attention, and the others with him smile at how he addressed his, hopefully, new King.

"Oh? And tell me Hejinmal, have you read any books in the library here on Runecraft?"

"T-there are only t-two I know of, your majesty! B-But I haven't read every book! There... There may be more of them!"

"Perhaps it would be a waste to kill you then..." Ainz more mumbled that to himself, but it was heard by all. "How many other dragons are there down here, Hejinmal?"

Hejinmal had the very distinct feeling how he answered this question would decide if he would live or die. He just did what he had been doing in the face of this monster, he told the truth.

"Yes, your majesty. There are four dragons older than me, six around the same age, and nine who are younger than me."

"Really?!"

It sent a chill down Hejinmal's long spine when the king sounded that excited at the prospect of twenty dragons in the city. To anyone else, they'd run in fear at that many dragons, but Ainz Ooal Gown seemed very eager to meet all twenty of them.

"Y-Yes, your majesty."

"How many are stronger than you, and what tier of magic can the strongest use? I assume it is arcane magic?"

"The four older than myself and the six my age are all stronger than me, your majesty." Ainz swears he sees a sweat drop icon appear on Hejinmal for a moment, but he shakes his head and it disappears. "As far as magic, your majesty. My father, the Frost Dragon Lord, Olasird'arc, is the strongest magic caster and can cast the Tier 3 spell Fire Resistance."

Ainz can't help the eyebrow that raises when Hejinmal says that.

'Does this dragon truly think I am stupid enough to believe the Frost Dragon Lord can only cast Tier 3 magic?'

*[SILENT] - ZONE OF TRUTH*

"You're lying."

Ainz not only cast the spell and accused Hejinmal, but he also released some of his killing intent on the dragon and watched him pee himself. It didn't take the dragon long after he recovered to answer immediately and repeatedly.

"I swear! I swear! I swear, it's the truth!"

Ainz couldn't call him a liar anymore unless this weak ass dragon somehow had a way to counteract his Zone of Truth spell. He only had one response to such information, and it came out in the form of a long sigh he couldn't suppress. It was Gondo, surprisingly, who asked before anyone else.

"Is everything alright, your majesty?"

"Yes, Yes..." Ainz waved it off but he knew they'd want more so he gave them a bit. "I was just looking forward to a challenge. It seems I'll still be searching for one." Ainz shakes his head disappointed. "Aura?..."

"Yes, my king?"

"You wanted a dragon from this world, correct?"

"Yes!"

Aura was so excited she even forgot to add the honorific. She jumped up with her fist in the air before landing. Ainz continued the second she landed.

"Very well. Whip this one into shape and show us your skills as a trainer."

Hejinmal wished he had time to process exactly what Ainz meant by this world, but he never got the chance as only seconds after Ainz continued, he felt the most powerful killing intent on him he'd ever felt, and it wasn't coming from Ainz Ooal Gown.

No, that killing intent was emanating from the small Dark Elf that was accompanying Ainz Ooal Gown. Hejinmal managed to soil himself again before succumbing to Aura's skill. It happened that fast. It also gave Ainz the ability to continue.

"Shalltear, Aura, and Zesshi, please head off and deal with the Quagoa, I shall have Hejinmal escort myself and Gondo to the other dragons. I shall gain the fealty of the other dragons while you see to your own task."

Another shiver went down Hejinmal's spine. It was unnerving how casually his majesty spoke about subjugating twenty dragons as if it was just another minor feat to him.

Hejinmal had no choice but to escort his King and the Dwarf to his father. He was sure his father wouldn't take too kindly to Ainz Ooal Gown, but he was sure the rest would, hopefully, kneel once they witnessed his might.

Ainz decided to walk to the Frost Dragon Lord so he could pepper Hejinmal with questions about Frost Dragons and Dragons in general. It made the trek much longer, but it filled the time with useful information.

He knew it also gave Shalltear and the others time to try different ways to bring the Quagoa under their rule. He had a feeling it would end in bloodshed, but he had faith Shalltear would give diplomacy a try, for him if nothing else.

Ainz also knew he could just ask Aura everything that happened and she would leave nothing out. It was one of the few times he didn't mind the rivalry they had, neither could hide anything from him, Taylar, or Albedo. You just had to ask the other and you learned everything.

After learning about the different tribes of dragons, the different types of dragons that Hejinmal knew of, and many more useful facts about dragons, Ainz, Hejinmal, and Gondo had made it in front of two massive doors that Ainz knew would lead them to the Frost Dragon Lord.

Ainz had cast enough magic spells on Gondo that he should be fine, but he couldn't protect the Dwarf from a dragon attacking him with a claw or swallowing him, so he had the Dwarf wait outside while he entered behind Hejinmal.

As Hejinmal pushed open the large doors, Ainz saw the Frost Dragon Lord immediately upon gazing into the room. The Frost Dragon Lord was curled around a throne in the center of the treasury. It wasn't until Hejinmal announced Ainz's presence in a manner that did not sit well with the Frost Dragon Lord that Ainz got a good look at the Frost Dragon Lord.

"He who enters this chambers with me, Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown, is he who rules over these mountains and us Dragons!"

"Have you gone mad you fat little whelp?!"

Ainz could tell the Frost Dragon Lord didn't like that proclamation and was intimidating Hejinmal something fierce. It did not affect Ainz though. Gondo neither, for that matter, Ainz had made sure the Dwarf was protected from things such as a Dragon's fear aura.

Ainz did get to see the Frost Dragon Lord get up and display his entire size though so it was worth watching Aura's newest pet tremble a little. Ainz could tell the Frost Dragon Lord was around a hundred feet long, perhaps a little longer, and stood about thirty feet high as well.

Honestly, Ainz expected him to be bigger. In Yggdrasil, something equivalent to a Frost Dragon Lord would have been of a size that was Colossal or larger. But instead of a three hundred foot long, one hundred foot high dragon, Ainz got a dragon only about a third of the size he would expect. It wasn't that disappointing though. Ainz had expected this based on the information he'd gathered about the Frost Dragon Lord.

"Frost Dragon Lord, Olasird'arc Haylilyal, will you pledge your fealty to myself and my Queens in perpetuity in exchange for your life?"

"You think I would submit myself to some weakling who intimidated my most disappointing offspring?... Wait... what are those robes and staff you bring with you?!"

Ainz thought being blunt would get this over with quickly. He had wasted a decent amount of time walking here, and it looked to be working at first. However, it seemed the Frost Dragon Lord was a little too distracted by his outfit and cosmetic Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown to notice how much danger he was truly in. It became very apparent that was the case when the Frost Dragon Lord continued talking without so much as a hint that he realized how much danger he was in.

"I shall give you one chance to leave my domain with your life. Drop your clothing and staff and be on your way, weakling."

"Even I am surprised at how much treasure means to the dragons of this world." Ainz chuckle did not make Olasird'arc any less angry. "If it is treasure you seek, Frost Dragon Lord. Perhaps this will be of interest to you..."

Olasird'arc watched as a black portal appeared where Ainz reached and saw him pull out the most expensive jewel he'd ever seen. It was a deep purple color and nearly the size of Ainz's head.

Olasird'arc had never even fathomed a jewel so valuable, but his fascination with the shining jewel robbed all his other senses. Namely, his survival instinct as Ainz kept talking while the Frost Dragon Lord stared into the jewel.

"I've always wanted to try this little experiment after coming to this New World. I am not held back by the constraints of Yggdrasil when it comes to the application of my powers. What I can do and create seems to be only limited by my knowledge of how my powers work. Demiurge and his experiments have been most helpful in aiding my evolution in this New World. For your insolence, you shall be my first attempt at a new creation of mine."

It wasn't until that moment that Olasird'arc realized how much his greed had taken over his mind. He now saw what that gem truly was. It was not a deep purple. It had a shell of said color, but inside that jewel was pure darkness, agony, and terror.

Olasird'arc could feel all of it simply staring into the black void that made up the true jewel and not the magical barrier of purple surrounding it. It wasn't until that very moment that he realized how much danger he was in.

"You dare!"

It was too late to do anything, but he didn't know that. Olasird'arc pulled back his claw and struck at Ainz with everything he had. His claw, however, had barely moved forward before Ainz said.

*TRAP THE SOUL*

They all stared in horror and awe as Olasird'arc's body collapsed straight to the ground. Everyone in the room watched as a ghostly, screaming visage of Olasird'arc was ripped straight from his body, and was forced inside the jewel Ainz was holding.

The Frost Dragon Lord's corpse was different as well. There was no hint of blue at all anywhere on the former Frost Dragon Lord. It was as if he had been dunked in bleach as he was now completely white.

Ainz was not standing around terrified to even breathe though, like everyone else. He strode toward the dragon corpse in front of him still holding the Soul Gem in his hand. He had wanted to do this since coming here and now was the perfect opportunity.

"If there is one thing I love as much as death, it is dragons. I have come to this New World and found a new purpose. A purpose unlike any I've ever felt or had before. I will do everything in my power to protect those that are now my purpose, even if it means using mighty Dragon Lords as my puppets."

Ainz was only a few steps away from the corpse before he starting pouring negative energy into the Soul Gem. He burned every Create High-Tier Undead ability he had in a day into the Soul Gem.

He knew it was probably overkill, but he couldn't take the chance he'd be short negative energy. Ainz stood at the skull of Olasird'arc now. The moment he spent his last Create Undead attempt, he slammed the Soul Gem into the forehead of Olasird'arc.

*CREATE DRACOLICH*

All present looked on in horrific fascination as a wave of black negative energy began enveloping Olasird'arc's body and quickly spread down his corpse. His stark white corpse turned pure black in an instant, but that wasn't what made them all jump back.

Olasird'arc's closed eyelids flew open and the pure white of them was slowly consumed by pure darkness turning them completely black. When he blinked again, a crimson vertical slit appeared and it made everyone but Ainz recoil.

The former Frost Dragon Lord stood back up on his four legs and then reared back on his hind legs and spread his new wings before letting out a roar that had the other dragons trembling where they stood.

Everything they had witnessed was no illusion. Olasird'arc was now a black so dark, it was impossible to tell the difference in any of his appearances. They couldn't spot any scales, soft underbelly, or anything else that used to be discernable.

The only difference any of them could notice other than the obvious color change to his hide and eyes were in his wings. There were small holes that looked rotted on the membrane between his wings, but it was the only other difference they could see.

Ainz, on the other hand, noticed many changes as he approached his newest creation. The dragon was now about twice the size he was before. It appeared to Ainz as though he was around 150 feet tall on his hind legs. Add in his tail, and he should be around 200 feet long. Double the size he was previously.

Ainz also noticed the other changes to let him know his Undead Creation Feats worked on this Dracolich as well. His scales were thicker letting him know his natural armor feat worked. The dragon was more muscular, even though it was now undead, letting him know his undead strengthening feat worked. And even though he was pitch black, he had a shine to his whole body that let Ainz know his Positive Energy Resistance Feat worked as well.

(How may I serve you, master?!)

Ainz heard that in his head as the dragon landed back on all fours with his head right next to Ainz. Ainz ran his hand along the dragon's snout toward his eye and calmed at the negative energy flowing off the undead dragon now.

"Can you still speak normally?"

"Yes, master!"

"Do you know the Dark Speech?"

"Gxz, kuzdxy!" (Yes, master!)

Everyone in the room, except Ainz, recoil and shiver at the guttural, downright terrifying, sound that the former Frost Dragon Lord released in response. Even Gondo, for all the protections Ainz placed on him, couldn't resist being slightly corrupted and filled with dread at the sound of the words.

"Good. Now that you are mine we shall have to give you a proper na-"

"You dare do this to my father!"

Ainz turned his head toward the sound and saw the dragon in age category with Hejinmal closest to him pull his claw back to strike. Ainz was going to kill the dragon himself, but before he could, Olasird'arc turned his head and unleashed his breath weapon on the young dragon.

Normally, that would do nothing as the dragon was immune to cold, but that was before Olasird'arc's transformation. Not only was he much larger and his breath weapon more powerful, but half of its damage was now negative energy. The agonizing roar of the young dragon only lasted a couple of moments before it went silent.

Olasird'arc ceased the use of his breath weapon when the screams ceased, and all saw what remained of the young dragon. It looked as if he had withered away to nearly nothing. His scales were all rotted and you could see most of his bones. His face was still stuck in an agonizing scream and it looked as if he died centuries ago not mere seconds.

Ainz wanted him to be intact and planned on using an instant death spell to save his hide and other useful parts, but his newest creation was too hasty in defending him. Ainz reached into his inventory and pulled a wand out before pointing it at the young dragon's corpse.

*RESURRECTION*

All watched as the muscles, flesh, and scales of the young dragon were restored in seconds. The young dragon continued to scream in agony as he was brought back to life for nearly ten seconds before stopping. It was then that it looked into Ainz's eyes and he saw the downright terror in that gaze.

"I have made your father one of the most powerful dragons in this New World, young one. For your insolence, you shall witness his new power first hand once more. Use your strongest spell on him, servant."

Ainz normally wouldn't call any creation his servant out loud, but he just wanted to rub it in a bit more on the young dragon that his father was now, for all intents and purposes, Ainz's bitch. Although, Ainz didn't think of what that would mean for everyone else around, and he realized his folly when Olasird'arc used what was considered his most powerful spell now.

*BLASPHEMY!*

As the word left Olasird'arc's mouth, Ainz realized how much he just fucked up. The malevolence and evil were sent out in a wave from Olasird'arc and every dragon in the room who wasn't Olasird'arc dropped over dead.

"FUCK!"

Ainz couldn't help shouting that. You couldn't really blame him either. How the hell was he to know the dragon could now cast a Tier 8 mass instant death spell? He thought the dragon would be able to do Tier 6 at most, but he severely underestimated how much of an effect his Undead Creation Feats would have on an undead as naturally powerful as a dragon.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Ainz figured Gondo wouldn't hear him that far away and he was right. However, Zesshi, Aura, and Shalltear had all returned from their task and were near Gondo. Two of them could hear everything Ainz was saying. "I can't call Taylar for this. I'll never hear the end of it if I ask for her help now... It can't be helped, I have to use it no matter how much I believe it will be a waste..."

Ainz pulls out his Wand of Resurrection again and starts bringing all the dragons in the room back to life. He starts with the three that used to be in the same age category as Olasird'arc before his transformation and leaves the one who has now been killed twice for last.

He did that so he could play off what just happened, but it had the added effect of terrifying every single other dragon into complete submission out of pure fear. Ainz deemed the use of so many charges from his wand worth it for that outcome.

"Do you wish for me to add skinning you alive before I have your father kill you repeatedly for eternity to your punishment or will you submit to my might and take this as the last warning you will ever receive?"

Even in his delirious, terrified state, the young dragon flung itself on the ground in total submission. He even tried to hide his snout under himself in some sort of weird bow. It made it hard to understand what he responded with, but Ainz heard him clear enough.

"I shall never question my master again! I shall be your most devoted servant, great master!"

This is when Ainz turned to let Gondo know it was time to go and he noticed Aura, Zesshi, and Shalltear. He sent them on their own errand so he didn't have to see the damn reverent heart eyes they were all staring at him with. He should have just ridden Hejinmal and made it quicker to avoid this scenario.

However, there was nothing to be done about it now and he'd not have to seek out Shalltear for what he needed doing next. Instead, he simply motioned them forward and gave Shalltear her orders when she was near enough to him.

"Shalltear, open a Gate to Aureole for the Frost Dragons to go through." Ainz turns and gazes over the dragons before continuing. "You shall all report to my daughter, Princess Aureole. Treat her with the utmost respect or you will find my wrath is not the only one you should fear... Dragon is my daughter's favorite thing to eat after all."

'Well that and chocolate ice cream, but no need to let them know that and diminish their terror.'

Ainz hid those thoughts with an evil smirk and every dragon gulped before obediently going through the Gate Shalltear opened without even hesitating. He finally turned to the rest left and his new mount with the business he was so rudely interrupted from.

"Now, you shall have a proper name befitting your new station. Olasird'arc was the name of a weak Frost Dragon who could not protect his domain. You are now the great, terrifying, powerful mount of Exalted King Ainz Ooal Gown, the God of Death. As such, I name you after the mighty undead shadow dragon who brought the Dwarven City of Thunderholme to its destruction. A great dragon with many titles and nicknames who possesses my favorite title ever granted a dragon, The Deathwyrm. From this day forth, you shall be known as Aurgloroasa The Deathwyrm!"

The newly named Aurgloroasa the Deathwyrm stood back on his hind legs and roared for all to hear at his new name. As he came back on all fours and Ainz gave him a gentle pet, the hearts were instantly back in the eyes of all those present, unbeknownst to Ainz. Even when he turned to them he didn't notice.

"Gondo, is that the Dwarven Treasury behind those doors?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Hanzos!" Ainz only needed to wait a moment for them to appear from his shadow. "Tell me if you can pick the lock on that door."

The Hanzo disappeared and reappeared right in front of the door only seconds later. It barely took him a second to check out the door before he turned back to Ainz.

"Yes, master. This lock will be no problem to pick, master."

Ainz gave him a nod and the Hanzo had the door to the Treasury opened before Ainz could even turn around again. He allowed the Gondo to search the Treasury for the books he was looking for with the aid of his Hanzos. It would have taken the Dwarf hours, if not days, but with the help of the Hanzos, they were done with the Treasury in less than thirty minutes. Gondo came back toward Ainz positively beaming with three books in his arms. There was only one thing left to do after that.

"Now, let us return to the Dwarven Capital victorious and you shall tell me of you parley with the Quagoa. Shall we?"

Ainz motioned to the now exposed neck and wing to climb up of Aurgloroasa and they all realized they were about to get a ride on the personal mount of their king. Even if they hadn't already been protected from the negative energy, they would have tried to climb up as fast as they did to get the seat directly behind Ainz.

As it was, Aura was the quickest and nabbed the spot just before Shalltear did. Ainz settled onto the neck of the dragon and was nearly giddy in excitement at his first ride on dragon back. He didn't even have to say anything as the Deathwyrm launched into the air the moment everyone was settled and they were all on their way back to Feo Jera.

Ainz's arrival back to Feo Jera didn't go as he first anticipated. First, Aurgloroasa roared upon arrival and nearly scared the population to death. Ainz couldn't really admonish him as the dragon explained he was simply announcing the arrival of his master.

Next, it took nearly an hour to convince the Regency Council that he had, in fact, already retaken their former capital and dealt with the Frost Dragons and Quagoa. Finally, he was expecting Taylar to join him at the feast being held when the maids came through with the food, but she was still nowhere to be found after dinner had started.

He knew she would have sent a message if it was something he needed to know or she was in some sort of trouble. It was the only reason he hadn't messaged her himself. If she had business to attend to, he knew she'd be along as soon as she was able. It wasn't as if he told the Dwarves she was attending.

It did make it somewhat comical when they all jumped back when the Gate reappeared. Ainz knew it was Taylar finally making her appearance, but Ainz did not get the greeting he was hoping for. Instead of finally kissing those lips again, Taylar immediately turned to him and spoke.

"Albedo's in labor."

That was all it took for Ainz to jump up from his seat and hastily say goodbye to all others present. He practically dragged Taylar back through the Gate. If there was one thing Ainz wasn't going to miss, it was the birth of his children. The message he received from Demiurge at the same moment he left barely registered in his mind.

{Your Majesty, the Hanzos have recovered the journal of Surshana you have been seeking. It has been left in the top right drawer of the desk in your office.}

---

In a meeting room barely fit for its occupants, in the Holy Kingdom city of Kalinsha, fifteen people crowded around a single table for this meeting. While almost all were from the Holy Kingdom such as Holy Queen Calca, Grand Paladin Remedios, or High Priestess Kelart, there were two here who were not citizens of said Kingdom.

Holy Queen Calca tolerated the presence of the two representatives from the Slane Theocracy, but only for the support they offered her reign. She truly didn't like having these religious sycophants around as much as she was required, but she couldn't just brush them off either.

The discussion they were having right now though was wearing her patience thin. She couldn't believe what these priests were asking of her when they knew the situation she found herself in currently. It was taking everything not to simply destroy them with holy magic.

"Let me get this right..." said the Holy Queen. "You want me to support you in a campaign against a King who has never shown any open hostility toward the Slane Theocracy, and has only defended himself when attacked by other kingdoms? How foolish can you be? Do you not remember I have the entire Abelion Hills marching toward my Eastern Border?"

"He is a monster far worse than what is marching toward you now! How can you sit back and allow such a monster to take over the world?!"

Calca had been overly cordial with the priests from the Slane Theocracy out of necessity, but she wasn't going to take the way he was speaking to her anymore. It was time the priest remembered who he was talking to.

"It's your majesty, you ungrateful leech! I have my own intel and from all my reports, every nation your so-called monster now reigns over is prospering more than they ever have. There have been no mass killings or torturing of innocents. The people under his domain seem happier and safer than ever before by all accounts, priest. I have my own, more pressing, issues to deal with than your fanatical call to arms based on someone's race. If you hate all nonhumans so much, why are you not lending aid to the Holy Kingdom to fend off an assault by the demi humans of the Abelion Hills on us?"

Calca knew she probably shouldn't have said that last bit, but she did feel that way. She went out of her way to spare as many demi humans as possible when it was possible. She wished she had a way to simply end the war with them, but she knew there was no chance of that happening.

"The Slane Theocracy has its own pressing matters that require all our resources. We can not ignore this monster king or our war with the Elven Kingdom. We do not have the resources to aid you in any capacity, your majesty."

The condescending way he finally used her title had her wanting to see him thrown in the dungeon, but she reigned herself in. She was used to having to do that when interacting with nearly anyone from the Slane Theocracy. Instead, she used his own words to rid herself of the problem.

"Very well then, if you have nothing to contribute to our defense, there is no reason for you to be present at this meeting."

"But we are-"

"You are here to offer assistance to the Holy Kingdom. As you have stated you have no aid to offer, you have no reason to be present. You are dismissed." The men didn't move and Calca gave her last warning. "I allow you leeway in certain areas of my kingdom, but do not test me on this or you will find you do not want to add me to your list of enemies."

The men were scowling at her and if looks could kill, she'd be dead. However, looks couldn't kill so they simply stormed out of the room like petulant children. Before the door could even close again, a soldier came running into the room completely out of breath.

"Your... your majesty, the... the Eastern Wall... it has... it has been... destroyed!"

Calca had feared this day would come when she learned of the powerful Archdevil who was commanding this army. The first time she heard the name Devil Emperor of the Nine Layers Jaldabaoth, she had a feeling this fight would be unlike any other the Holy Kingdom had faced against the demi humans of the Abelion Hills.

As Holy Queen Calca started giving out orders, the screen Taylar and Aureole were watching stopped and Aureole turned toward her mother. There was a reason Aureole wanted to show Taylar this, and she was quick to get to her point.

"See mother! I told you Queen Calca wasn't as bad as you believed! Do you have to-"

"Aureole..." Taylar interrupts her. "you know our plans for her have already changed and she will not suffer as I initially wanted. Why is it that you are showing me this, daughter?"

"I just thought-"

Aureole was interrupted again but this time by Taylar raising her hand and her mother obviously listening to a message. As soon as it ended, Aureole was left a bit confused as Taylar opened a Gate and went to step through. She grabbed her mother and prevented her from leaving immediately.

"What's going on mother?"

"Albedo's in labor, I need to get your father. Come join us when you are through with the Frost Dragons, sweetling."

Taylar kissed her on the head and stepped through. Aureole had a beaming smile on her face knowing her siblings were finally going to be here. She got even happier when she realized there was only one dragon left to give orders to before she could join her mothers. It truly was going to be a special day for her family.

---

So whew! I finally finished this damn chapter lol! Because of the limited time I have to write now, I think I'm going to have to cut down on how long this fanfic will be. The tentative plan right now is to cut out a lot of what I planned on doing with Neia. The Holy Kingdom Arc was going to be four or five chapters, but I might just skip a bunch of Ainz/Neia moments and cut it down to one or two chapters so I can try and wrap this fanfic up by Chapter 30. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I apologize for the long wait. Unfortunately, I have no idea when I'll release the next chapter, but I do know that it will have a lot of original content that isn't in the light novels and a part from the light novels I bet you guys thought I forgot about because it would have already happened in the canon timeline lol. I'm not sure how much else will be in it, but those two things will be. I wonder how you'll react to the changes I implement? I bet some of you will dislike them lol. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!