CHAPTER 3:
MOMONGA'S MUSINGS
Momonga looked at the map Harry had provided him with. Harry had created it soon after arriving in this world, having based it on something called the Marauders' Map. He promised to explain more later, but he and his guests needed their sleep, and were now in the guest rooms of Nazarick.
The map allowed the user to pinpoint their location in relation to the rest of the world, like a magical version of Google Maps. The Tomb of Nazarick currently sat in the Forest of Tob, not far from Carne Village. Carne was a small village in the Kingdom of Re-Estize, though it was close to the borders of the Slane Theocracy and the Baharuth Empire, as well as the undead-infested Katze Plains sandwiched between the Empire and the Kingdom.
In truth, Momonga was glad for the crash course Harry and his guests gave about the history, geography, and politics of this place, to say nothing of these 'Martial Arts' abilities, abilties meant to enhance physical attack abilities that weren't in Yggdrasil. It meant he wasn't fumbling in the dark, or at least as much as he already was. Having to act as the supreme ruler of a tomb filled with NPCs of dubious morality was taxing enough.
Still, he could understand why Harry now had a shitlist. Not quite a long one, but there were four names on it. And Momonga intended to help him cross off every last one.
The Elf King Decem Hougan was not Harry's specific target, he was Antilene's. But the man was a serial rapist who wouldn't blink at committing incest, or raping Antilene's mother in breach of a treaty he already had with the Slane Theocracy. He was an unfit ruler who sought only to slake his own lust for power and women at the expense of his home, the Elf Country.
The Slane Theocracy was also on Harry's shitlist, but for different reasons. He likened them to pro-human Neo-Nazis who were religious fundamentalists. The Theocracy had been his prison ever since the Platinum Dragon Lord had him sealed within a Rubik's Cube. And it would be prudent to take them down, as they apparently had at least one World Item in their possession, though Harry had no time to search for them in the vault before fleeing, as Antilene took little heed of which ones they had. Despite claiming to be fighting for humanity, Harry and Antilene pointed out that they often encouraged infighting in other human countries, especially Re-Estize, to weaken them so that they may take them over. Disgusting.
So too was the woman who betrayed Harry, Rigrit Bers Caurau. A talented necromancer and sorceress, she had made advances towards Harry, only for him to rebuff her. Sore about that, she then agreed to help the Platinum Dragon Lord seal away Harry. Rigrit lied to one of Harry's few friends in the 'Thirteen Heroes' (which actually had more), Keno Fasris Invern, who would later be conscripted into Rigrit's Adventurer group, the Blue Roses, to replace Rigrit as magic caster, under the alias of 'Evileye'.
And finally, the Platinum Dragon Lord. A being whose power was matched by his intelligence, his cunning…and his ruthlessness and paranoia. The being responsible for locking away Momonga's best friend, in a fucking children's toy.
Momonga actually welcomed the calming influence of his undead form's emotional suppression. Taking revenge for the slights against his friend and his entourage needed to be prepared for. It was a long-term goal.
Still, Harry had a number of friends and allies in this world. Keno Fasris Invern was a good example: the vampire currently known as Evileye (and once infamous as 'Landfall' or 'Nation Breaker' for the body count of the incident that turned her into a vampire, even if there were mitigating circumstances) had been contacted covertly by Harry, and after having things explained to her, she pledged her help. The Blue Roses Adventurer group she was part of were also tentative allies, as Evileye vouched for Harry's integrity, and Harry had somehow shown them his memories of the incident where Rigrit and the Platinum Dragon Lord betrayed him.
And then, there was Emperor Jircniv of the Baharuth Empire. Despite being known as the Bloody Emperor, Harry, Antilene and Leinas all concurred that Jircniv was a meritocrat and a pragmatist. What's more, he knew now about Players and Ainz Ooal Gown, and thus would know not to anger Momonga.
His magic advisor, Fluder Paradyne, was a mage of considerable power, and all but worshipped Harry, for having access to the 'Abyss of Magic', by which meant that Harry could cast spells above Seventh Tier Magic. Momonga knew that Harry's build was very hodgepodge and higgledy-piggledy, with no respect to any metagaming, and yet, he knew more than a few high-tier spells. So he wondered how Paradyne would react to meeting Momonga, who was a highly-specialised necromancer? Certainly, Paradyne apparently had considerable interest in necromancy, intending to use undead as a substitute for slave labour, and Harry suggested that he give Fluder pointers, something Momonga would consider.
And then, there was Foresight, a Worker group. Workers were like Adventurers, but considerably more mercenary and willing to cross legal boundaries. Foresight, however, was one of the better groups in terms of morality. Harry compared its leader, Hekkeran Termite, to a favourable combination of Touch Me and Peroroncino in character. However, Hekkeran was a committed lover to his ranger, half-Elf Imina. Meanwhile, Roberdyck Goltron was a disgraced priest who had left his temple in protest of charging people to heal them. He donated his profits on missions to orphanages.
Their fourth member was a teenager, Arche Eeb Rile Furt, a prodigy caster whose noble family had fallen on hard times. Her parents despised Jircniv, and spent money beyond their means without any heed to saving it for a rainy day. Arche, however, worked hard for Foresight after being forced out of an apprenticeship with Fluder, and made no secret of her desire to leave her family and take her younger sisters with her. Harry was even working out an adoption with Jircniv.
Foresight too was aware of Harry's past, but otherwise, he tried not to spread it around. Leaving aside the Platinum Dragon Lord's potential spies, he also wanted to avoid the Slane Theocracy tracking down Antilene. They'd caused a ruckus on escaping and had destroyed more than a few things, but otherwise, they had left the Theocracy be, for now.
Still, should he seek an alliance with the Baharuth Empire? And even then, to what degree? A non-aggression pact, a sharing of resources, or even a pledge of military aid? Jircniv was intending to conquer and absorb the Re-Estize Kingdom, true, but it was a long-term plan, and he had made little effort to try and force Harry to fight on his behalf, at least in the military. Then again, trying to force a Level 100 Player to fight would have backfired, and Harry had also explained his need to conceal himself from the Platinum Dragon Lord. Harry alluded to killing some of Jircniv's enemies within the Baharuth Empire, though.
For now, Momonga felt he could put off making a decision, though he leaned towards making a covert alliance with Jircniv for the purpose of sharing information and maybe giving him some leftover trash items that were apparently valuable here. At the moment, the priority was to ensure the Tomb of Nazarick wasn't easily spotted. Mare's idea of concealing the tomb with artificial hillocks had merit. He would have left the tomb to see for himself, and to see this new world, but he needed time to digest the information he had gotten.
He also regretted changing Albedo's settings. He'd now caused problems for his friend, and for Albedo too. He just hoped that Harry hadn't had a lover since arriving in this world. Albedo looked the type to be a yandere.
There was a knock on the door, and he called for the knocker to enter. Oh, speak of the Devil, or at least the Succubus. Albedo entered, her usual demure if somewhat unsettling smile on her lips. "Lord Momonga, I thought I would bring you an update from Mare. He has finished the creation of not only the hills concealing Nazarick from ground level, but also the dummy hills designed to ensure suspicion is not aroused. I must offer my apologies for deriding his suggestion. Sullying the walls of the Tomb of Nazarick is a small price to pay to deter unwanted visitors."
"That is fine, Albedo. In future, consider such suggestions carefully before you have such a reaction," Momonga said gently. "Though was that the only reason you came to see me?"
Albedo shook her head. "Forgive my temerity, Lord Momonga, but…I had hoped to see Lord Harry again, but the Pleiades notified me that he and his…guests have retired for the night in order to rest."
"Indeed. They had already forfeited much of a night's sleep to speak with me, Albedo. Harry does not need sleep per se as a Fallen Angel, but I think it helps him stay sane. What is more, they have gathered valuable information. We already have a potential way to ally or at least have peaceful relations with one country in this new world. However, for now, I wish to consolidate our position before we make a decision. But even so, should Harry invite any other humans, or weaker beings to the Tomb of Nazarick, they are to be treated as guests."
"Is this wise, Lord Momonga?"
"I don't know, but Harry, due to being betrayed a number of times, is cautious with his dealings and whom he reveals information to. Those he would bring are either trusted allies, or at least people who would know better than to betray us. Harry had regaled them with tales of Ainz Ooal Gown's power, and that would have them think twice before betraying us."
Albedo bowed, giving Momonga a view down her cleavage. "Very well. If Lord Harry has cultivated friendly relations with these lower life-forms, then I will respect his decisions, even if I still feel caution is warranted."
"Indeed it is, Albedo. Harry was betrayed by those he believed to be his allies before, but he has found new ones. The beings inhabiting this world may be mostly weak, but they have value as allies, for providing information. The ones Harry befriended or allied with also helped keep him from succumbing to loneliness before we arrived."
Albedo frowned. "I see. But what shall we do about those fools who betrayed him?"
"We will plan and prepare, but we will not rush headlong to avenge him. One of those who betrayed him, the Platinum Dragon Lord, is at least the equal of Level 100 Players, if not higher. What is more, he is sure to be searching for signs of new Players or NPCs emerging around this time, if we arrive every century. If we do not take our time, we could potentially be destroyed, astonishing as that may seem. Instead…well, back home, we have a saying: revenge is a dish best served cold. We will secure our position here in this world, quietly and covertly, before we gather information and allies…and then, we will strike."
A vicious smirk touched her lips. "Ah. Yes, that is indeed most prudent, Lord Momonga. And given Lord Harry's worries on the matter, I should say that I do not blame you for changing my…'settings', whatever they are. What you granted me was a love I never would have known otherwise. Prior to your changes, I did have adoration for you, yes, perhaps even a crush on you both…but nothing like the love you granted me. And even though I felt like my heart had been torn from its chest when Lord Harry sent me back here for the 'Shutdown'…he came back. So…I thank you for this, Lord Momonga."
Momonga's eyes would have widened if they were more than small points of flame in empty sockets, but they didn't. She had a crush on him, even before she had her backstory changed? He could understand Shalltear, what with the list of fetishes Peroroncino dumped into her backstory, but Albedo? "Albedo…you are very generous and kind…but that will not erase the guilt, just mitigate it."
"Lord Momonga…Lord Tabula Smaragdina is not around to object to it. And in truth, I daresay he would have found it amusing," Albedo said with a wistful smile. "Like an elopement of his daughter. Besides, Lord Harry has stated that he wishes to ensure he earns my love, and thus intends to make it slow…which makes it more romantic!"
As Albedo wiggled in place, blushing, Momonga was genuinely glad he hadn't tried to feel her up to test whether the anti-adult activity enforcement was still on. He had sullied Tabula's creation enough, and he knew better than to try and fondle the woman of another man. Still, he hoped Harry could handle her. He didn't want one of his best friends to end up being raped to death by a thirsty Succubus, and certainly the only one to stay with him until almost the very end, and who came back.
Momonga cleared his throat. "In any case, I think I have done enough musing in my office. Albedo, I will go outside and look on Mare's progress myself. If you feel the need to escort me, then do so at a discreet distance. I just wish to see the stars."
"The stars?" Albedo asked in confusion.
How could he explain to her? She had lived her entire life as an NPC in a video game. She hadn't experienced reality in 2138 CE, where polluted clouds covered the skies almost all the time, where acid rain or worse was the norm. She didn't realise that the being she worshipped as a near-deity was a salaryman out of his depth who hadn't seen stars outside of photos, videos, and computer games. In fact, Blue Planet would be envious of him for seeing that, and unspoiled nature.
"…Albedo, we are in a new world, one different to Yggdrasil, and very different to the one I knew before then," Momonga said solemnly. "I want to see that new sky, to see its beauty for myself."
After a moment, Albedo bowed. "Very well, my lord. Let us go…"
They didn't know it, but a plot was afoot that would bring Nazarick out of the shadows, even if only a little. True, that wasn't the intention of the plot: it was a plot to draw out a certain man and murder him, by orders of the Slane Theocracy. But the Theocracy would learn to regret their folly, for they would unwittingly tickle a sleeping dragon…
CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:
Just a POV chapter for Momonga, with some exposition and his viewpoint on it. Momonga doesn't know Harry's a wizard yet, but he'll learn soon.
No numbered annotations this time.