Part 1 - Nazarick, Tenth Floor, Ainz's Office.
Looking at the sheet of paper before him, Ainz glared in disbelief and utter shock.
"...Where did all these levels come from?"
Just an hour earlier, Ainz was scouring the storage within the Library Ashurbanipal. The storage management system in Nazarick was great, but there was one chest that all the other players just dumped whatever into.
Curious about the chest, and out of nostalgic incentive, Ainz decided to rummage through it, finding all sorts of things; things that reminded Ainz of the times of the past, the Golden Age of Ainz Ooal Gown.
To everyone, these items would be worthless junk: Pathetic weak potions, low level armor and items and specific quest items, seasonal items. But to Ainz, it was a time capsule symbolizing the old times. He forbade Titus, the overseer of the Library, to even touch it.
But one thing stuck out…
"Is something the matter, Ainz-sama?"
The maid calmly inquired, sensing Ainz's confusion:
"..."
A Character Sheet, for a Level 100 NPC. I wonder who put it there? And where did the Levels come from anyway?
A premade NPC Character Sheet, imbued with the necessary Levels and Data crystals found suddenly in the chest. All the details for NPC creation had been settled, this was another method of NPC creation; you would go the usual route, and customize, add all the details and information you'd like for an NPC. And then activate it, or, you could take the data and shove it into a Character Sheet and activate it when you'd like. It seemed like a mysterious guild member created this Character, put the details onto a character sheet, and then shoved it in the chest to never see the light of day again.
"Aurelian, Level 100 Immortal Human. Almost like, Aureole Omega."
Ainz silently read off of the mysterious character sheet.
"Hmm… Aurelian, who would have named an NPC with a Roman influenced name… Punito Moe? Ugh, not something I would be able to figure out."
Ainz threw the paper back on the desk and sighed.
But that wasn't the last of his confusions.
The issue was: Where did those levels come from?
Within the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, there were only 2750 levels allocated for NPC Data Storage, and Ainz and his friends meticulously put them all to good use; for the roleplay and giggles.
Ainz would know if any guild member had suddenly stumbled upon an extra 100 levels. Yet he didn't.
Forget it, there's no way I'll figure it out. Right now, there's an extra resource in front of me, I'll use it to the best of my ability.
With the goal of World Domination reluctantly thrown upon him, the biggest issue Ainz can see is how to govern the large continent comfortably in the far future. Demiurge, Albedo and Pandora's Actor are already neck deep drowning in paperwork alone, not even including their other mysterious tasks.
And it says here, Aurelian is supposed to be intelligent and a stubborn workaholic…
Honestly, an extra hand would be great for Ainz. Despite all the paperwork the work horses Albedo, Demiurge and Pandora's Actor write off of, Ainz still has to do mandatory paperwork too; even if it is just signing off on random texts that they give him.
"Ainz-sama…?"
The maid beside him, growing more and more with concern sheepishly muttered aloud.
"Contact Aureole Omega, I will be visiting her Area to collect my staff very shortly. Apologize on my behalf for the short notice."
"An apology? Ainz-sama, you don't need to…- I mean! Right away, Ainz-sama! Please forgive my questioning!"
Ainz decided to activate this character sheet.
A level 100 NPC, that's an invaluable resource.
Part 2 - Nazarick, Eighth Floor, Cherry Blossom Sanctuary
The eighth floor, Cherry Blossom Sanctuary—a breathtaking haven of tranquility. The air is infused with the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms, and their petals drift gently through the atmosphere, creating a serene spectacle.
Outside the Sanctuary would be considered the opposite, the Eighth floor wasn't a place to be messing around in; it's unpredictable, and dangerous even for Level 100 Players of the highest caliber.
But within the Sanctuary, it was beautiful; a throw-back to the beautiful Cherry Blossom Trees in Japan 100 years ago.
In the middle of the expansive pink-flavored forest, was a traditional Japanese Military Castle.
Ainz, using his ring, teleported him and maid Etoile to the entrance of the Sanctuary.
"Woah…"
Etoile couldn't help but gasp in awe at the beauty of the Sanctuary, but realizing her mistake of letting go of her professional composure, she quickly snapped back, and bowed toward Ainz.
"Forgive me, Ainz-sama."
Ainz looked at her with a smitten expression, as if he was looking at a cute puppy chewing on her new toy. Or a parent looking at a child admiring a new gift, absolutely filled with pride upon seeing her admiration for the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary.
From there, he began to subconsciously talk about the history with great zeal and excitement:
"Don't worry, my Etoile. You know, I had my hand in creating this Area. I remember making this very stone pathway we're standing on, those red lanterns and the falling leaves effect. Whenever Hero-hero-san wasn't cooped up with his… business, he helped me with the scripting and laid the foundations for the building. I remember he created a big fishing spot around here somewhere, we even went out to capture some high leveled fish for the lake too… Ah… Sorry, I'm on a tangent…"
Ainz looked around him with a sense of awareness, if his face would allow, he'd be wearing a smile on his face. The memories of creating this area rushed in like the opening of floodgates, washing him wherever it wanted. He could almost bathe in this feeling of happiness and-
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
Damn you, piece of sh-
"Sniff… MMrghh… Sniff Sniff."
Priorly unbeknownst to Ainz, Etoile began to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"W-What's the matter, Etoile."
Ainz strugglingly turned and placed his hand on her shoulder.
She shivered upon contact.
"T-To hear the history of my beloved creator Herohero-sama and the good times Herohero-sama had with Ainz-sama, and for Ainz-sama to refer to me by my name… a-and say 'my Etoile'. I'm u-unworthy! Waaaah!"
Ainz only said "My Etoile" out of the pure excitement of her admiring his and his friend's work.
Looking at Etoile, Ainz didn't really know how to respond; except plant his hand gently on the maid's head.
"Ainz-sama! Forgive us for interrupting, Aureole-sama is waiting for you in the Sanctuary."
A short girl, wearing a traditional Japanese Fox-mask suddenly appeared on her knees head down in front of Ainz. This was one of Aureolle's servants, sent here to guide Ainz.
Etoile quickly regained composure, and they both followed the girl toward Aureolle's Chambers.
– –
Sitting beautifully on her knees was Aureole Omega, dressed in a simple Shrine Maiden outfit with silky smooth fabric wrapped around her eyes, covering it completely.
She was a Level 100 Immortal Human NPC, her job to protect the important Guild Item. The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown.
It was a stressful task, protecting the Guild weapon was one of the most important jobs within Nazarick; with the destruction of the weapon came the dissolution of the entire guild of Ainz Ooal Gown itself.
Ainz didn't even want to think what would happen if the weapon was destroyed.
It's needless to say why the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary, of the malicious and infamous Eighth Floor of Nazarick, was chosen to hold such an important item and why a Level 100 Being such as Aureole was guarding it.
"Welcome to the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary, Ainz-sama. I heard your message, please don't apologize, your presence is deeply appreciated."
Aureole Omega, in Japanese fashion, put her head to the ground when greeting Ainz.
She spoke in a soft and respectful manner, her personality design based on the ideal feminine Japanese woman and attitude.
Behind her, floating in the air was the beautiful Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, created custom for Ainz himself by his guild mates.
"Umu… Raise your head. I didn't come here for much, I just need the staff for a bit."
Ainz was also curious, would it even work? In-game, the staff would open a window which led to a "Are you sure you want to…" Yes/No option before activating the NPC. Would the same apply here? Or would it be similar to how spells are cast here, with the names being chanted and the thought being sufficient for activation?
"Of course, Ainz-sama."
Aureole stood up, and gracefully handed the staff to Ainz.
Looking at the Character sheet, Ainz read through it once again.
"Ainz-sama, what's that in your hand?"
"It's a Character Sheet for a Level 100 guardian.."
Aureole Omega stared at Ainz blankly in mild surprise.
"A level 100 Guardian, Ainz-sama?"
"That's right. I'll be creating another Guardian, I hope you don't mind that it'll be here. I need you to go fetch some clothing too."
"Yes, Ainz-sama."
Now left alone in the room, besides the presence of Etoile, Ainz activated the sheet. As expected, there was no in-game window, just the intent was enough for the staff.
As expected, a naked man suddenly appeared right in front of Ainz.
Gaining consciousness, he immediately knelt, bowing his head down.
"Momonga-sama, Leader of the 41 Supreme Beings. Guild Master of Ainz Ooal Gown and the God of Death. This lowly, pathetic one is yours to command."
Etoile looked in awe from behind with a curious wholesome eye.
"Rise… Aurelian. Your first command is… Put on some clothes."
Ainz turned his head.
The 18+ NSFW censor system was always active in Yggdrasil and when NPCs are first created they are at least censored in sensitive areas, but this wasn't Yggdrasil.
Thankfully, Aureole had returned with a male Kimono, so she quickly dressed him.
He was as tall as Ainz, and fairly built with impressive musculature. Which made sense, as he was a warrior-based build. Ainz had ideas on what armor and items to give him.
He was an Immortal Human, just like Aureole and had Western-features. A young handsome man, early twenties with pure white silver hair and sharp red ruby eyes.
His silver hair glistened in the warm light.
"Thank you, Father."
Aurelian bowed.
Aureole and Etoile sharply turned their heads as quick as lightning in fascinating curiosity, their gazes glued intensely toward Aurelian as he said that.
Aureole was usually composed and calm, but what was happening in front of her forced her dainty hand to delicately cover her gaping mouth.
Eh? Did I miss something in the character description? Did he just call me father?
"Father?"
"Yes, Momonga-sama. Aren't I not the Heir to the throne of Nazarick, mein vater?" (My father?)
GERMAN?! WHO CREATED HIS CHARACTER SHEET?!
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
"Vater?" (Father?)
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
[Emotional Suppression Activated]
Being called father was a surprise, but an expected one. After all, Pandora's Actor calls him father too. And Ainz created him, and in a sense, Ainz created Aurelian too. Heir to the throne was also an unexpected surprise, but…
GERMAN?!
It was thanks to his emotional suppressor that Ainz didn't scream out "What?!" or "Huh?!" with an undignified screech. He should have definitely read the character sheet more thoroughly.
It was too late now, the character sheet disappears after the NPC is created.
Ainz wondered what else he missed, what a silly mistake.
One of the reasons why he skimmed over it was because most Nazarick NPC data contained a copy and paste text containing the basic knowledge of Nazarick, which was very long. But, it still wasn't a good enough excuse.
An extremely silly mistake.
"Yes, but keep the German to a minimum, and refer to me as Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Yes, mein- … Ainz-sama."
Ainz nodded calmly, with a small space before saying something else.
"Aureole."
"Yes, Ainz-sama?"
"Serve Aurelian some tea, and sit with him for a bit. There are some urgent business I need to attend to."
Aurelian Aureole bowed their heads.
– –
Within Nazarick, there was only one singular Human NPC ever created, and that was Aureole Omega.
Sure, all of Nazarick hated humans but that didn't apply to any creations of the Supreme Beings, especially an Immortal Human.
She would be lying if she said she didn't have any sort of pride about being the only human in Nazarick.
But, the being sitting in front of her changed that seemingly eternal fact.
Aurelian, a handsome gentleman wearing a spare male Kimono she had in her guest wardrobe, had his legs crossed sitting adjacent to her. Between them was a small Japanese ground table.
Of course, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown followed her wherever she went.
They were in a different room than earlier, the Tea room.
Aureole Omega smiled graciously, pouring him a small cup of tea.
"This is Nazarick-grown Gyokuro tea, I harvested it myself. Aurelian-sama."
"You don't have to refer to me like that, Aureole-san. Just call me Aurelian."
Aurelian smiled gently.
Just like his father.
She passingly thought, and mimicked his smile.
"Didn't you say you were the heir to the throne? Aurelian-sama? Ainz-sama agreed with you too, it's perfectly fitting for me to refer to you as -sama, Aurelian-sama."
"..."
Aurelian kept quiet, he was staring at Aureole pretty intensely.
"Is something the matter, Aurelian…?"
Aureole curiously inquired into the strange silence.
"...You're so beautiful, Aureole."
"Eh?! W-What did you say?"
Aureole's face went red, as she bashfully covered her mouth with the long sleeves of her wrist.
"I said: your beauty makes me smitten for you."
Aurelian smiled gently as he said those direct words, full of genuine and innocence.
"I-I see, I'm flattered. Please don't say that so suddenly…"
The usually calm, stoic and gracious Aureole Omega, the older sister of the Pleiades, the Seventh Star held a small blush on her face, as she covered her mouth, her gaze slightly shifted to the side.
Aureole quickly changed the subject.
"A-Anyways! It must be a pleasure, being created by the hands of Ainz-sama like that. I'm jealous, frankly. Also, what was that language you were speaking earlier? I didn't recognise it, I think it went along the lines of "Mein… Vater?"
"It's German, one of the many languages of the Supreme Gods. I'm blessed and honored to be able to speak it. I'm sure Ainz-sama felt something good upon hearing it."
"Yes, I'm sure Ainz-sama did."
Aurelian tilted his head to the side:
"Who created you, if I may ask?"
Aureole perked up with a genuine smile, the topic brought up about her creator making her open up:
"Blue Planet-sama, the Lord of the skies and earth created me."
"Blue Planet-sama must have great taste, creating a beauty like yourself. I'm really grateful!"
Aurelian smiled innocently, his eyes beaming with delight.
"E-Eh?!"
And just like that, Aureole Omega and Aurelian spent the evening chatting about various topics, the former blushing and covering half her face half of the time.
Part 3 - Nazarick, Tenth Floor, Throne Room
Ainz sat on the throne of the Tenth Floor, preparing himself to break the news to the other guardians about the creation of a new NPC.
The only issue was that Aurelian referred to him as "father" and was programmed to be "heir to the throne". So he would have to address that as well.
Ainz couldn't just simply flat-out reject his programming, it didn't work like that. Pandora's actor was programmed to speak German and love playing around with magical artifacts, and so he does. Albedo was programmed to love Ainz unconditionally, and so she does.
Aurelian is programmed to see Ainz as his god, and father; and so… he does.
Telling him to stop doing so would be putting the cart before the horse, and brings up an ethical and moral issue. If you were created with a genetic code to do a specific thing, but denied so by the very same creator; would that be just?
It's a good philosophical question.
Ainz's idea is to introduce Aurelian as the heir to the throne, if anything were to happen to Ainz himself, Aurelian would step in as the recognised ruler of Nazarick. Since he was designed that way, Ainz saw no problem with it. He didn't plan to die anyways.
As for Aurelian's current job, Ainz's only idea is to have him deal with paperwork for now, putting his intelligence to good use.
With all that in mind, Ainz cast [Message] and instructed the Guardians to arrive.
– –
One by one, in an instant. They all did, as expected.
Demiurge, Cocytus, Mare, Aura, Shalltear, Sebas.
They all knelt promptly, with their heads bowed silently. Everyone was in line, with the only exception of Albedo, who knelt toward Ainz beside the Throne; the perfect place for the guardian overseer.
"I apologize for bringing you all here with such short notice. You all must be busy with your own tasks."
"Unnecessary, Ainz-sama! You don't need to apologize, it's our pleasure."
Demiurge commented with urgency and loyalty.
"Yeah, Ainz-sama! Don't worry about us!"
"Y-Yeah, Ainz-sama!"
"WE. ARE. GRATEFUL. TO. BE. IN. YOUR. PRESENCE."
Aura, Mare and Cocytus added.
Everyone else nodded.
"Umu, that's good. Raise your heads. Anyways, I have some important news."
The guardians perked up, interested to hear what Ainz had to say.
"-...There is an heir to the throne. I have created a son."
"Created? Created with whom?! Ainz-sama?! AINZ-SAMA!"
Albedo jumped onto Ainz with a desperate expression, though she was immediately held back by the terrified and traumatized Eight Edged Assassins guarding Ainz. They were making insect noises that would translate into fearful screeching as they dragged Albedo back, unblameable considering the history.
Though not as severe as Albedo's reaction, Demiurge, Sebas and the Twin Elf siblings looked at Ainz with awe and utter disbelief.
Demiurge's tail wagged aggressively, hitting the ground in anticipation while the sparkles formed in the Twin's eyes.
Sebas and Cocytus, had much more tamed reactions, though still were in utter shock and awe.
"Ainz-sama, who did you do it with?!"
While being held back by the Eight Edged Assassins, Albedo screamed.
"Yeah, Ainz-sama?!"
Shaltear added to Albedo's question.
"Silence!"
Releasing a fatal Aura of Despair, Ainz slammed his fake staff onto the ground; the sound echoing loudly within the chambers with a sense of regal authority.
This calmed Albedo down, relieving the stressed Assassins and causing the Guardians to bow their heads once again.
…Was that too harsh?
"I didn't copulate with anyone, Albedo, Shalltear. I created him, just as I did with Pandora's Actor. Come out, Aurelian."
Ainz turned his head to the side, ushering Aurelian to walk out. All the eyes in the room followed his gaze, until they heard the sounds of leather boots clanking against the ground.
A man with silver hair, wearing princely attire stepped from the side into the throne room and stood beside Ainz.
He walked with regal authority, the air around him almost sparkling as he held his upright proper posture. He looked like a true prince, royalty. Enough grace that if he were to look old, it would feel like anyone would be in the presence of an absolute dignified King and ruler.
But he was young, and that translated into a princely aura.
If Pandora's Actor's suit was a German WW2 yellow officer army attire, then Aurelian's suit was a prince's attire.
His beautiful silver hair, sharp face and eyes would be enough to charm any woman.
"This is the heir to my throne, my subordinates. If anything were to happen to me, my orders are that Aurelian be instated as the new ruler of Nazarick. If there are any objections, say it now."
Ainz-sama stood up, and placed his hand on Aurelian's shoulder.
There was silence, no objections.
Good, good. I don't plan to die anytime soon though.
"A-Ainz-sama…?"
Albedo stuttered and with a twisted expression raised her voice.
"Yes, Albedo?"
"...Are you leaving us?"
Albedo's comment sparked trembling within each and every guardian in the room. Sebas looked up at Ainz with a fearful expression. A speck of water began to form within the eyes of the Elf Twins and Cocytus's breathing became louder. Demiurge's tail perked straight and tall.
The comment sparked a lot of stress.
It was a reasonable comment, considering that Ainz suddenly introduced an heir.
"Absolutely not! I would never leave…"
Ainz reaffirmed with certainty, they all sighed and smiled in relief.
"Yes, Ainz-sama!" x 6
"Umu, anyways, are there any questions?"
Ainz sat back down, and placed his hands to the sides of the throne, looking down at the guardians. From the edge of his vision, he could see Albedo staring intensely at Aurelian.
Albedo stood at the left side of Ainz, while Aurelian stood at the right. They both looked dignified and beautiful in their own right, and it looked simply right for Aurelian and Albedo to stand at the sides of Ainz Ooal Gown.
The Prince, and the Overseer. And the King in the middle. It was a majestic sight.
"Yes, Ainz-sama!"
Aura raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Yes, Aura?"
"Why did you decide to create him now? And can you make more?! If you can, can you make a super strong beast?!"
Aura excitedly put.
I don't think it's right to tell her about character sheets and the methods of NPC creation.
"No Aura, that was the last of the power within Yggdrasil used for creation…"
"Aw… Too bad."
Ainz blurted out that bullshit, but it wasn't really bullshit either. It was true. Unless some NPC levels were hidden somewhere within Nazarick along with a character sheet already customized, there isn't any prospects for more NPC creation.
Even if Ainz had stumbled across 100 levels alone, he wouldn't know what to do with it. Because without the method of creating NPCs, which you would have to access the guild template for within window screens, and the insanely detailed visual customisation accessory tools and description adding, there was no way to create anything.
"-And, it's simply contingency…"
That was the real bullshit.
"-Is Ainz-sama entertaining the thought that you might… Perish? That doesn't seem possible, Ainz-sama."
Demiurge spoke up.
"Yes, I am. Demiurge, I know you know this; but it's almost never a disadvantage to be cautious. Especially with the unknown within this world. We can never know too much about this world, and about this… Riku fellow, yes? It's possible."
(Volume 14 character: Riku.)
"Ohoho?! I understand, Ainz-sama."
Demiurge's face suddenly went from his usual smirk, to an uncontrollable one. It was quite literally ear to ear. Ainz could see his diamond eyes sparkle in delight as Ainz responded.
Wait, oh goodness. It's that reaction, what is he thinking now? Are you understanding what I think you're understanding? Hey Demiurge, I've said NOTHING worth inferring.
Ainz slowly turned his head to Albedo, who had an uncharacteristic smirk too.
"As expected of Ainz-sama."
Albedo muttered.
As expected of who-sama?!
Ainz looked at the guardians who had puzzled expressions, clearly confused to what the three (two, not including Ainz) greatest minds of Nazarick had in thought.
"Umu. Why don't you explain what you know, Demiurge? Everyone else seems to be behind in their understanding."
Demiurge could only bow deeply with a satisfied expression:
"Ainz-sama, I think it's best fitting if you explained it. It's your plan, after all Ainz-sama. Kufufufu."
No no no, YOU explain it. YOU thought up with it, not me.
[Emotional Suppressor activated]
"Demiurge, I insist."
The Guardians turned their heads to Demiurge in anticipation, including Aurelian.
Although Aurelian was intelligent on a slight magnitude lower than that of Albedo, he didn't have enough context of this world to put the pieces together. Though if he did have the dots, he would have connected it as easily as Demiurge did.
"If you insist, Ainz-sama."
Demiurge had a look of glee and excitement on his face as he cleared his throat before putting his hands back his back, puffing his chest out.
"Ainz-sama's end goal is to place Aurelian as the sole ruler and Area Guardian of the Karsanas City-State Alliance."
[Emotional Suppressor activated]
Excuse me? How did you come up with that?
Aurelian looked at Ainz with shock, but smiled in the end. Clearly accepting this heavy responsibility.
No no no, my intentions are to make him do my paperwork! Not that!
"That's-"
"-A brilliant idea, Ainz-sama! I will prepare the proper channels and increase spy incursions into the City State Alliance as soon as possible! We'll begin the plan when everything is set, Ainz-sama!"
Albedo smiled with an affectionate blush on her face, happy that more work worked its way up to her plate.
"Umu, yeah, do that. Anyways, Aurelian. I'd like for you to share necessary details to the guardians, and just introduce yourself."
Ainz quickly changed the subject, in hopes to not think about the big piece of meat that worked its way up to his plate to chew torturously on.
Heeding the order, Aurelian took a step up and introduced himself.
"Thank you, father-"
The guardians jolted at that third word.
"-My name is Aurelian, Heir to the throne of Nazarick. Son of the guildmaster, god and absolute Ruler, Ainz Ooal Gown. I was made in Ainz-sama's image. And in simple terms, I am a Prince and a Guardian Knight, a commander and sentinel warrior type class."
Made in whose image? Mine? Is that in the character description too?
He continued:
"On my hip is [The Blade Of Crassus] World-Item blade, bestowed onto me by Ainz-sama. The powers I hope are useful to you all with the goals of the glorious Ainz Ooal Gown guild."
[The Blade Of Crassus] Is an alright defensive World-Item, Ainz thought. Passively, it provides amazing defense with Level 100 players only being able to penetrate it after exhausting either 3/4ths of their stamina, or 3/4ths of their MP through constant barrage. This may sound OP, but the use of another world-item and even the touch of one is enough to deactivate the defensive barrier.
A good lesser-tier World-item, perfect for fighting against small groups of players, or small guilds with no World Items.
The only offensive capability within the sword is the skill [Golden Drink], which orders players under Level 65 to kill themselves by pouring Molten Gold down their avatar's throats, the sword itself is alright and would probably be placed on Divine-Tier.
Essentially, not worth the time of any guild member. The item to be stored in the depths of the treasury, never to be seen again: In Ainz's opinion.
Aurelian graciously bowed before stepping back.
"Ahem, that's it, it seems."
Ainz stood up, grabbing his staff.
"Any more questions, objections or comments before you all return to your work stations?"
"Yes, Ainz-sama. Aurelian said he was made in your image… Could it be, that's what you would surmise you would look like if you were human, Ainz-sama?"
Sebas curiously inquired, picking off at the small comment Aurelian made.
"Yes."
A complete, bold-faced lie.
Why did I lie? Why did I lie?!
Sebas nodded, before lowering back his head.
"Me too, I got a question! Absolutely! Ainz-sama! If he called you father, then does that mean he'll call me mother?"
Albedo jumpingly squealed in excitement.
The Eight Edged Assassins jolted, their guard pulled up as they prepared to defend another assault against the tank Albedo.
"No, Albedo."
"Heh, you're not recognised as the first wife of Ainz-sama! But that's expected, you're just a hunk of horned muscle after all."
Shaltear mocked from below, grinning maliciously.
"Keep your mouth shut, cutting-board vampire."
"Huuuh? What did you say, air bags?! It's how I was designed, you pig!"
"Enough, please, Albedo-sama. Shalltear-sama. You're in the presence of Ainz-sama."
Sebas raised his head as he spoke his piece, interrupting the Overseer and Vampire.
…
Part 4 - Nazarick, Sixth Floor, Great Coliseum.
"AS. EXPECTED. YOU. ARE. STRONG."
Cocytus huffed a long puff of cold air against Aurelian's face, holding out his hand for a handshake.
Obliging, Aurelian shook his hand.
"You are too, Cocytus. But I know you would have beaten me if you really tried."
Just earlier, Aurelian and Cocytus sparred, with Ainz and Demiurge sitting on the Colosseum special seats to spectate.
Aurelian wasn't the strongest build, despite being a Level 100 NPC. His stats were balanced, but overall he was a Commander-class build, with Defensive Fighter job-classes. As a roleplay character, he was definitely prince-like.
If he and Cocytus fought seriously, while he would give Cocytus a run for his money, he would ultimately lose.
As a warrior, Cocytus was the superior one. Although, as a general and tactician, Aurelian would win.
"DO. NOT. DEVALUE. YOURSELF. AURELIAN. YOU. ARE. AN. HONORABLE. WARRIOR. PRINCE."
"Thanks, Cocytus. By the way, who's your creator? I'm guessing someone who's the embodiment of the warrior spirit, a truly honorable person. I'm saying this as a reflection of you. Of course."
"YOU. ARE. CORRECT. AURELIAN. MY. MASTER. IS. WARRIOR. TAKEMIKAZUCHI-SAMA. YOU. HUMBLE. ME. DO. NOT. COMPARE. ME. TO. MY. MASTER. I. HAVE. A. LONG. WAY. TO. GO. ALSO. YOU. ARE. VERY. MUCH. LIKE. AINZ-SAMA."
"I like you Cocytus, you're a great guy."
Aurelian smiled, in response Cocytus placed his cold hard insectoid hands on his shoulder and laughed heartily.
"HA. HA. HAH. YOU. WILL. BE. A. GOOD. SUCCESSOR. A. KIND. AND. CHARISMATIC. RULER. AINZ-SAMA. WAS. CORRECT."
Aurelian sighed with a grin as he sat on the Colosseum floor, looking up into the artificial, yet real sky.
Blue Planet-sama, One of the 41 Supreme Beings. And the creator of the beautiful Aureole Omega created these skies, the forest in the Sixth Floor and all that… Ah, I wanna see Aureole again.
"Admiring the skies, Aurelian?"
Ainz, using the ring of teleportation, appeared right beside Aurelian, looking down on him.
"Ja, Mein Vater!"
Aurelian quickly stood up to face his father.
He could see his father react in some silent way, but it wasn't overly noticeable.
"...Keep the German to the absolute minimum."
Ainz uttered lowly.
Why doesn't father want me to speak German?
"Forgive me, father. I will."
"Umu, good, anyways. That was a good fight, but I have a task for you now. Actually, Demiurge does."
Aurelian focused his attention, and nodded. And turned to the Demon Imp smirking right beside his father.
Demiurge in his orange suit, chest puffed and hands behind his back stepped up with an air of malevolence, his metal tail slowly moving side to side.
"-Aurelian, by the orders of Ainz-sama you are to take control of Enri's goblin army, and train them as their Commanding General in any way you see fit…" …
Demiurge paused for a brief moment, correcting his glasses and stifling a sinister giggle before looking back at Cocytus with a grin:
"-In the end, your new goblin army will be pitched against Cocytus's Lizardman army. Of course, we will account to ensure both sides are of equal strength."
"OH? THEN. SHALL. I. PREPARE. MINE. TOO?"
Cocytus chimed in, hearing his name and the participation of his own Lizardman forces forced him into this task.
"Of course, Cocytus. Don't worry about the losses; we will give each soldier a sparring weapon."
In Yggdrasil, a sparring weapon is usually used for sparring amongst lower leveled players. Simply put, a lethal hit against a player would stun them for a certain amount of time, essentially forcing the opponent to play dead until the stun was over. In this case, it would simulate death.
Demiurge didn't want to use sparring weapons. If it were up to him, he would take all the corpses to be used as parchment; but Ainz insisted heavily, out of consideration for Cocytus who seemed to care about his warrior Lizardmen.
Who was he to disagree with Ainz's decision?
"Cocytus, this is a chance for you to show Ainz-sama what you've learnt as a commander in battle. Ainz-sama is expecting to see a lot of improvement from you, considering your humiliating performance the last time you commanded troops."
Demiurge condescendingly smirked, relishing only lightly in Cocytus's frown.
"I. WILL. NOT. DISAPPOINT. AINZ-SAMA. THIS. TIME. AROUND."
"What is the deadline? And where will the battle take place?"
Aurelian questioned.
"Ah, you have a little over a month. And it will take place by the river and hills north of Carne Village. Please, when the day of the battle arrives, do not disappoint Ainz-sama. Ainz-sama will be watching intently, do not disgrace yourselves."
"UNDERSTOOD."
"Of course, Demiurge."
With that out of the way, Ainz silently returned to his chambers along with Demiurge.
Part 5 - Sorcerer Kingdom, Carne Village. Outskirts.
Carrying a map, Aurelian walked on the dirt trail toward Carne village. Ainz didn't allow him to teleport, or be transported in any way.
Ainz wanted Aurelian to explore the world by himself, and learn things about it by experiencing it himself. Unlike the other NPCs, he has no real prior knowledge of the world nor Yggdrasil. Only the basic information about the guild embedded into him… And whatever the mysterious guild member put in his character sheet.
Of course, Aurelian was tailed by 2 level 80 stealth creatures to ensure his safety, and had the World Item [Blade Of Crassus] by his side to ensure another "Shalltear Bloodfallen" didn't happen again.
Aurelian sensed a being approaching him, and quickly turned and unsheathed his blade.
"Just a wild goblin…"
After cutting it down, he cleaned his blade and continued walking.
Surprisingly, his princely, expensive and shiny attire still looked pristine as it did the first time he wore it. Although, it should be unsurprising considering that what he is wearing is a High-Class Magical Outfit.
His silver hair glistened in the bright sun as he continued his journey toward Carne Village.
– –
"Oi! Stop there mate. State your name and business, mate."
A goblin, wearing dark gray full-plated armor equipped with metal tower shields and Pole Axes met Aurelian at the front gate.
The walls were imposing, strong dark and thick wooden walls where at the top Goblin archers stood, at the gate along with the full-plated armor goblins was a menacing ogre.
Rather than a village, it looked like a fortress. You could hear within the runesmiths metal clanking, along with the smoke rising from many sources within the walls.
"My name is Aurelian, I'm a delegate for the Supreme Being, Ainz Ooal Gown."
Aurelian stood with his chest beams out with pride, although he looked very royal; it was comically out of place considering he was alone on a dirt road.
"I thought so, considering your dress… Oh well, welcome, Aurelian-sama. The gates are open for you."
The goblins were expecting him, but because Aurelian was solo, they doubted it slightly at first.
– –
As he walked into the village, Aurelian noticed that the majority of the population were goblins, and other demi-humans including dwarves.
There was cheering and laughter by the bars, and sounds of combat training along with the snoring of Ice Dragons by their dens.
Truly a multicultural place.
"-What the fuck did you say about Ainz Ooal Gown, you vermin pig?!"
One of the dwarves berated a human, his face turning complete red, throwing the wooden mug, splashing the contents all over the human.
"-Don't you dare talk shit about Ainz-sama again, or I'll beat the fuck outta you next time."
Being held back by his other dwarven buddies, the dwarf decided to walk away.
Aurelian couldn't help but smile at that incident, but he couldn't let go of what he just heard.
"-Ah, so what's this I hear about disrespecting Ainz Ooal Gown?"
Aurelian approached the human, and the dwarf prior who walked away suddenly turned back, and marched right back to his old spot.
"Yeah mate, this fucker over here is telling me we're all being tricked into making Runes for the 'undead', he don't know that Ainz saved our long-lost art and tradition!"
"-You're all being tricked! Undead hate the living, and I will not allow the human population in this village to succumb to that lowly undead's tricks!"
The human in question seemed to be some sort of priest.
"Did you say 'lowly undead'?
Aurelian spat as he stood in between the dwarf and priest, he towered over him and although he had a charming smile on his face; the emotions he felt within were completely boiling hot, ready to explode at any time.
His red ruby eyes glared daggers into the priests.
He could feel the heat radiating from his body as he replayed the word "Lowly Undead" in his mind over and over again. The elegant gloves of his hands became warmer and warmer, before clenching tightly.
The golden threads of his princely attire shimmered as his tall, imposing figure cast a shadow over the defiant priest.
Then suddenly, he grabbed the throat of the priest and held him up in the air, the priest's feet only swaying in the air as the only point of contact was being grasped by the throat.
"How dare you speak of mein vater like that. You are a pathetic weak little human, you have no right to refer to Ainz-sama as lowly."
Although his voice was completely calm, the tight aggressive grip on the priest suggested otherwise.
"Urggh- GrRHg."
The priest clawed at the hands of Aurelian, the pressure becoming too much for him as his face began to go blue.
Aurelian brought the man's ears closer to his mouth and whispered:
"Death will be a mercy for you."
The priests' face went deathly pale.
"Hey hey! Aurelian-sama, what are you doing?"
The escorts, upon seeing Aurelian disappear from their sights, finally found him. Only to see him grasping at a priests throat.
"Put him in your prison, Ainz-sama will have people come and collect this priest as soon as possible."
"Of course, Aurelian-sama."
If it was an order by a representative of Ainz Ooal Gown, the goblins could not refuse. They obeyed Aurelian's order and restrained the priest, and took him away.
But he turned to the escort, and questioned:
"-Wait first before you leave, I'm also looking for Lupusregina Beta, any idea where she is?"
"Usually by the Runesmiths, Aurelian-sama."
One of the goblin guards replied swiftly.
"-Understood, thanks."
Upon seeing the authority Aurelian held, the dwarf prior spoke up:
"Thanks for standing up with me like that, can't stand assholes like him, eh?"
"No, thank you, for being a good denizen for Ainz Ooal Gown. I'll see to it you are rewarded for this."
Aureliean smiled graciously before snapping back to duty, he departed from the dwarf and walked around the village, and toward the Runesmith building.
It wasn't too hard to find, an imposing Death Knight stood a few meters away from the large building, oozing an aura of utter despair that kept people away from the area. Apparently to guard the runesmiths.
Ah, there she is.
Lupusregina sat beside the Death knight… Snoozing and sleeping.
"What do you think you're doing? Get up, now."
Aurelian spoke firmly, and with disappointment.
How dare a denizen of Nazarick slack off, Aurelian was ready to punish any foolish being who even thought of that.
Though suddenly, the snoozing and sleeping body that sat beside the death knight disappeared into thin air, and Aurelian heard a voice behind him. Must have been an ability from an item, werewolves don't have that ability.
"Are you so~ like, Looking for like, little ol' me? Pffft!"
Lupusregina Beta, one of the Battle Maid Pleiades, spoke into Aurelian's ear teasingly.
Although she seems annoying, at least it was a prank. Aurelian was prepared to bestow a suitable punishment for sleeping on the job.
At the very least, have her flogged.
"You're as exciting as Aureole told me."
Aurelian smiled as he turned to face Lupus.
"Waaait, you so like- met my older sister and talked with her like that? That's like, so crazy! I heard about you from Yuri! You're like, Ainz-sama's creation right? Just like… Pandora's Actor."
For some reason, her excitement trailed off when she mentioned Pandora's Actor, is he not popular with the ladies of Nazarick for some reason?
"I'm honored, Miss Beta. I've actually come to see how you're doing, and to introduce myself. But it sounds like you already know who I am."
"Word travels fast, Ainz-sama's son!"
"Well, if that's out of the way, can you bring me straight to Enri? She should be expecting me."
– –
Enri's Office
– –
"Heya, cutie!"
"H-Hey Lupus! Please don't hug me like this with Ainz-sama's visitor in the same room."
"Naah! Don't worry, don't worry! He's like, totes a cool guy, I'm sure he won't mind!"
Lupusregina Beta, the curious character she was, hugged Enri like a woman would hug a tiny dog very affectionately.
Beside Enri was the Goblin Strategist, and two of the Goblin Red-capped bodyguards.
"Ahem. Right, that's enough Lupusregina. Anyways, it's nice to meet you Enri. I'll cut to the chase, do you know why I'm here?"
Recovering from the silly coddles, Enri replied in earnest:
"Yes, Aurelian-sama. I understand that Ainz-sama wants me to give you temporary command of 1/5th of my 5000 man strong goblin army."
"That's right, are there any objections?"
"Of course not. Aurelian-sama. Please do as you wish. I read all about it in the report, please train them well."
Enri seemed to have complete and utter faith in Ainz Ooal Gown, which was reassuring to Aurelian.
"Of course, that's my job. General Enri."
With the army secured, all that was left was battle practice. Traditional training was unnecessary, considering that they are all competent warriors, and have great cohesion in their own right. The only thing that would need to be done is polishing up communications, new formations and drills to ensure a smooth transition during the mock battle with Cocytus.
Part 6 - Nazarick, Ninth Floor, Cafeteria.
Word quickly spread about the creation of a new Level 100 NPC, it became the talk of Nazarick for those who could converse freely and comfortably.
Especially the Homunculus maids.
"-Yeah, I saw him standing in Ainz-sama's office when I was on duty. He looked so stunning and handsome!"
"-I heard that he was made in Ainz-sama's image and likeness. Is that what Ainz-sama would have looked like if he was human? Oh my god! Ainz-sama is so godly!"
"-Heir to the throne… He will never be able to replace Ainz-sama in any way, but if Ainz-sama says so, then he must be fitting for the job. But I don't think it will ever happen anyway, ri~ght?"
Other than the worshiping and girl-talk, there wasn't really much else the maids were talking about.
"-Oh, my 2 minute and 34 second lunch break is over I'm headed back to work now!"
[Prologue End]
A/N: Right-o folks, I hope you enjoyed the prologue for this series. If you read this far, I'd encourage you to have a sip of water, like, really. Go drink a cup mate, water is good for you.
Inspired by many great fics written here, I decided to go for the "Heir to the throne, New NPC, Son of Ainz" route. If this ain't your cup of tea, then drink 3 cups of water.
If you have any suggestions for plot, character interactions or whatnot; I'll consider it if it's good enough. If it is, I'll allow you to drink 5 cups of water.
Otherwise, go drink some water mate.
Love, from Australia.