First of all…I am so sorry this took longer than usual to come out, but be assured there were good reasons for the delay! Right now, we're going through something of a heatwave here in the UK and we…don't really cope well with hot weather since we get it so infrequently, plus it's really draining on our bodies which in return makes us not want to do much at all. Also, I've had a couple of early mornings (I'm talking getting up at half 5 in the morning) in the past fortnight which has also worn me out so…yeah, that's why this chapter is slightly delayed.

Now with that out of the way, welcome back! Once again, I hope you have all enjoyed what we've given you so far, and as always, we are really appreciative of all the love and support that each of you has shown up to this point.

Now that the Spring 2023 season of anime is winding down, what have you all been watching and enjoying over the past few months? Personally I've been loving the hell out of both Vinland Saga Season 2 and Demon Slayer Season 3 (as has my co-author, we both agree Mitsuri is best girl!) whilst also enjoying the other shows I've been watching (Dr Stone, the Konosuba prequel detailing Megumin's backstory, Eden's Zero and Isekai Cheat Skill). As for what's coming in the summer, the only title I know for sure I'll be watching is Season 2 of Mushoku Tensei but I might pick up some other shows depending on what's being offered.

(daniel: Hey guys! Good to be back! This chapter will hopefully provide you all with a fun breather as we prepare to dive into the New World! And yeah, please give a pass to my Co-Author, as a certified anglophile that I am, I know that warm weather doesn't agree with him. But we are here now and hope you all have a good time reading!)

Now that that's all out of the way, here's our interlude chapter detailing our protagonists' next moves along with some additional scenes myself and daniel have come up with. But before we get into that, the usual disclaimer that neither I nor daniel own Overlord or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime, manga or Light Novels. The only things we own are our OCs, Henry and Fengxian. ENJOY!

Chapter 6 – Interlude and Preparations

There was an air of celebration about the Tomb once word got out that Momonga had officially changed his name to Ainz Ooal Gown. Naturally, all the denizens were delighted and eager to get to work in his service, and so after the initial exuberance died down all of the Guardians, Pleiades and the rest of the servants dispersed to get on with their own business whilst awaiting any further orders from their Supreme Beings.

Once everyone had left the Throne Room, Fengxian indicated Ainz's office with his head before heading that way himself. Curious about what their friend had in mind, Henry and Ainz followed him, and once they had entered the office Fengxian made sure that no one was eavesdropping and that the door was barred before indicating them to the various seats that were dotted around the room. As was his right, Ainz took the seat behind his desk as the others perched themselves on two of the sofas.

"What is all this about, Fengxian?" Ainz asked once what they were all comfortable.

(My apologies guys, but what we're about to talk about…I'd rather no one else overhear it just to be safe) Fengxian assured them (So until I specify otherwise, could we just restrict our conversation to be via Message?)

(I guess but…why the need for secrecy from the others?) Henry asked, frowning externally.

(It's not because I don't trust them if that's what you are afraid of) Fengxian explained. (I just don't want them to think any less of us if possible, and I was worried that what we're about to discuss would alter their perceptions of us.)

(I don't think they would) Ainz pointed out. (They seem fanatically loyal to us, and judging by how both Demiurge and Albedo acted yesterday, they would come up with any reasons to justify our strange behaviours. You remember that, don't you Ise?)

(Yeah, out on the walls of the Tomb) Henry remembered. (You were struggling to justify why you were dressed slightly different to Mare, and then Albedo, all on her own, told him that if you'd been in your usual attire, they and the others would have stopped in their tasks to attend to you and so you disguised your appearance in order to not distract him)

(I see…they must truly think of us as omniscient and omnipotent beings who have a reasonable explanation for all of our actions) Fengxian mused. (Still, what I want to bring up might even break that perception so I'd rather not run the risk. But first, can we all agree that they all seem to be faithfully following the settings each of the others gave them?)

(I believe we can) Ainz answered. (After all, I was the one who altered Albedo's settings to have her be helplessly in love with Henry and to see me as a father figure, and look how that's playing out!) Henry couldn't help but blush a little. (Also, Cocytus looks up to you as his 'sensei', which I believe is what Takemikazuchi added to his settings before he left)

(And since one of Touch Me's last setting changes to Sebas was to have him serve me with all his being and guard my ideals and beliefs which, judging by his behaviour so far, he seems to be doing, I believe we are unanimous on this) Henry confirmed. (Though it doesn't explain why Solution, Lupusregina and Narberal have feelings for me as well)

(Actually, there is a reason for that…) Both Henry and Fengxian looked over at Ainz with raised eyebrows. (HeroHero, Mekongawa and Nishikienrai were egged on by Bukubukuchagama to alter their settings too so that each of the maids would have a crush on you, but they made me promise to keep it a secret until YGGDRASIL shut down. But since we're here now…) Ainz left his confession hanging, waiting on his friends' reactions.

It was only his own emotional suppressor that prevented Fengxian from laughing out loud at this revelation whilst Henry's blush deepened. (Of course Bukubukuchagama was responsible for this…) He sighed, loud enough for the others to hear. (Still, I guess it worked out for the best). Henry then turned his gaze back to Fengxian. (Was that all you wanted to talk to us about?)

(Not by half, and what I'm about to say is why I wanted to keep this conversation private) Fengxian replied, and judging by his tone this was going to be a very serious topic. (I've been noticing it mostly with myself, but I've also seen signs of it happening in the two of you too. I'm not going to sugar-coat this for either of you but…I believe how we set up our avatars is already starting to influence our behaviours and how we're coming across.)

(Are you saying…we're going to be slowly influenced and eventually act more and more like the in-game personas that we set up for ourselves?) Henry asked.

(And when you said you've been noticing the signs already…can you explain further?) Ainz added.

(I'm not sure, Ise, but I'm just theorising it as a possible consequence and something to be aware of in case it does come to pass,) Fengxian proceeded to explain (And sure thing, Suzi. The first, and most obvious, sign is how inured the three of us were when we killed our first human each. If we'd done that as humans we'd most likely have thrown up or something, but instead we behaved as if it were natural. Following me so far?) Both Ainz and Henry nodded. (As for individual signs…I've noticeably felt much colder and withdrawn, which is the opposite of my real-life behaviour and was why I left you both so suddenly in the Throne Room the other day. And when I was fighting those soldiers proclaiming they were acting on behalf of their gods…that really got under my skin and made me despise them when normally I would have just brushed it off, which is a reflection of my character's backstory as a Nephilim, one of the fallen angels cast down from the heavens. Does that make sense?)

(It does…that also explains why you were so brutal when battling both the soldiers and the Sunlight Scripture…) Ainz mused. (And what have you noticed about myself and Ise?)

(First of all, the way you addressed Nigun was downright cold and scary, just like you set up your character to be) Fengxian pointed out. (Then there was the time earlier today when you wanted to hear mine and Ise's arguments for saving that village. Ise and I both know you really well, Suzi…if you'd still been your human self, you'd have been joining us in arguing to save them and perhaps even ordered us to do that without asking for our opinion. Why do you think that was the case?)

(I…) Ainz was hesitant to answer at first, but since Fengxian seemed to have it figured out it was best not to keep the truth from him. That, if anything, also helped convince the former Suzuki Satoru that his friend was bang on the money. It seemed that Kiyoshi, or was it more Fengxian now, had inherited his avatar's analytical and tactical mind. (I couldn't understand why, but initially, I was reluctant to go to their aid in case it put the Tomb in danger and that in the grand scheme of things…their lives didn't matter.)

Henry/Ise's first instinct was to rage at his father figure/friend as to why he'd think that way, but he managed to rein himself back as he remembered this was what Fengxian was trying to make them aware of.

(That would make sense) Fengxian nodded solemnly. (After all, you set up Momonga, or Ainz I should say, as a cold and unfeeling undead Overlord with little love for humanity or other mortal races, hence why you were initially so hesitant to aid them. Thankfully, it appears you, I and Ise still have some of our humanity for now, otherwise you'd have never let us talk you around into saving those people. And even when we did, your main focus wasn't to save the humans, but instead to safeguard the guild and the former NPCs of Nazarick and gather information that could help in that endeavour which is another trait you set your character up with from the start)

Judging by the ensuing silence from the skeletal Overlord he was thinking long and hard over the Nephilim's words, which in turn prompted Henry to speak up. (And what about me, Ki? How am I changing and how did you notice it?)

(Well, Ise, for one you would have never had the guts to approach Albedo, Solution, Narberal or Lupusregina in the human world, no offence) Fengxian quickly clarified (You were just very shy and reserved back in our original world. And since you designed your character's personality to be the epitome of everything you admired about the great royals, conquerors, rulers and warriors of the ancient and modern European dynasties you love so much with traits such as charisma, majesty, a forceful will, diligence and confidence, those are bleeding into your personality too. You're already starting to carry yourself as a true royal would but instead of sneering at those beneath you, you instead show them compassion and help, just like Touch Me always advised you to)

Henry was silent for a moment as he reflected inwardly on his friend's words and compared them to how he'd been acting during the past two days, and found that it lined up as exactly as Fengxian/Kiyoshi had said. (Yeah…thinking about it, I can already see how I'm changing along those lines) He admitted. (And then you add in the fact that I'm also a Dragonoid which also will change my personality a little depending on which traits I inherit…)

(Not just any dragon, but a fire dragon based on your school of magic) Fengxian added. (If I remember rightly, fire dragons are hard workers, ambitious, wise, proud and full of energy but can also be blunt, straight to the point and do not take being insulted well at all. Judging by how you've been acting so far, I think what you wrote for yourself and the pre-set dragon behaviours will blend quite well. If anything, your changes will be unique as they'll make you, no offence, a much better person than you were before whereas myself and Suzi may end up becoming worse due to the darker aspects of our chosen races. I also think the karma levels we set ourselves will play into that)

(If I remember correctly, mine is set to -500, Ise's at +500 and yours is at -100) Ainz summarised, trepidation creeping into his tone. (Which means…)

(…that you and I could become a lot darker and crueller if we're not careful, exactly) Fengxian said before looking over at Henry. (You're going to have to be the counter to that, Ise. Since you are by far and away the one with the most positive karma in the whole of Nazarick, it'll be up to you to keep most of the people here, including myself and Suzi, from going too overboard with our levels of cruelty, but at the same time not do it in such a way to make some of those with bad karma suspicious enough to start questioning your motives. I know it's a massive responsibility, but I know if anyone would be up to it, it'd be you. I trust you, and I'm sure Suzi does as well, to keep us on the straight and narrow.)

(You can bet on our brotherhood that I will, Ki!) Ise replied with complete determination (I understand more than anyone that sometimes a firm hand is needed for a good ruler, and that many of my heroes have had to unleash measures of harshness and even cruelty towards their enemies and at times their own people. But I'm not going to let my brothers go down a dark path and end up in the same realms of wanton cruelty as the despots in our world that dared to claim the same mantle of majesty and autocracy as my idols, and much less like those zealot scum that dared to claim that they were doing their so-called gods work in their massacring and abuse of innocents! We will stand and face this world the same as we always did with any challenges IN YGGDRASIL: Together!)

Both Fengxian and Ainz were momentarily taken aback by their zealousness of their friend's determination, but at the same time, they hadn't really expected any less from him. (Thank you, Ise…I speak for myself and Ki when I say we'll be counting on you to keep us in check when we're struggling to do so on our own) Ainz said. Again, if he could smile, he'd be wearing the biggest one possible. (Anything else on your mind, Ki?)

(Just one more thing, but before I go on, I want to thank you as well, Ise, for what you'll be doing for us) Fengxian said before moving on to his last point. (I also wanted to talk about everyone else's negative views on humanity, specifically the Guardians and the Pleiades. I gave it a bit of thought, and I think the reason they feel so strongly about it is that, as creations of the guild members of Ainz Ooal Gown, also formerly known as Nine's Own Goal back in the day, they inherited the belief in the original cause that caused the guild to form in the first place: to counter the anti-human discrimination that was rampant among the player base, along with the no-human characters rule)

(That…actually makes perfect sense) Ainz reasoned after both he and Henry had given it some thought. (Since they already inherited all the traits and beliefs programmed into them by their creators, it's only natural they'd also inherit the beliefs written in the rules of the guild itself. But that will also make it harder for them to let go of such views since I imagine it will be very deeply ingrained within them.)

(We still ought to do our best to curb the worst traits of their hatred though, since it'd be wrong of us if we just stood back and allowed our former species to suffer through the worst of hells simply because we're no longer one ourselves) Henry pointed out. (Besides, think about what would have happened if we'd come into this world as our normal human selves…we'd have been slaughtered straight away without being able to say anything. And if we end up making alliances or friends with several of the humans in this world, as we've just proved with Gazef, the last thing we'd want to happen would be for them to come into the Tomb and then be killed straight away just because they're human.)

Each individual's points helped put the situation into perspective for the other two, and so it was unanimously agreed between them that, whilst they wouldn't go out and purposefully try and change the perspective of the rest of the Tomb's denizens regarding humanity, they'd still try to get them to see it from other points of view should the topic ever come up naturally in a conversation. This would be especially the case for those in Nazarick with the greater negative karma such as Albedo, Demiurge, Shalltear, Solution and Narberal, which in turn made it advantageous that Henry was currently in a relationship with three of them since they wouldn't want to disappoint or anger him by going against his wishes.

Once that was agreed upon, along with a time in the next few days to organise a planning session to allow for all the information they'd collected to be organised and translated, or in the case of the prisoners to allow time for Neuronist to squeeze all the intel out of them that she possibly could, the three dispersed in order to relax and unwind from the past day's exploits

~TNT~

"Wow…just…wow…what a day…" Henry thought to himself as he dragged himself along the 9th floor towards his private chambers. When he, Ainz and Fengxian had gone to save the human village, he would never have suspected events would proceed as they'd done, but between discovering the perpetrators behind the attack, meeting Gazef, dealing with the Sunlight Scripture, being rewarded with all the information from Gazef and the villagers and then Ainz's monumental announcement in the Throne Room, it was safe to say things around them were going to be a lot more interesting from now on for not just them but for Nazarick as a whole.

As to how they'd be approaching it? That would be decided between himself and the others in the next few days once they had established the needed facts. Between that and the responsibilities he now had in the Tomb as its de-facto second-in-command, he was going to be even busier than he'd ever imagined, and yet he couldn't imagine trading it in for anything. He was existing in an environment he'd helped create alongside two of his best friends, possessed all the magic, strength and knowledge he could have ever wished for and was surrounded, accepted and loved by four of the women of his dreams. And whilst he would miss those he'd cherished back in his own world such as his family, he wouldn't miss the hellhole it had become in the end.

But before all the hard work began, his bed was calling to him. Whilst it was true that he, along with Fengxian and Ainz, didn't need to sleep in their new bodies, it was a good way for him to recover all of the stamina and magic he'd expended during the fight in the village. And right now, a kip, preferably alongside the beauties he'd claimed as his own, sounded like the ideal place to be right now.

"If they aren't there already, I'll call them here once I'm all settled down…" He thought to himself as he pushed open the door to his room. But the sight he witnessed upon entering the room put paid to those thoughts straight away: All four of his ladies were perched on his bed waiting for him, scantily clad and watching him lustfully as he pushed the door closed and walked over to them in an almost dazed-like state.

"Welcome back, my love…we've been waiting for you…" Albedo pretty much purred.

"I-I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, my dears," He stammered back, completely tongue-tied by the visions of perfection that were getting to their feet and approaching him. "F-Father, F-Fengxian and I were just…" Whatever he'd been about to say was cut off as in one smooth, rehearsed motion all four of them dropped whatever they had been wearing and stood in front of him completely naked.

"We understand, my darling…" Solution murmured as she knelt down and started removing the armour covering his legs and feet. "And we wouldn't dream of interrupting the important business that you and the other Supreme Beings were talking about, which is why we made sure to ready ourselves for you in the meantime…"

"After the great feats you all accomplished today, it is only right that you are amply rewarded for it in a manner befitting of the Crown Prince of Nazarick and Lord Ainz's chosen heir," Lupusregina almost growled as she and Narberal got to work removing the upper portions of his armour. "So tonight, all four of us will be yours to do with as you wish…" The way she whispered it in his ear was enough to make Henry unbelievably hard, his heart rate skyrocketing as the ladies continued to touch him all over as they worked.

"W-We will all do our best to serve at your pleasure, my lord," Narberal almost stammered. "In return, w-we hope that you will allow us to show you how much we each love and desire you…" A faint red tinge could be seen adorning her cheeks which only glowed brighter as Henry placed a finger over her lips to stop her stammering.

"You and the others could never disappoint me, Narberal dear…" He murmured in a tone so kind and loving that she almost melted into a puddle of goo on the spot as he raised his voice for all of them to hear. "And trust me when I say that I cannot wait to physically show you all the desire I have carried for you all ever since I first laid eyes on you, and in so doing claim you all as mine and mine alone…"

This was all that Lupusregina needed to hear, causing her to pounce on top of Henry and kiss him hungrily as soon as all his armour had been removed. In return, he wrapped his powerful arms around her and pulled her close to him as he kissed him back with all the affection he felt for her, and as they attacked the inside of each other's mouths with their tongues, they collapsed backwards onto the bed with Lupusregina on top.

This seemed to suit Solution just fine if her wicked grin was anything to go by, and as the two feral lovebirds thrashed back and forth in the throes of their passionate making-out session, she allowed her tongue to change into one, long slimy appendage as she crawled over to where the lower half of Henry's body was currently flailing around and bent down in the direction of his now completely erect manhood. Seeing where Solution was going and guessing what she was about to do, Albedo couldn't help but grin in expectation as she took a still-blushing Narberal's hand and led her over to the other side of the bed where they would start pleasuring themselves as they awaited their turn to be claimed by their beloved Crown Prince.

Upon beholding the glorious sight of her beloved's shaft at full attention, Solution shuddered in delight and expectation as she lowered her mouth down upon it.

Even though he was currently preoccupied with Lupusregina's almost feral-like ministrations, Henry couldn't help but gasp and shudder in delight as he felt something slimy yet heavenly wrap around his erect manhood, and as he managed to break away from the kiss for one moment, he was able to see exactly what Solution was doing to him. This sight, along with the animalistic glint in his beloved werewolf's eyes as she eagerly awaited for him to resume, was enough to fully send Henry into euphoria, and as he eagerly pushed his tongue back into Lupusregina's awaiting mouth, there was only one thought on his mind. "OH KAMI! I AM IN HEAVEN RIGHT NOW!"

~TNT~

It just so happened that as Henry was experiencing sensations a lot of young human men would have given an arm and a leg for, Demiurge and Cocytus were walking down the 9th-floor corridor on the way back to their respective floors, eagerly discussing the changes that had occurred and speculating what that could mean for the future of Nazarick. But as they passed by the Heir's quarters, whatever discussions they were having ceased when they heard the sound of passioned screams and moaning coming from within their Crown Prince's quarters.

Cocytus' first instinct upon hearing one of the Supreme Beings supposedly screaming in pain was to burst in and slay whoever might be bringing harm upon them. "Our. Crown. Prince. Is. In. Trouble! We. Must. Save. Him!" He yelled, drawing his weapon.

"Wait, Cocytus! Don't be so hasty! Allow me to investigate first." Demiurge cautioned, placing a hand on the Vermin Lord's shoulder before pressing his head against the door, listening intently. Sure enough, he soon heard the screams and cries of Overseer Albedo and the three Pleiades maids who had been claimed by their Prince for his own and grinned widely as he realised what is going on. "Oh, what a glorious day this continues to be! Not only are we prepared to make our mark on this world, but our future is also being secured!"

Cocytus' whole form trembled in excitement as he replaced the sword he'd been poised to draw. "Our. Future? You. Mean….?"

"Yes, Cocytus!" Demiurge declared happily. "Not only will we have our heir, but we will have a full brood of them! Soon the Great Tomb of Nazarick will be filled with little Princes and Princesses for us to pledge ourselves to!"

"YES! I. WILL. BE. UNCLE. COCYTUS!" The insectoid Guardian cheered happily.

"Cocytus? Demiurge? What's going on?" Both Guardians turned around to find Aura walking towards them with Mare trailing nervously in her wake.

"Oh…Aura, Mare…we have just been celebrating today's momentous events and the greatness of our Supreme Beings and Cocytus got a bit excited…nothing to be overly concerned about…" Demiurge tried to deflect. Even though it didn't matter to him whether Aura or Mare found out about just what their Crown Prince was getting up to, he remembered Lady Bukubukuchagama threatening most of the other Supreme Beings with castration should they ever try to corrupt her creations' innocence.

"I know right?! All three of the Supreme Beings were amazing back there!" Aura exclaimed, her face glowing with pride. "I can't wait to see what they do next! Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be great! Don't you think so too, bro?"

"Y-yeah, whatever you say, sis," Mare stammered in agreement. His ears then suddenly twitched as he picked up on some of the sounds coming from Henry's bedroom. "U-um…is everything okay with L-lord Trajan? I hear screaming…is he in pain?"

"Pain? Is our Lord Trajan in danger? Whatever it is, I will not let him suffer for one moment longer!" Aura declared.

"There is no need for that, Aura…our Crown Prince isn't in danger. In fact…" Demiurge was trying his best to think of a way to explain what was going on to the twins without besmirching their innocence when Cocytus suddenly stepped forward and grabbed both of them under two of his arms.

"What are you doing, Cocytus?! Put us down! What's going on in there?!" Aura demanded as both she and her brother struggled in Cocytus' firm grip.

"You. Do. Not. Want. To. Know. What. Is. Going. On. In. There," Cocytus told them firmly as he started down the hallway again. "We. Will. Tell. You. When. You. Are. Older!"

"That's not fair! Why can't we know-?"

"WHEN. YOU. ARE. OLDER!" Cocytus repeated firmly as he disappeared around the corner, both Dark Elf twins secured firmly in his arms.

"Thank goodness for Cocytus' quick thinking…I imagine he learnt that from our Grand Marshal's esteemed tutelage," Demiurge thought to himself with a sigh of relief as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Given that Guardian Albedo and Ladies Solution, Lupusregina and Narberal may soon end up becoming pregnant, it would be prudent to ensure they have the necessary clothing and accessories so that they may safely give birth to our glorious future heirs. I will need some assistance and advice from those more qualified…" He raised a hand to his temple and used the Message spell to contact the person he was after. (Miss Fiore, I require your services at your earliest convenience)

(Of course, Lord Demiurge. How may I be of assistance?) The Homunculus maid replied straight away.

Ulbert's creation was about to reply when he realised this task might require more than the pair of them. (I would like for you to contact Rias, Koneko, Akeno, Grayfia and Serafall and bring them, along with yourself, to the Guest Quarters on the 9th floor. We have a great deal to do and their opinions would be of great help to our task.)

(As you command, Lord Demiurge. I shall tell them and we shall come with all haste!) came the enthusiastic maid's reply, causing Demiurge to grin wickedly. Yes, such exuberance and eagerness to be of assistance would be crucial for what they were about to do. With an added spring in his normally elegant and sophisticated stride, the demonic Guardian rounded the corner where his fellows had earlier departed now deep in thought.

Not long after Demiurge had left the area, Fengxian too strolled down the corridor as he too contemplated what the future had in store for them, and much like the others had done he too paused by the door to Henry's quarters. However, unlike the others, Fengxian quickly recognised the sounds coming from within and felt a mixture of both amusement and discomfort run through him at what he was hearing.

"Well at least he's fucking happy, but do they really have to be so loud?" The Nephilim thought to himself in exasperation as he used his Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown to instantly teleport to his abode on the Fifth Floor, but not before shooting off a Message to Ainz warning him not to disturb Henry for the rest of the night lest he be traumatized for days. As for Fengxian, he'd need to spend the next few hours in deep meditation just to stop the less-than-pure images of what his friend was up to from plaguing his mind.

As to be expected, the next morning all five of Henry, Albedo, Solution, Lupusregina and Narberal were wearing matching goofy grins or dreamy expressions. Those who understood what this meant either smirked or teased them about it mercilessly, whilst those who didn't were left in utter confusion. After all, none of them could ever think of a time when either Solution or Narberal smiled so happily as it was rare of them to even crack a smile in the first place!

~TNT~

The following scenes all take place in the week between the events of the first battle of Carne Village and the departure of Ainz and his companions to E-Rantel disguised as adventurers and were created by either myself or my co-author

Scene 1 – Demiurge traumatizes Fengxian (created by daniel)

After catching up with Henry in the Crown Prince's quarters to discuss how they have been coping with all that has happened in the New World so far, Fengxian is making his way towards the teleport gate on the 9th floor when he suddenly hears a commotion from the Guest Quarters. Curious, albeit slightly wary since they weren't hosting any guests at the moment, Fengxian pushes open the door to the room and finds Demiurge talking with six of the Homunculus maids: Fiore, Rias, Koneko, Akeno, Grayfia and Serafall. In the far corner of the room, there were several odd mishappen objects covered in thick, white sheets.

As she listened to what Demiurge had to say, Serafall was the first to notice Fengxian's entrance and immediately bowed low in his presence, swiftly followed by the rest of the Homunculus maids and Demiurge as they too noticed the Supreme Being's entry. "Welcome, Lord Fengxian. How may we be of service?" The maids chorused as one.

"Marshal Fengxian, it is so fortunate that you have arrived," Demiurge said with a smile as he stood upright once more. "I was about to humbly request your presence to seek your advice."

"A good general always makes time to help those under his command, so it is no trouble at all," Fengxian told them with a casual wave of his hand. "How can I help you all?"

"My lord is so gracious to be so considerate of us, the lowliest of his servants!" Demiurge gushed as the maids all stammered their own thanks. Demiurge then shoved his glasses back up his nose before continuing. "Truthfully, I am relieved you have come, Grand Marshal. There is a matter of the utmost importance that has to do with our glorious Crown Prince, Lord Henry."

"Eh?" If there'd been something bothering Henry, his friend surely would have told him earlier. Something about this didn't add up so far, so he decided to just go along with it. "Do you believe something or someone is causing our Crown Prince distress?" He asked with a slight hint of worry.

"Oh no, my Lord. We believe everything is well with both our beloved Crown Prince and the esteemed ladies who share his bed. It is in another matter entirely in which we believe we could be of assistance to our Heir, and since you and he are such close friends, we believed your opinion on this could be of great help." Demiurge then motioned to the maids. "My dears, if you would be so kind as to show our Grand Marshal…"

With a prompt nod, all six of the maids walked over in formation and one by one removed the white sheets covering the objects in the corner which, to Fengxian's utter incredulity, turned out to be row upon row of erotic outfits such as playboy bunny suits, cat girl outfits, bloomers, lingerie, school girl uniforms, nightgowns, school swimsuits, idol outfits, bikinis and more hanging upon several coat-rails. Of everything his tactical mind could possibly have conceived of, this was the last thing in the world he'd expected and thus he was momentarily stunned. After a few seconds, he was able to regather his bearings as he turned to look at Demiurge who appeared to be majorly satisfied with himself. "Demiurge…" he asked slowly, trying his best not to sound completely befuddled. "What are all of these?"

"Why, the necessary equipment to fasten the production of our future heirs, of course!" Demiurge replied proudly.

The Guardian's reply only aggravated the Nephilim's confusion. "What the heck is he trying to imply?!" He screamed into his head as he did his best to maintain his composure externally. "Please, elaborate further," he said, indicating the rows of outfits.

"With pleasure, Grand Marshal!" Demiurge exclaimed. "Naturally I couldn't be more ecstatic that our Crown Prince is taking his duty so seriously, and from what I have been able to ascertain so far, Overseer Albedo, Solution, Lupusregina and Narberal are all doing an impeccable job of meeting his expectations, as is expected from them! In light of the initial success of their unions, I have been thinking of how I can be of use to help expedite the process, and after recalling all the conversations our Crown Prince had with Lord Peroroncino regarding his preferences, I asked the ladies here to help produce all of these outfits for Crown Prince's harem to wear!"

"And we were delighted to be of assistance in this endeavour!" The maids all chorused once more.

Fengxian was incredibly fortunate at this moment to be wearing his helmet, for his expression was currently one of utter disbelief and incredulity as he continued to try and keep his composure. "I knew Demiurge was a calculating individual who has plans for all eventualities, but I didn't think this would be one of them! On top of that, they are being deadly serious about this!"

"Is everything alright, Lord Fengxian?" Rias asked worriedly upon seeing his hesitation.

"If we have erred in this endeavour, please let us know so that we may correct it with all haste!" Fiore added.

"Oh Kami…they really do want my opinion on this! If it'd been my old human mind, I'd have been thinking of ways and means to tease Henry about this to kingdom come, but right now all I'm feeling is embarrassment and a sudden need to GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" "No, ladies, you have not erred at all," he found himself replying. "In fact, I believe you and Demiurge have outperformed all of our expectations. I am certain our Crown Prince and his harem with greatly appreciate what you have done for them."

"Your thanks are wasted on us, Lord Fengxian," Demiurge replied with a deep bow, a gesture copied immediately by the six maids. "All of us here simply do what we must to provide the Tomb with countless Heirs who will help lead us into our glorious future!" He then turned to the maids. "Have these taken to Lord Henry's quarters, and be sure to inform both him and the Harem of these developments!"

"Yes, Lord Demiurge!" The maids all exclaimed joyfully as they rushed to do exactly that. So swept up were they in this task that neither they nor Demiurge noticed Fengxian abruptly teleport out of there whilst making a mental note to keep away from the 9th Floor as much as possible for the next couple of nights…

~TNT~

Scene 2 – Fengxian's unique skill (created by myself)

As he did a thorough check through the list of skills and magic that he possessed, just in case he had missed anything important and so that he commit them all to memory the next time he was outside the Tomb, the Nephilim warlord came across a tooltip for a skill that had seemingly avoided his attention up until now. To be fair, his previous scrollings through his list of abilities had been brief in order to remind himself of his more immediate techniques that would be useful in a fight, but now that he was examining them all fully, he was coming across several he had no idea he possessed until now, and this was one of them. According to the tooltip, this skill was unique to him and couldn't be learned or replicated by anyone else:

Mark of Fengxian (unique skill available only to Fengxian) – Schools of magic: Darkness (primary school of magic), Branding (unique school of magic only usable by Fengxian)

Combining the two schools of magic Darkness and Branding, the wielder of this unique magic is able to, either through physical contact or the use of other applicable spells, permanently brand a target of his choosing with a unique mark that the wielder can set as they wish anywhere on the body that the wielder chooses. Once applied, this mark cannot be removed unless the wielder removes it personally or the affected target dies. This mark helps designate those who have sworn loyalty and servitude to the caster alone, with the Branding magic not only installing or cementing a sense of loyalty and obedience to the caster in the target, but also preventing the target from betraying or acting against the caster in any way should they resist the compulsion to follow the caster's lead and feelings of loyalty that the mark generates. Should the target try to act against the caster whilst wearing the mark, they will find themselves experiencing crippling physical and mental pain that will render them unable to move or act, and should they persist in their acts the mark will eventually kill them.

Fengxian made sure to read this over and over just to be sure he understood it fully, a task that was made easier seeing as the description of the text was extremely detailed, as he did so he began to consider how to best make of us of this in ways that would not be construed as dishonourable. The first, and perhaps most obvious, limitation is that he would never use it on the unwilling unless the circumstances were extenuating, followed by making sure he did not use it to give the ones who wore it any unreasonable or demeaning demands or orders that were for his own personal pleasure or gratification. With those in place, he began to ponder the situations in which it could be useful. For example, if an enemy willingly surrendered to him on the battlefield, or if a potential ally came into his fold having previously served another power, it could be a necessary fallback to ensure their loyalty was genuine and not a hoax. Thankfully it would appear that this skill would prevent false surrenders and plots as the target would either be compelled to follow him or, should they prove resistant, be crippled and eventually killed by the mark.

"Probably best to give it a test first, and I know exactly who would volunteer…" After configuring the mark to take the form of a small tattoo of the Chinese characters of his name (which came out as 奉贤), he summoned Shinozaki to attend to him immediately, and as always, the dutiful maid was prompt in answering his call.

"How may be of service, Lord Fengxian?" She replied, once again prostrating herself in his presence. After commanding her to rise and be at ease, Fengxian made sure to thoroughly explain his new skill, what it entailed and how it might affect her along with its potential consequences and asked if she would be willing to be the first to bear it in order to confirm that it functioned as described.

"If it helps you, my lord, then I will gladly assist you in this endeavour," she responded proudly. "I would consider it the greatest honour to be the first to bear your mark. After all, you created me to be the ideal servant to your cause, and if this will aid me in that charge, I will accept it eagerly."

After thanking her repeatedly for her dedication and commitment to his cause, Fengxian asked where exactly on the body she'd like it. A little to his embarrassment, she proudly stated that she wanted it over her heart to further symbolize her dedication to him. And so as she carefully parted her uniform to expose that part of her chest, Fengxian made sure to close his eyes as he reached over and touched the area above her heart. He then focused his power and visualised his skill taking its effect, as it did the two Chinese characters he'd designated for the mark became inscribed on the skin itself in a deep shade of black.

"How do you feel, Shinozaki? Any different?" He asked the Doppelganger maid once he'd removed his hand.

"I feel…complete, my lord," she breathed after taking a moment to contemplate the new feelings of loyalty and dedication to her master sweeping throughout her mind. If she thought she'd been loyal to her master, that feeling was nothing compared to what she was experiencing now. No matter what order he gave her, she would gladly see it done to the best of her ability so that she could continue to be the best possible servant to him. "However great my desire was to serve you before the mark took effect, those feelings have now increased ten-fold. Should you command it, I would willingly end my life or humiliate myself in whatever way you wish if that were your desire."

"There will be no need for that, Shinozaki," he quickly reassured her as he breathed a sigh of relief. The mark was working as described in its flavour text and looked to have no bad effects on Shinozaki, thereby cementing, if it hadn't been apparent already, that her loyalty and dedication to him were absolute and completely genuine. "Now kneel, and formally swear yourself into my service."

As his maid knelt before him, her eyes upturned and looking at him with full-bodied admiration and trust, he took one of the swords hanging in his personal quarters and held it before him as she spoke her pledge: "I, Shinozaki, do hereby dedicate myself utterly and without question to the service of my master, Grand Marshal Fengxian. I swear to be his alone to command and to serve, fight and die in his name so long as he wishes for my service."

"I, Fengxian, Grand Marshal of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, do hereby accept your oath of fealty and pledge of loyalty," he replied as he brought his sword down and tapped both of her shoulder blades one after the other. "Now arise, Shinozaki, as the first among my chosen. May your loyalty never waver and your blade arm always remain strong." As she did as he requested, Fengxian could have sworn he saw tears of gratitude shining in her eyes.

~TNT~

Scene 3 – The Best. Food. Ever! (written by daniel)

It had all started when the three Supreme Beings had been catching up with one another again. During their impromptu meeting, Henry's stomach had let out a rumble so loud that all three were sure that everyone in the Tomb heard. This was followed by Fengxian's own stomach making a small rumble of its own. That was when the three realised they hadn't eaten any food since they had become trapped in this New World.

Up to this point in their lives, none of the three could ever claim to have eaten a proper, substantial meal the likes of which they had read about and watched in their favourite manga and anime. With the situation being as dire as it was back in their old world, proper food was only restricted to the ruling class of conglomerates. The rest of the population was stuck eating the bare necessities of supplements and processed food that bore no taste and offered no nutritional value. But being in a new world, they realised this could be yet another good thing about being isekai'd.

Since Ainz didn't require food, he passed on joining Henry and Fengxian as they headed towards the Canteen on the 9th Floor. On the way there, both Supreme Beings were joined by Albedo and the rest of Henry's harem who were curious as to what their love and his friend were up to. As they entered the large Canteen, they were greeted by the sight of a large dining hall with multiple tables that possessed a great ambience where every sound made would be amplified. Along with the tables, there was also a serving area, the door to the kitchens and storage area along with a drink station where patrons could get refills. And since the majority of the maids were currently on a break between their duties, a large number of them were present alongside the Head Chef Shihoutu Tokitu, Sous-chef and the Manservants that acted as servers for any patrons.

All of their discussions ceased once they all caught sight of the two Supreme Beings, the Guardian Overseer and the Pleiades entering the room and as one they all either bowed, knelt or curtsied before them.

"Lord Constantine, Lord Fengxian, Lady Albedo, Miss Solution, Miss Lupusregina and Miss Narberal, we are honoured to be graced with your presence…Woof!" Pestonya Shortcake Wanko, the head maid of Nazarick and creation of Ankoro Mocchi Mochi, greeted them with great deference. "How may we, you humble servants, be of assistance to you today? Woof!"

"Thank you for your kind greeting, Miss Pestonya," Henry replied warmly as Fengxian merely nodded in greeting. "Myself and the Grand Marshal were thinking of celebrating the recent good news for the Tomb with a feast, and we would be honoured if you and the Chefs of Nazarick would be in charge of preparing it."

"Of course, my lords…Woof! We will be sure to prepare for you a feast worthy of the great Supreme Beings…Woof!" Pestonya replied with a delighted (or what passed for) expression before turning round and barking orders at Shihoutu and Sous-chef who, along with their assistants, proceeded to go all out in preparing the very first meal since their arrival in the New World. After all, the Supreme Beings deserved only the best quality meals and they didn't want to risk disappointing them.

A short while later, Henry and Fengxian found themselves tucking into an enormous spread of food that appeared to have been cooked and served to perfection and which included plates and bowls of burgers, Miso soup, Steaks, Corn, Mashed potatoes, chicken, peas, Ramen, Yakitori, Fried Rice, Onigiri, Udon noodles, Smoked fishes, Beef wellingtons, Shepard pies, fish and chips, curries and more. Given that some of the food was too large to fit through the gap in his helmet, Fengxian elected to take it off and lay it aside. This elicited delighted squeals and cries of joy as the maids and other beings considered it one of the highest honours to be able to gaze on the (in their mind) glorious visage of their mighty Grand Marshal.

After a lifetime of bland foods and corporate mandatory protein shakes, the two Supreme Beings were convinced that the food they were eating was the food of the Gods themselves. Never in their life had they ever tasted something so delicious. With Henry's harem and the rest of the maids watching on with bated breath, both of them scarfed down the food at a rapid pace with Fengxian trying his best to eat with proper manners and courtesy. Henry, however, didn't feel the need for such graces and instead tore, belched and burped his way unashamedly through the plates and bowls of food before him.

But as he slurped his way through another bowl of Miso ramen, Henry suddenly became acutely aware that only he and Fengxian were feeling any modicum of joy at this present moment, and as he looked up from his bowl, he noticed that all of the members of his harem were wearing expressions of great concern, whilst the maids, butlers and chefs were all trembling nervously as though they'd committed a great wrong. Fengxian also became aware of this a split-second later, putting down the half-eaten steak that he was currently gorging his way through.

"What's the matter, everyone?" Henry asked after taking a moment to swallow the mouthful of noodles he'd currently been eating.

"My Crown Prince…forgive me but…you appear to be crying…" Albedo's reply caused Henry to bring a hand to his face. She was right. Tears had been streaming down his face ever since he'd started eating and he hadn't noticed it until now.

"Is there something the matter with your food, Lord Constantine? Woof!" Pestonya asked nervously.

"D-did we do anything to offend you and Lord Fengxian, Lord Constantine?" Cixous asked. She, along with the rest of the maids and chefs who had prepared their food, were almost on the verge of tears at the thought of having disrespected their Supreme Beings. "W-was the food we prepared so repulsive that it made you cry?" At these words, they all prostrated themselves fearfully before the two Supreme Beings. "We are so sorry my lords! Please allow us another chance, and I promise we will all do our utmost to serve food that is worthy of you!"

*BAM* Everyone in the room, apart from the prostrating serving staff, Henry and Fengxian, jumped a foot in the air at the sudden slamming that had occurred before freezing in terror at the sight of all four of Henry's ladies wearing murderous expressions as they slammed their hands angrily down on the table. It was only thanks to the efforts of the serving staff that food did not fly everywhere.

"You…you second-rate cooks dare serve my love and our Grand Marshal substandard food, and then have the temerity to beg for forgiveness?!" Albedo roared, causing those not already on their knees to cower in terror at the Grand Overseer's rage.

"HOW DARE YOU SERVE ANYTHING BUT PERFECTION TO OUR GLORIOUS SUPREME BEINGS?!" Lupusregina bellowed.

"THIS IS AN INSULT OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE, AND MUST BE PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY!" The normally stoic Narberal seethed.

"I will gladly devour all of you for this disrespect!" Solution snarled, teeth and tongue bared.

Thankfully, before all of the staff could suffer the wrath of the four angry ladies, Fengxian took control of the situation. "ENOUGH!" He roared, getting to his feet and glaring at the four of them as he let his aura flare. "CEASE YOUR CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR IMMEDIATELY! Such acts are unbecoming of the chosen of our Crown Prince!"

"B-but my lord Fengxian!" Albedo objected as she, Solution, Lupusregina and Narberal all quailed before the Nephilim's anger. "These ungrateful fools dared serve you and our beloved Crown Prince substandard food!"

"Enough, Albedo! That isn't true at all!" By now Henry was also on his feet and staring down not only his ladies but also the rest of the serving staff who were all looking at him and Fengxian with a mixture of fear and faint hope. "The reason I was crying was because what we've been served today…" and as he spoke, he indicated the mountain of food before them "…was the best food I've ever had in my life!"

Everyone froze at Henry's declaration, allowing Fengxian to further de-escalate the tense situation. "Our Crown Prince speaks the truth," he spoke calmly. "The food we've eaten here today is truly exceptional, as expected of the talented cooks and chefs of Nazarick. You should all be proud of the skill and service you have shown us, and I, along with the Crown Prince and Lord Ainz himself, will continue to expect great things from all of you."

The words of both the Crown Prince and Grand Marshal were enough to change the atmosphere from fear to one of great joy as the cooks, serving staff and butlers all beamed happily from the praise being showered upon them. To be complimented on their lowly skills by the Supreme Beings themselves…there was no greater honour than that.

"As expected of the cooks of Nazarick, of course." Now that they could see that their beloved was happy instead of sad, Albedo and the rest of Henry's harem visibly relaxed.

"Lord Constantine and Lord Fengxian deserve only the best, and they delivered," Solution supported her harem-sister.

"Never doubted them for a moment!" Lupusregina added.

"Being part of the Great Tomb, it is only natural that delivered such excellence," Narberal concluded. Meanwhile, the maids, chefs and butlers were all cheering and dancing with joy that they had not only met the expectations of the Crown Prince and Grand Marshal but had also surpassed them! Amid this joyous atmosphere, they each silently swore to give all of themselves and more in order to fulfil these heightened expectations. And whilst this all took place around them, Henry and Fengxian shared a look of satisfaction with one another as they retook their seats and resumed their meals.

If this was the sort of turnaround that their new life was going to give them from now on, then who knows what other exciting sensations and occasions that they'd been denied in their old world awaited them!

~TNT~

The most important events that took place in that week were the comprehensive strategy meetings conducted by the three Supreme Beings themselves where they poured over, deciphered and broke down all of the information that had not only been provided to them by Gazef and the elder of Carne Village but also that which had been squeezed out of their captives from the Theocracy by Neuronist Painkill during the course of their 'vacation'. Whilst some of those among Nazarick, including Henry himself and Sebas, had been initially uncomfortable with the idea of using torture, drugs and other concoctions to extract information from unwilling subjects, they had grudgingly accepted the logic of Ainz and Fengxian that the information recovered would be of great help in not only protecting the Tomb but to also find out more about the Theocracy itself, which at this moment was designated as the greatest threat to the Tomb's security after their assault on Carne Village.

Before they could go through this information, however, the three Supreme Beings had been forced to slowly get to grips with the language of the New World, one of the most basic skills you must have before you ventured deeper into an isekai. Even though they had initially feared this would be a daunting task given that a lot of languages had their own grammatical rules relating to tenses and the different forms of words when it came to who was being addressed at the time (etc. 'I', 'you', 'we', 'they' and so on), the task had suddenly become a lot easier a day or two into it when they had discovered a unique tool in the Nazarick library: a language cipher that had been the brainchild of Tabula, Garnet and Yamaiko and could, when applied to book or set text, decipher the rules of a new language and lay it out in an easily learnable format that would reduce the time it took to learn the new language in question. With the aid of this cipher, along with the books that the elder had given to learn from, all three of them became well-versed in the language of the New World in the space of a few days. Whilst they might never be fluent in speaking it, they would from this point on be able to comfortably read and understand most of the written language. From that point on, the cipher would only be used to translate difficult words and hard-to-understand phrases.

Now fully armed with the knowledge of the New World's language, Ainz, Henry and Fengxian spent many hours, sometimes even days, pouring over not only the map given to them but also the various scrolls and parchments they had been provided at the same time. They also made sure that all of this information, along with the oral information Gazef and the elder had provided them along with all they had learnt from their prisoners, was quickly and efficiently transcribed and organised by those among the Homunculus maids who had the talent for it: Fith for Ainz, Increment for Henry and Lumière for Fengxian. By the end of it all, they had sufficient information on not only the three main human nations surrounding them (The Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharuth Empire and the Slane Theocracy) but also one or two little crumbs of information on the minor nations and territories within them and further afield such as the Lizardmen village to their immediate north-west, the Dwarven Kingdom in the Azerlisia Mountains to the north, the Roble Holy Kingdom located to the south-west of Re-Estize, the Argland Council State far to the north-west, the Draconic Kingdom and the Elf Country.

"It would appear that the location of the Great Tomb is both advantageous and disadvantageous, being pretty much smack-bang in the middle of the three human nations" Ainz surmised on the last day. "Since they are pretty much right on our doorstep, I suggest we focus on finding out more about them first and the threats they possess before moving on to the nations that are further afield. How does that sound to you both?"

Henry nodded his agreement, but Fengxian had one more thing to add as he pointed to a small part of the map closest to the Tomb. "What about the Liazrdmen village on the Great Lake? We don't know much about them which we probably ought to change given that they are, apart from Carne Village, our most immediate neighbours?"

"From what Knight-Captain Gazef told us, they have remained neutral and peaceful as long as the humans can remember," Henry pointed out. "I think as long as we don't disturb them, they won't trouble us, but as Fengxian suggested we ought to scout them out anyway just in case."

"Long-range reconnaissance is CZ's speciality, she'd be ideal for the job," Ainz noted before waving a hand at Fith. "Create a list for the assignments we'll be giving and add CZ's name along with the Lizardmen tribes to the top." As Fith proceeded to do exactly that, Ainz turned his attention back to the others. "Before we start deciding on and handing out more assignments, let's review what we have so far on the three human nations. Why don't you start us off with Re-Estize, Henry?"

"Sure thing, Father," Henry replied as he picked up the sheaves of parchment they had collated. "Usually simply referred to as 'The Kingdom', the nation of Re-Estize was founded following the defeat of the Evil Deities over two hundred years ago and is located west of the Azerlisia Mountains, north-west of our position here in the Great Tomb, possessing an estimated population of nine million people. Though one of the three major human nations in this part of the world, the Kingdom is by far the weakest as it suffers from constant political disorder due to differences between what are knowns as the 'Royalty' and 'Nobility' factions, virtually dividing the country in two."

"Did the Knight-Captain say anything about this 'dispute'?" Fengxian asked.

"He did," Henry replied, skimming through a few more pages until he found what he was looking for. "According to Gazef, the Kingdom has been plagued by inept nobles, aka the Nobility Faction, who have viewed commoners as mere pawns in their power plays ever since its founding. By the time the current king, Ramposa III, had come to power, the Kingdom had already suffered greatly from political corruption due to the mistakes of some of the previous kings. Ramposa has tried his best to reform the Kingdom, but given his advanced age and reluctance to abdicate the throne to either of his sons, his ability to exercise his authority has deteriorated and thus the nobles have gotten more say in political, social and economic matters, which has resulted in the government splitting between the royals and the nobles."

"Did Gazef give any reasons for the King being unwilling to abdicate?" Ainz was curious to know.

"He fears that either of his two sons, Crown Prince Barbro or Second Prince Zanac, will become a puppet of the nobility, plus both of them desire the throne for themselves which has led to a bitter rivalry between the two," Henry answered. "There is also the matter of the King's third child, Princess Renner. According to Gazef, she is an absolute genius and has done her best to push through political and structural reforms throughout the Kingdom but her ideas are shot down at every turn by the nobles who feared any changes she made could threaten their power. And given how popular she is with the civilians of the Kingdom, she is being constantly cultivated for support by both of her brothers in their bids for the throne."

"In summarisation, a once-great Kingdom on the brink of collapse due to political corruption and the infighting of its heirs and nobles…" Ainz murmured. "A situation that we could potentially exploit to our own advantage one day, especially if we show support to the endeavours of this Princess. Fengxian…what do we have so far on the Slane Theocracy?"

The towering Nephilim couldn't help but shudder in revulsion as he picked up the few notes they had. "From what we've been able to gather from the prisoners, the foundation and doctrine of the Slane Theocracy revolve around the Six Great Gods who apparently appeared six hundred years ago. As a result, the country itself is divided into six different religious sects, each with its own specialized intelligence agency focusing on one expertise they're skilfully good at and controlled by one of the six Cardinals that make up the ruling body of the Theocracy. But despite being split into these different factions, the groups will still cooperate when necessary during times of crisis as they all acknowledge the threat of demons and other races in the world."

"Do we know the identity of these supposed 'Six Great Gods?'" Ainz asked.

"Yes," Fengxian stated bluntly as he pulled out another sheaf of parchment. "They are as follows: Alah Alaf, the 'God of Life', Surshana, the 'God of Death', Kikotenshin Nekonyan, the 'God of Wind', Zhurong, the 'God of Fire', Fontus, the 'God of Water' and Volos, the 'God of Earth'. They each have their own sects within the Theocracy which can be identified by each group's colour."

"I'm guessing each of these so-called 'intelligence agencies' are the Scriptures we heard about during our time in Carne Village?" Henry offered.

"Right in one," Fengxian nodded to his friend. "Along with the Sunlight Scripture whom we ran into at Carne Village, there are also the Windflower, Clearwater, Holocaust, Ashendust and Black Scriptures. As I stated before, each of them has their own field of expertise which causes a load of problems for the surrounding nations, but from what we gathered from Gazef and the prisoners, the general consensus was that the Black Scripture, specialising in black ops, are the worst of the lot. And from what I gathered from the prisoners, the Black Scripture is currently deployed in the area around E-Rantel not far from here for some unknown purpose."

"That observation spell we disrupted before killing Nigun…do you reckon that could have been the Black Scripture since Nigun wondered why his own countrymen were spying on him?" Ainz asked.

"Given the power behind the spell, I'd assume so. We'll need to come up with a plan for dealing with them should they choose to interfere," Fengxian commented as he shuffled through their remaining notes on the Theocracy. "The only other point to note about the Theocracy that we were able to squeeze out of the prisoners is that it promotes the discrimination of non-humans and the supremacy of humanity, causing their citizens to view those with non-human ancestry living in their country as second-class citizens. Despite this, they once had a friendly relationship with the Elf Country. However, this came to an end when the Elf King abducted and impregnated the ace of the Theocracy's Black Scripture. Fortunately for the Theocracy, however, they managed to rescue the mother and child, and interestingly enough it's rumoured among many both within and without the Theocracy that the child has grown up to become the nation's strongest 'God-kin', which is a term the Theocracy uses to associate those who are descended from the Six Great Gods themselves."

"How ironic if those rumours are true…a non-human child being the strongest warrior of a human-centric nation full of religious zealots," Henry scoffed. "Do we know anything about this 'God-kin'?

"Only their name, Antilene Heran Fouche, and that she holds the Extra Seat in the Theocracy's Black Scripture. Everything else is classified apparently, but it could be worth looking into given the chance," Fengxian noted. "To summarise, the Theocracy, as Henry so politely described, is a powerful nation ruled by human-centric zealots who rely on their Scriptures to do their dirty work for them. Given what we currently know, I'd estimate them as our most dangerous potential enemy and recommend great caution going up against them." Both Henry and Ainz nodded their agreement with their friend's reasoning. "I think that just leaves the Bahruth Empire…Ainz?"

"We don't have much information on the Baharuth Empire apart from the one or two bits Gazef told us," Ainz stated as he flicked through the small stack of parchment next to him. "All we do know is that the Empire is located east of the Azerlisia Mountains, northeast of our position here and was one of the nations founded after the defeat of the Evil Deities over 200 years ago. It also used to be a feudal state like Re-Estize until the current Emperor established an absolute monarchy by purging much of the nobility. Finally, it currently has a population of nearly eight million people and the emperor's name is Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, also known as the 'Bloody Emperor'."

"Snappy name and title…do we know much about him?" Fengxian commented dryly.

"Only that he got the title of the 'Bloody' from his ruthless purge of the kingdom's nobles…aside from that, all we have is rumour and gossip from our current sources who note him as a smart and charismatic ruler focused on building a great empire that will stand the test of time," Ainz added. "Aside from that…the only other thing to note is that the Empire and the Kingdom engage in a yearly conflict as part of Jircniv's ambition to conquer the Kingdom for his own. These yearly skirmishes have slowly weakened the Kingdom over the past few years, and Gazef reckons it'll only be another couple of years until the Empire can swoop in and conquer it with minimal losses."

"A situation we'll need to keep an eye on for sure," Henry mused before pointing to the three main kingdoms and the Lizardmen Village. "For now, I vote these all be our primary concern and that we deal with the other nations if and when the need arises."

"Agreed, but I'll take it a step further than that," Fengxian added as he indicated the Re-Estize Kingdom. "As our primary neighbours, and having already interacted with them, we should probably work on getting as much information on them as we can first. If what Henry said is true, the unsteady political situation there may be something we can either exploit or control depending on what we learn or should a situation arise. As for the others…" He pointed at the Baharuth Empire. "I suggest reconnaissance…send a spy in and get more details on their culture, military strength, political situation and so on. Once we know more about them, we can carry on from there. And as for this lot…" He then indicated the Slane Theocracy. "These will be our main problem going forward, given their views against non-humans and especially if this rumoured Black Scripture is operating nearby. We may need to deal with them as a matter of urgency."

"You said they might be operating around E-Rantel, correct?" Ainz asked, pointing at the town located not far from Carne Village. "That actually brings us nicely around to the next idea I had in mind. According to Gazef, E-Rantel is considered to be the nexus of traffic and trade between each of the three human nations we've just mentioned, as well as a place where many mercenaries and adventurers are located along with a higher-than-normal concentration of herbalists. This presents us with a unique opportunity to learn a lot more about this world whilst at the same time creating a positive name for ourselves…"

"Whilst the general thrust of that idea is a good one, Father, I doubt we'll be able to just walk into E-Rantel, save it and then demand information as we did in Carne." Henry pointed out.

"Indeed, my son, which is why I'll go in posing as a new adventurer in town using my Perfect Warrior disguise," Ainz told him. "Since adventurers are common in that part of the world, it'll allow me to quietly make a name for myself whilst at the same time giving me opportunities to fish for more information discreetly."

Fengxian and Henry looked at each other for a moment before nodding in agreement. Any sort of positive reputation, even if done through a false identity, would be good for them going forward. In addition, the time it would take to establish a formidable reputation as adventurers would be ideal when combined with their other objectives that would take a similar or longer amount of time. "I think that's a great suggestion, Father," Henry spoke up once more. "If you don't mind, I would like to accompany you on this task. I'm also eager to discover more about this world and the sorts of people living in it."

Ainz considered his request for a moment before nodding. "If that's what you wish, then I'd be delighted to have you accompany me…although you may need to find a different suit of armour and weapon in order to avoid being recognised," he advised. "I was also planning to take Narberal with us since she can easily pass for a human in addition to being powerful enough to assist with any potential threats."

"Good idea, but why don't we round that up to a company of four so that both of us each have a 'travelling companion'?" Henry suggested.

"I don't see the harm in that… whom did you have in mind?" Ainz asked.

"Given how we want to get the other Guardians to see humans in a better light, I was thinking Albedo…is that agreeable?"

"So long as you can keep her current human-hating tendencies in check, I don't see an issue with that," Ainz nodded. Though he wouldn't be expecting much from both Narberal and Albedo if they were forced to interact with multiple humans daily, at least he and Henry would be around to keep them under control. "As with yourself, you'll need to make sure she wears a different attire so as not to draw attention to herself."

"Ainz, Henry, Albedo and Narberal posing as adventurers in E-Rantel…" Fengxian muttered as he noted that down on the assignments sheet he'd taken off of Fith. "We'll also need someone to keep an eye on Carne Village in case the Theocracy or the Empire gets ideas to attack it again, preferably someone who can pass as a human so as not to scare the villagers."

"Lupusregina can handle that…her cheery disposition will put the villagers at ease," Henry suggested.

"I was going to suggest either her or Solution so that works…" Fengxian muttered as he noted her name down. "As for reconnaissance in and around the Empire, we can leave that in Shinozaki's hands. Her ability to change her face and blend in with all sorts of crowds makes her ideal for that task."

"Agreed," Ainz stated before pointing back at the Re-Estize Kingdom. "And in addition to what I, Henry and the others will be getting up to, I want to form another team to be able to blend in with the nobility and royal factions of the capital, gather information and form connections with as many influential people as possible whilst remaining incognito. Any ideas who among us would be capable of that?"

Both Fengxian and Henry gave it some thought until the Crown Prince had a brainwave. "Sebas has the demeanour of a dignified butler and gentleman. He could play the part of an elderly servant or escort to a rich and beautiful, albeit spoiled, lady," he suggested. "As for who could play the part of Sebas' accomplice…process of elimination leaves Solution as the only remaining maid with a human-like appearance."

"They can do some investigating into Martial Arts users at the same time since I doubt Gazef is the only one who can use such skills," Fengxian noted as he wrote down their names, recalling some of the abilities he'd seen Gazef use during his skirmish with the Sunlight Scripture. "That leaves dealing with the Black Scripture around the outskirts of E-Rantel, and if you two don't mind I have a proposition for how to lure them out."

"What do you have in mind?" Ainz asked.

Fengxian pointed to a small section of hills and forests not far from E-Rantel that Gazef had mentioned was the lair of some bandits. "Here's what I am proposing regarding our overall plan so far. We'll dispatch Shinozaki and Lupusregina straight after we've finished up, and then tomorrow Ainz, Henry, Narberal and Albedo, in their adventurer disguises, will begin their mission in E-Rantel. Once you are settled there, perhaps after a day or two, Solution and Sebas can also start their mission. We'll have them travel in style as befitting Solution's part of a noble lady, and I and somebody else will pose as their guards. Once they get to this area here…" He tapped again on the map where the bandit lairs were located "…I'll split off with whoever plays the part of their travelling companion, and they can create such a ruckus and display of power amongst the bandit camps that will be sure to attract the interest of the Black Scripture. Once the bait has been set, they and I can go about luring the Scripture into the forest for a perfect ambush where we can wipe them out. The only question remaining is…who do we use as the bait?"

It only took a moment of thought before one name came to all three of their minds. "Shalltear," they all said at once, causing them all to chuckle at how in sync they seemed to be.

"She is the strongest of the Floor Guardians, so she should be more than a match for anything the bandits and Black Scripture have up their sleeve," Ainz reckoned.

"It will also be good for her to get some field experience whilst also seeing what she's capable of," Henry added. "It's also a smart move to have you there, Fengxian, just in case she needs to be reined in. Whilst we can all attest to her power, we also need to ensure that her power doesn't make her arrogant, reckless and impulsive. If she loses herself to her bloodlust out there…"

"If she does and I need to get her under control, it will allow us to teach her a valuable lesson about the meaning of restraint," Fengxian spoke up as he noted his and Shalltear's names down. "Either way it will be a win-win for us, as I'm positive that between myself and Shalltear, we can handle anything they throw at us."

"Whilst we're all absent, I'll have Demiurge and Pandora's Actor handle the day-to-day running of the Tomb, and they'll have Mare and the remaining Pleiades on hand to assist them," Ainz surmised. "Cocytus will be in charge of security for as long as Fengxian is away, and I'll have Aura scout the terrain around Carne and E-Rantel just in case there are any more surprises. Anything else either of you two want to add before we finish?"

Henry shook his head, but Fengxian had one more thing on his mind. "I was just thinking…we've established we still have all the World Class Items we hoarded before YGGDRASIL shut down, correct?" The other two nodded as he continued. "That being the case, it's not outside the realm of possibility that WCI's we didn't account for could exist in this world too, and depending on what they are and who they belong to we'll need to take extra precautions since, for all we know, there could be beings or forces on the same level as or even more powerful than us out there."

"You have a point there…until we know more, we ought to play it safe…" Henry mused. "What did you have in mind?"

"I suggest that if a Guardian is leaving the Tomb on an assignment, they take one of the WCI's we have at the moment as a precaution should they run into trouble. I would suggest each of the Pleiades take one as well, but we don't have enough at the moment to spread around. How does that sound?" Ainz and Henry both agreed to this measure and, once they'd hammered down the finer details of all the assignments they'd made, they got to work on informing the others of their roles as well as preparing for each of their individual assignments.

The time had come for those in the Great Tomb to start making their mark on the outside world!

WOW! That certainly went on longer than I expected, especially with the planning scene at the end there! But I hope you all enjoyed it! Again, my apologies for it not being up to my usual quality of work, but like I said earlier this heat we're experiencing does take quite a toll on my motivation and brain. I know it's not the best of excuses but it is what it is.

(daniel: This was fun as always guys! Hope you all enjoyed it! And get ready because next time shall be the birth of the greatest adventurer team the New World has ever known!)

As usual I'll take a few days off, probably including the weekend, before we delve back into the main story. As you can no doubt guess, the Adventurer's Arc is about to begin, as we alluded to in this chapter, the focus will shift to Ainz and Henry, along with Narberal and Albedo, as they take centre stage for the next chapter or two. But Fengxian will have his time to shine afterwards so have no fear! Until then, all that's left to say is, on behalf of myself and my co-author daniel, thank you all so much for reading and for all the love that's been shown to this story so far, and we'll see you all again in the next chapter of the Nazarick Triumvirate!