Momonga mentally cursed as he exited the chief's home.

What do I do now?

Momonga considered the meeting with the village chief to be long but informative. And it was eye-opening, to say the least.

Right now, he was still digesting the information dump the chief gave him. Had he not been undead, he would have long since zoned out, but now he was too focused to not pay attention.

First off, when the chief questioned their origins, Momonga simply gave him a similar version of what he gave the leader of the knights. He stated that they lived in a distant part of the world before they teleported, and the chief accepted it. After being informed of Momonga's spellcasting abilities, Chief Johan was all too willing to curry favor with the high-level spellcaster.

After that, Momonga inquired about the land. In response, Johan pulled out his map of the region which showcased the Empire and its neighboring countries. The chief began to explain the background of each country and a brief history for each of them.

Although Momonga prepared himself for the inevitable, he was still surprised when he didn't recognize any of the names he heard.

Initially, he thought that this world would follow the theme of YGGDRASIL since he could use YGGDRASIL's magic here and the people seemed to know it as well. And yet, none of the names he heard were related to YGGDRASIL, and none of them seemed to refer to any of the history or mythologies Tabula Smaragdina loved gushing about.

Externally, he maintained the image of calm.

Deep inside, Momonga felt his world spin from the mental impact. The revelation shook him to his core.

Despite it, he pressed on and inquired about everything he wanted to learn while he still had the chance: their culture, economy, religion, society, and technology, among other things.

Momonga could tell the village chief did his best to hide his agitation and stress.

He sighed.

It's a completely new and different world. What am I supposed to do here?

This question lingered in his mind more than any other.

The first thought to surface, overshadowing all others, was whether or not the Great Tomb of Nazarick was here, along with the NPCs he and his friends had created. Shortly after, Momonga looked up and gazed at the scenery before him—blue skies and a vast, green landscape. The prospect of exploring this seemingly endless world took root in his mind, and the idea excited him.

He had always loved exploring the unknown—discovering hidden locations and acquiring rare, unique items. It was what made YGGDRASIL better than any other game in his eyes.
Six Great Gods. Eight Greed Kings.

The fact that the hints about other players being here were at least a century old, with no one else coming close, gave him some peace of mind.

Momonga immediately shook his head.

No, I mustn't think like that. The fact that I'm here now might mean there could be others too.

Letting his guard down meant giving others a chance to PK him. He didn't know how death worked in this world, but the fact that potential previous players were no longer alive spoke volumes about the possibility.

Death could be permanent. The thought sent shivers down his spine—or was it just his imagination?

Even if resurrection were possible, he wasn't sure if the undead could even be resurrected in the first place. Sure, it worked in the game, but this was no longer a game.
Momonga glanced at his gloved hand gripping the staff. He could easily imagine the skeletal hand beneath it. Despite being undead now, he somehow still felt "alive." It both weirded him out and confused the hell out of him.

Still, there was the question of where to start exploring.

He considered the neighboring kingdoms and the local geography he had just learned about.

First, there were the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire, two countries situated on opposite sides of a mountain range.

Their relations were poor, and they often fought battles at the borders. If the number of troops involved was high enough, both sides would agree to fight in a place called the Katze Plains, a land said to be cursed by the undead from all the deaths that occurred there.

I should visit it in the future, see what I find.

East of the Empire, the Karsanas City-State Alliance, though not an official ally of the Empire, was a vital trading partner. One key detail about it was that they accepted people of most races.

Momonga considered it a good place to flee to if things turned sour with the Empire.

He then turned his thoughts further south, toward the Slane Theocracy. It enjoyed its position as the strongest in the region, and its people called themselves the "protectors of humanity."

Whether they were demihuman, heteromorph, or any other race outside of humanity, this nation considered them enemies of mankind. Even elves weren't exempt from their prejudice, given the current war with them.

This was definitely the last place he wanted to visit at the moment.

Last but not least, the most interesting nation for Momonga was the Draconic Kingdom. Not because of what it was about or what was inside it, but because of what was currently happening to it.

Armies of demihuman beastmen had recently invaded it, and according to rumors, they intended to stay.

I am currently lacking a lot of things, most of all information. Helping an entire nation fend off invaders should provide me with plenty of benefits. However...

Momonga planned to visit the Empire's capital, Arwintar, first to see if there was anything of interest to him there. The Ministry of Magic certainly piqued his curiosity. He couldn't help but feel excited at the mere concept of a school for magic.

Though I may not be able to learn new spells or gain new skills, learning how much this world knows about tier magic and anything else will certainly help in dealing with potential enemies here.

The Overlord nodded to himself, recognizing this key point. After all, information was vital to staying alive and achieving decisive victories.

However, before pursuing his own desires, he needed to repay the chief in exchange for the information he had received. Specifically, he was tasked with investigating the sudden deaths of their villagers and knights and helping to eliminate the threat behind them. Not a small ask, Momonga thought, but ultimately worth it, given how ignorant they had been before.

It's like taking on a quest, and this is simply the first of many. At least it's not a gathering or escort quest. I should speak with Pandora's Actor first and bring him up to speed with the information. He shouldn't be far—hm?

Momonga blinked a few times, unsure of what he was seeing.

There in front of him was Pandora's Actor, with knights sitting in a semi-circle around him, listening attentively as if gathered around a campfire, listening to stories.

"And then Father sent bolts of lightning raining down from the heavens, and lo and behold—he smote half of them to ash!"

The knights exclaimed, their voices filled with excitement.

Father?! And is that the Lieutenant with them?

"What remained of the beastmen quickly folded as Father's friends made short work of them. Their leader, however, refused to die so easily and attempted to throw a Spear of Immolation at Father—a magical item that burns its target from the inside!"

The knights leaned in anticipation.

"But alas, it was all in vain. Father caught the spear with his bare hands!"

Pandora's Actor acted it out as if catching an illusory spear. The knights shouted in surprise and cheer, with some even applauding. The story itself was familiar to Momonga. Stopping the spear was simply a well-timed use of [Body of Effulgent Aquamarine].

Is he—is he telling them stories? Stories I've told him before? How did this even happen? What did he do?!

The Overlord's already disturbed emotional state heightened before settling, clearing his thoughts.

This is good... right? At least they didn't fight or laugh at him. Pandora's Actor is improving already!

He saw that as a positive sign, at least.

Pandora's Actor suddenly stood up with gusto, striking an exaggerated pose as he pointed his hand forward, as if someone were standing there.

"Then Father raised his hand, pointed at the beastman leader and... snapped his fingers."

Pandora's Actor snapped his fingers and then looked down at the knights, pausing dramatically for a few seconds before continuing.

"The beastman fell over, dead."

Uwah!

"H-how?!"

One of the knights asked, and Pandora aggressively pointed at him, causing the knight to flinch.

"That—"

"—is a secret."

Momonga quickly intervened before Pandora's Actor could continue. He wasn't sure if it was because Pandora's Actor was about to reveal one of his specialties or simply because he didn't want to keep watching his display.

Pandora's Actor looked behind him before exclaiming, arms spread wide.

"Oh! Father, you've returned!"

Didn't I tell you to call me "Momon"?

"Umu. Yes, I'm back. Hey, Pandor, come here for a minute. I need to speak with you alone."

Without waiting for a response, Momonga quickly grabbed Pandora's Actor by the pauldron again and forcefully dragged him away. Once they were far enough from any eavesdroppers, Momonga activated a cash item that prevented anyone from spying on their conversation.

The Overlord looked at his creation, who stood there in anticipation, clearly unaware of what he had done wrong.

Is it even worth scolding him about it now? The information's already out there, and I'd hate for rumors to spread that I'm a bad parent who forces his child to be formal with him.

Momonga sighed.

"Is something wrong, Father?"

"Umu. No, nothing's wrong. First, I'll share what I learned from the chief, and then I'll explain what we'll be doing afterward. Listen carefully."

"Yes, Father!"

After he finished speaking, Momonga paused for a while—not to catch his breath, of course; he was undead. He paused to process the situation and to give Pandora's Actor time to think.

When he believed enough time was given, he continued.

"With all that said, our first quest—umu, our first order of business is to repay the chief by investigating the mysterious deaths that happened around the village. Do you have any information or ideas on what caused it, or who's behind it?"

"Understood, Father! Regarding what caused the deaths or who might be behind them, I overheard some knights passing by as I was sharing my stories. They mentioned feeling a sudden chill out of nowhere, which disappeared as quickly as it came. After the chill faded, both knights and villagers simply collapsed all at once. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I deeply apologize for not having more to offer you! I have no excuses!"

Pandora's Actor bowed low, with barely a hint of exaggeration this time.

Eh!?

Momonga was shocked by the sudden action. He placed a hand on his creation—his son's shoulder.

I guess I'll have to get used to calling him that, won't I?

"Pandora's Actor, please raise your head; you have done nothing wrong. What you have given me is more than enough for now. I was merely curious since you were with the Lieutenant."

Pandora's Actor lifted his gaze.

"In fact, your initiative to network with them may prove useful to us. I want you to continue doing so while we investigate the bodies of those who died. Try to subtly gather whatever information you can from the Lieutenant and his soldiers, particularly about their military. They may become our enemies in the future."

"Yes, Father!"

Pandora's Actor straightened his body as his right arm abruptly rose with it, only to freeze midway with a twitch before lowering again. Momonga decided not to comment on it.

"Umu. Now, I believe it is time for us to return. The Lieutenant should be able to point us to where the bodies are."

"Yes!"

Momonga discovered that the Lieutenant was no longer where he had last seen him when he took Pandora's Actor. One of the soldiers offered to escort them, and Momonga agreed. Fortunately, the Lieutenant was exactly where the bodies were located.

As they approached, the knight officer quickly noticed them and began walking over.

Shit, what was his name again? Fin? Ugh, I'll just call him Lieutenant.

"Lord Momon, Lord Pandor. What brings you here? Did you need something?"

"Umu. Yes, we do. Did the village chief not inform you?"

"Chief Johan? What did he say?"

"Umu. Yes. In exchange for providing us with the information we needed, the chief asked a favor from me. He requested my help in investigating the cause of the sudden deaths that your knights and his villagers suffered."

"Really? Huh. Very well, then. Follow me."

The building was, as the Lieutenant explained, an unused granary that they had temporarily commissioned to store the bodies before burial, as the knights and villagers were still digging graves for their respective people. Two knights guarded the door while Momonga noticed two more stationed on one side of the building.

There wasn't much inside except for the bodies covered in cloth. A table occupied one corner, surrounded by chairs. A knight and two villagers were reviewing scrolls and writing on them. Two pairs of knights were stationed at opposite corners, engaged in conversation. All of them stood at attention when the Lieutenant entered, but he simply waved them off, allowing them to return to their tasks. Most of them chose to stare at the two who accompanied the Lieutenant.

Momonga found it curious that eight bodies were covered in dark gray cloth on one side, while the rest were draped in plain white cloth.

"As you can see, we've separated the knights from the villagers: eight knights and about forty villagers, all dead with no signs indicating the cause. We would greatly appreciate your help in shedding some light on the matter."

"Umu. May I?"

Momonga gestured at the bodies and the Lieutenant nodded. Pandora's Actor remained with the officer.

"Lieutenant Fynn, may I ask some questions?"

"What is it, Lord Pandor?"

Ah, Lieutenant Fynn. My guess was close enough. Don't forget again.

Momonga drowned out their conversation as he lowered himself to one knee and removed the cloth from one of the dead knights. Surprisingly, it was a woman with short brown hair. Fortunately, she still had clothes on.

Momonga had seen plenty of dead bodies before, back in his world—men, women, young, and old. By the time YGGDRASIL ended, he had likely seen thousands of bodies on his way to work and back over the years. This was also not the first time he had looked closely at a corpse. Now that he was undead, he truly felt nothing as he examined the body.

He studied her carefully, noting every detail. As mentioned earlier, there was nothing to indicate the cause of her death.

Momonga heard metallic footsteps.

"Her name was— is Hana. She was our friend."

Two of the knights on guard duty had approached him. Momonga spied the Lieutenant doing nothing about it, still engaged in conversation with Pandora's Actor.

Did they come to tell me to stop looking at her? I should probably move to another body.

"I'm sure she was a good and exemplary knight."

Momonga covered her up with the cloth once more and moved on to examine another body. It was a man this time, with a round face and a bit of chubbiness, yet he still looked muscular enough.

Deciding that merely looking wouldn't reveal any answers, he cast a spell.

"[Detect Magic]. Hm?"

Something pinged back, but Momonga couldn't identify what it was. There were definitely traces of magic on the body, but they were subtle and distinct from his own, like a separate system of magic. At least, that was how it felt.

"[Detect Enchant]. [Detect Life]. [Detect Undead]."

Definitely dead, and definitely not undead. Yet, [Detect Enchant] informed me that whatever had killed these people was something similar to my necromancy instant death spells.

[Detect Magic] and [Detect Enchant] were similar yet distinct information spells. [Detect Magic] was used to detect magical traps or items hidden within the user's vicinity, or simply to locate anything imbued with magic. [Detect Enchant] delved a little deeper, as it detects and analyzes the type of magic upon which the spell is cast.

Normally, [Detect Enchant] was only used during combat to see which buffs or debuffs were applied to a player, NPC, or monster. However, in this world where magic was intertwined with reality, it demonstrated greater utility outside of combat, as no one could investigate corpses in the game.

Imagine the possibilities—what other spells might have evolved since coming to this world?

Momonga's emotions were suddenly suppressed when his excitement surged a bit too high.

He turned his attention back to the corpse.

So, to summarize, what killed these people was magical in nature. It could have been either a long-range area-of-effect necromancy spell or an instant death spell—or perhaps both. Momonga felt like he was still missing some important pieces to the puzzle.

"Did you find something, mage?"

One of the knights asked, clearly noticing his reaction to his own spells.

Something to consider—the fact that this isn't a video game anymore might suggest that my in-game and real-life instincts and reactions have melded together. This means I need to be more aware of myself from now on.

Lieutenant Fynn, who had clearly heard the knight, almost barked at him.

"Show some respect to Lord Momon, Knight Fletchley!"

"Apologies, Sir! Apologies, Lord Momon."

"Umu. It's fine. Knight Fletchley is clearly out of the loop since he's been here since we arrived. There is nothing to forgive."

Momonga stood back up.

"And to answer your question: yes, I did find something."

"What is it?"

Lieutenant Fynn inquired eagerly, anxious to hear about his findings.

"Before that, I have a few questions, if you don't mind, Lieutenant Fynn."

"Ask away."

"Are undead a recurring or present threat in the Empire? How widespread are the teachings of necromancy in these lands? And is this the first time something like this has occurred?"

"No, undead are neither a recurring nor a present threat in the Empire. The closest they come are the undead found in the Katze Plains. As for necromancy, practitioners are often hunted down and killed due to the nature of their practices, as the Temple of the Four Great Gods considers it objectively evil and believes it needs to be purged from existence. As for the last question, this is certainly the first time something like this has happened."

"Umu. I see."

The Temple of the Four Great Gods, huh? Not the Six Great Gods? Is there maybe a schism or something? That kind of thing tends to happen often in religions.

"Why only in the Katze Plains? What makes that land so unique?"

The Lieutenant scratched his head.

"I'm not an expert, so I can only share what I've been told and what I've heard from others. Basically, anything related to the undead has to do with something they call negative energy, which is like the opposite of positive energy or life energy. I'm not entirely sure about the details. Every time someone dies, the circumstances of their death—how they die, why they die, and how they are treated afterward—determine whether they release negative energy or not. It's why priests pray over the dead and follow specific burial practices to honor the dead and pacify any negative energy. Katze Plains is unique because of the sheer number of people who died there, many of whom were not given proper burials. Necromancers also use this negative energy to strengthen their own powers. That's about all I know on the topic."

"Umu. I see. Thank you for sharing."

Eh? Negative energy? It existed in YGGDRASIL, but it had specific effects and limitations. It was never like this. In that case, do necromancy spells also generate negative energy when they kill someone? And if so, does that create some kind of feedback loop that boosts necromancy even further? I know I'm essentially roleplaying as an Overlord of Death, but do I really want to commit mass murder just to gain more power?

"It's nothing, Lord Momon. I simply thought that such information would be common knowledge for someone of your stature."

Shit, think! Think! Maybe sprinkle in some truth?

"Unfortunately, it's not. The mages in my land usually dismiss necromancy as something trivial and not worth investigating, so knowledge like this has never been uncovered."

"Oh, I suppose that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Indeed. And getting back to the main topic, do you have any way to detect this negative energy?"

"Of course, and the temple priest in the village has already ruled out necromancy as a likely cause because there are no undead present."

Isn't that a bit hasty? However, it's possible their understanding of necromancy is limited to the undead. They may not be aware that necromancy can also produce other effects, such as instant death.

"Umu. I see. Thank you."

Considering the amount of information Momonga had just gathered, he could conclude that taking on this quest had been a net positive for him, not to mention the insights Pandora's Actor may have gathered during his own conversation. Additionally, it had helped narrow down his hypotheses regarding the investigation, but it was still not enough to be definitive.

It looks like it's some sort of long-range, area-of-effect instant death spell, which may or may not involve necromancy. Considering the victims, it seems like the selection was random too. But what's the purpose behind it? Why would someone go through the trouble of committing mass murder like this? And why this village in particular? Were they being used as sacrifices, or was it just mindless killing? Was it even a spell in the first place? What if it turned out to be some kind of natural disaster? Ugh, I'm still missing a few more pieces, and I'm definitely not smart enough for this. Maybe Pandora's Actor can figure it out better than I can.

Just then, before Momonga could ask for his son's input, a knight burst through the door and practically shouted at the officer.

"Lieutenant, urgent message from Central Headquarters!"

A scroll adorned with a peculiar ribbon pattern and a unique wax seal was handed to the Lieutenant.

"Let me see."

Lieutenant Fynn examined the scroll carefully, checking its authenticity before retreating to a corner to read it in privacy. When he returned, he headed straight for Momonga.

"Lord Momon, it seems that our troubles are not as unique as they seemed. Throughout the Empire, similar deaths have been reported in every city, town, and village. There are even news reports from outside the Empire. Regardless, Central HQ is demanding any information or explanation as soon as possible, and you mentioned that you found something."

It's not just the village? What kind of spell or magic could cause something like this? The closest thing I can attribute it to is a World-class Item, and that's definitely something I need to find out. If it's a spell or some new magic, I need to know if it's something I can learn, and if not, whether it poses a threat to me.

"Indeed, your answers and this revelation have helped narrow down the possibilities. However, it's challenging to explain properly. We might be dealing with a potential countrywide spell that randomly kills people for some unknown purpose. The Empire might not even be the primary or sole target."

Lieutenant Fynn grimaced at Momonga's hypothesis.

"What tier would such a spell fall under?"

Super-tier, at the very least.

"It's probably beyond the 5th or 6th tier."

The officer turned pale at that and visibly gulped.

"Lord Momon, would you be interested in visiting Arwintar? I believe you could explain the situation better in person than I can through a message. Please help us in our time of need!"

Lieutenant Fynn bowed his head low, and his fellow knights followed suit, including the messenger, who didn't know what was going on.

Hmm... There could be plenty of benefits if I accept, but the risks are equally high.

Momonga looked around and met Pandora's Actor's expectant gaze—at the phantom images of his past guildmates. It reminded him of when his friends would look to him to resolve their issues or make decisions for everyone.

My friends may not be here with me anymore, but it feels like I can still hear their voices. Touch Me...

Just then, Momonga recalled something.

—Saving someone in trouble is common sense.

If it weren't for those words, he wouldn't be here.

Momonga sighed softly before smiling, his decision made. He now had no choice but to help them.

I will repay that debt... to Touch Me and to all my friends.

"Pandor, make preparations. We are leaving for Arwintar."

AN: Hello again after how many years. I am back. I've been busy with academic and personal affairs but everything's good now. I will only focus on Parental Guidance for now because I lost my files on Immortal Sage and will need to rewrite it. I can only post one chapter per month for now, but I will try my best to post more than one per month.