Overlord (Light Novel)

What would a person do when faced with a challenge?

There were many methods suitable for overcoming one and this time Ainz chose to use the advantage of numbers and location.

With Aura and Mare flanking him, Ainz sat down on the throne in the audience hall prepared by the guardians, finally holding the original Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown after a long time.

The ultimate form of the absolute ruler of Nazarick and the guild leader Ainz Ooal Gown, so to speak.

Still, his victory against the opponent that would be appearing soon was not a certain thing. The opponent was the true last boss. A boss more fearsome than something like the Devourer of the Nine Worlds, Ainz thought as he gulped with his non-existent throat.

He had already gone through the simulations multiple times, but Ainz was just an ordinary person. He likely doesn’t even reach the foot of the mountain that was his opponent’s intellect.

So—

There’s nothing else to do…except leaving it all to luck!!

He was placing his hopes on his ad-lib skills. He was sure his future self would pull through.

Lumière, who had been waiting before the entrance, announced the opponent’s arrival.

“—very well. Let them enter”

“Understood, Ainz-sama.”

Everyone should have understood who the opponent was by now.

It was none other than the last boss AKA Guardian Overseer, Albedo.

The moment she noticed Ainz, Albedo switched from her usual smiling face to a serious expression.

“Please forgive me for making you wait.”

Seeing Albedo bowing deeply near the entrance, Ainz ordered her to lift her head up.

“Don’t worry about it, Albedo. I was already informed that you would be late. So you can even say that you are on time.”

When contacted through [Message] beforehand, Albedo informed him that because she was doing something in the Frozen Prison, her appearance might not be suitable for an audience. So, she requested some time to make herself presentable.

With no reason to refuse her request, Ainz designated this time (30 minutes more than what Albedo requested) to meet him here. The fact that Albedo still arrived ten minutes before the designated time was likely due to her personality. Or maybe it was just an iron-clad rule for working adults to always arrive before time.

Albedo lifted her head, walked before the throne, and kneeled.

Ainz informed her immediately.

“Albedo. I am taking a paid vacation starting right this moment”

He could make any number of excuses, but every time he did that, the conversation tended to go in weird directions. So he felt it was better to directly state his goal here. Demiurge was absent this time, so it is unlikely to lead to some strange development.

Albedo scrunched up her brows slightly while lifting her head up to look at Ainz. She then cast her gaze to the left and right of him, probably checking Aura and Mare’s reactions to those words.

Ainz continued to observe Albedo, worried about her reaction. She replied with a serious expression.

“Including Nazarick, everything in the Sorcerer Kingdom belongs to Ainz-sama.”

—what?

He couldn’t understand what she was saying at all.

No, not one bit.

How could one arrive at such a response?

What leaps of logic, what train of thought would lead one to such a conclusion?

How should Ainz respond?

He could immediately think of two replies.

“What the hell are you saying?” was one, the other was “Yes, just as you have surmised.” Of course, he would apply a coat of varnish over those words to make them sound regal.

Ainz started churning his imaginary brain matter at full power, but there wasn’t enough time. Albedo had already thrown the ball into his court, he needed to send it back as soon as possible.

“…It seems like you are misunderstanding something, Albedo. That’s not what I am trying to say.”

He decided to be honest. Would it have been better if he put on an act like he usually did?

—yeah, probably.

Anyhow, he managed to protect the image of Ainz Ooal Gown, the absolute ruler of Nazarick, for now.

…By sacrificing Suzuki Satoru’s heart.

Albedo made an expression like she realized something.

“P-please forgive me for my mistake, Ainz-sama.”

She bowed again in panic.

“No, it’s not like I am angry. You don’t need to bow.”

Only scum would enjoy having someone bow their heads for no fault of their own.

“It seems like the term ‘paid vacation’ caused a misunderstanding.”

Nazarick did not have salaries or day-offs. It stood at the pinnacle of black companies. Therefore, it was highly likely that she thought the term “paid vacation” was a metaphor for something else. You could say this was Ainz’s fault because he had yet to implement such a system in Nazarick. Of course, Ainz would want to vindicate himself by pointing at the NPCs’ obstinance and demand for more work.

The following was just Suzuki Satoru’s personal experience, but however bad a company might get, employees could usually tolerate a lot as long as their interpersonal relationships were good. On the other hand, if these relationships were bad, it wouldn’t matter how well the company might treat their employees; they tended to break down quickly.

Perhaps Nazarick was running smoothly because the interpersonal relationships between its denizens were great.

“It was a mistake on my part. Forgive me.”

Ainz lowered his head as well.

“A-Ainz-sama! Please raise your head!”

Ainz lifted his head at Albedo’s flustered words.

“…Anyhow, as we have both bowed, can I be considered forgiven?”

“There’s no need for Ainz-sama to…”

“—If there comes a day when I can’t bow to you people, then that day will be the end of me. That person will no longer be me.”

Albedo gasped with her eyes wide open and then bowed deeply.

The disturbance by Ainz’s side was likely caused by the twins’ surprise at Albedo’s reaction.

Before Ainz could ask her what the matter was, Albedo lifted her head.

“Ainz-sama said that it’s a paid vacation, but is there a plan to head somewhere with the two of them in tow?”

As expected of Albedo.

To have noticed that Ainz was planning to travel just from the phrase “paid vacation,” Albedo was quite fearsome. If it was Ainz in her shoes, he would have probably said something like, “as the two of them are here, are you planning to spend some leisure time on the Sixth Floor?”

“I am planning to head to the Elven country in the south with these two.”

“So it’s the Elven country…” Albedo pondered for a while before speaking again, “I see…”

What do you see?

Maybe she was thinking that Ainz was heading over there for diplomacy. He had to make sure.

“…don’t be hasty. I am not going there for diplomatic reasons. I just want to observe their state of affairs.”

“Understood.”

A simple reply. Ainz thought she was going to say more…

This was way scarier. He had the feeling that a critical misunderstanding was taking root.

“…So I will be going on a journey to the Elven country with these two. If there’s something urgent, contact me with [Message]. I will be back immediately…that’s all there is, alright? I don’t plan on doing anything else, okay? I really, really don’t. Understood?”

“Understood. So will you be setting out soon?”

“Y-yes, That’s right” He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but considering the Theocracy’s advances, it would be better for them if they started early. “I intend to, but Aura and Mare have to prepare right?”

“I think those two will have no issues. If Ainz-sama decided to set out this instant, then it would be natural for them to complete their preparations immediately.”

Ainz wanted to reproach her for saying such things, but the twins also concurred with her.

“Mmmmmm—”

If those two were saying that it’s not a problem then it was not Ainz’s place to object.

“—I want to be certain about something. Not just Albedo, but Aura and Mare as well. I have a question for all of you. The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick established the Sorcerer Kingdom, made the Empire its vassal, extended its control over the demihumans of the wildlands, and had just recently destroyed the Re-Estize Kingdom. You could say the size of the organization grew following the expansion of its territory. Well then— I have some apprehensions. Our organization has expanded, but do we have a corresponding expansion in personnel?”

An organization wasn’t something that would stop working just because a person or two were taking a rest.

Aura and Mare were certainly part of the top brass. If we were to consider Nazarick as a company, they would be its executives. Normal employees could let their peers substitute for them, but executives did not have that luxury. As such, it would be bad if the organization ground to a halt just because the two of them took a rest.

In that case, the plan had to be put on hold and perhaps altered.

“—I am worried about that. We might need to take some drastic measures if that’s the case.”

“I don’t think there will be any problems. And, if it came down to it, there’s always me and Demiurge. If we also have Pandora’s Actor’s cooperation, there will be no issues at all.”

“I see. As expected of Albedo. So there’s already a solution in place for my misgivings. Splendid work, worthy of being the mo- one of the most intelligent beings in the Nazarick and the holder of the title of Guardian Overseer. Absolutely brilliant. I am highly impressed.”

He praised Albedo with all his heart.

Unlike Ainz, she was diligently managing the organization. If she did not deserve such praise then no one did.

“—I am sincerely grateful for your kind words.”

Albedo regained her posture after a deep bow, but her expression was a little stiff.

Another question popped into Ainz’s head as this happened.

“It’s Aura and Mare this time…but would everything work without issues if you and Demiurge were the ones to take a vacation?”

Albedo faltered for a bit but immediately answered.

“I believe that even if we were to be absent, the others would be able to substitute for us without issues. They would do their best to meet Ainz-sama’s expectations.”

“Ummm…Albedo. It’s not about what you believe. What I want to know is whether or not they could handle it without a problem…of course, it is hard for you to express doubt about the abilities of the Floor Guardians—your comrades, and I do understand that it’s painful for you. But, can you tell me if they can do it, without your emotions getting in the way? If the answer is that they cannot, then we will have to train them and restructure the organization when we have the leeway to do it. Well…if even someone like me could foresee this, Albedo has probably already looked into it.”

“E-excuse me, Ainz-sama…sorry for interrupting…but.”

“What’s the matter, Mare”

“Eh, umm, s-sorry but, I am n-not confident about being able to do the a-amazing work that Albedo-san does…”

After a short silence, Albedo’s prickly voice echoed in the hall.

“—Is that all you have to say?”

What is this?

He didn’t feel like any of Mare’s words just now warrants Albedo’s anger. In fact, Ainz was in complete agreement with him.

“Mare!”

Mare flinched as Albedo shouted. She was seriously angry.

Before Ainz could stop her, Albedo continued. “Did I hear a Floor Guardian, an elite among elites, say that he can’t do the work that’s expected of him by a Supreme Being?”

“Albedo!—Don’t be so loud. What’s the problem with someone saying that they cannot do something when that’s the truth? In fact, it would be more of a problem if they say that they can, even when they cannot”

“Forgive me for my insolence, but let me continue.”

Despite Ainz’s reprimand, Albedo continued in an even louder voice. But, as it seemed like she was no longer directing her anger at Mare, Ainz let her continue.

“There’s no problem with someone saying that they can’t do something, but they should also suggest how they could work towards being able to do it! A Floor Guardian cannot be permitted to say that they are unable to do something a Supreme Being expected of them and end their words with that.”

Guh, Ainz groaned inside.

He couldn’t say that Albedo was wrong. What Mare said was certainly not good from that point of view.

“…Ainz-sama, I think Albedo is right. Mare should retract his words.”

Aura said coldly. Being scolded by his own sister, Mare let out some pitiable sounds.

“As a Floor Guardian—”

“Stop!” Ainz shouted angrily to stop Albedo from continuing on. Of course, it was just an act, he was not really angry. The fact that his emotional suppression did not kick in was proof of that.

Ainz released his aura along with his voice. He had just used the aura’s visual effect to take control of the conversation, not to debuff others. He chose to use it because he knew Aura, Mare, Albedo, and even Lumière were equipped with items that granted immunity against mental status effects.

He didn’t know what Albedo would have said if he let her continue. Maybe she would have gently explained it to Mare later, but as long as there was a chance that it could result in their relationship breaking down, Ainz could not stand aside.

“Mare. What Albedo said is reasonable. If you express your inability to do something you should also suggest ways to remedy it.”

“P-please forgive me.”

“Be that as it may, Albedo. Don’t you think there is a problem with a superior who forces their subordinates into doing something they are unable to?”

“…I cannot say there are no problems”

“I think both of you were at fault this time. I am glad for your loyalty, but anyone could make a mistake. You have to be gentle in correcting them the first time around so that they won’t hide their mistakes or repeat them.”

Honestly, Albedo was just too loyal and too able, so she tended to be hard on others. He thought the only reason it didn’t cause any major problems up till this point was because he rejected most of her suggestions on how to deal with others. If Albedo ever received full authority, it would probably end in wide-scale purges.

Although I think that’s a groundless fear…maybe…

“Yes. I felt like I was a bit too angry as well. Forgive me, Mare.”

“Eh, Ah, no, there’s no need. Albedo-san was right. …I was in the wrong. I am terribly sorry.”

After they bowed to each other (with Mare taking a deeper bow from the waist), this incident could be considered resolved for now.

“…So, where were we at? Ah, that’s right. As I will be heading to the Elven country for a paid vacation with these two, I want the twins to make sure that their substitutes will be in place. First of all, transfer your work to the substitutes within three days. If possible…entrust it to the Area Guardians under you instead of the Floor Guardians. If that’s not possible—”

Ainz thought it would be hard for Albedo, as it has been only a short while since the destruction of the Kingdom.

“Discuss it with Pandora’s Actor, all right?”

He got an energetic reply from them.

“So what about Ainz-sama’s retinue? Will it be Hanzos?”

That’s not a bad idea, or rather, Hanzos were just too convenient to use. To be honest, he wanted to summon more if money and data weren’t an issue. The Hanzo mercenaries’ data was used up, but there was data for other ninja-type monsters in the library still. It would be great if he could use those but—

—I would rather not use the assets in the treasury if possible, so I’ll have to bear with this until I can save up enough personal wealth. Or, should I prioritize strengthening Nazarick defenses first? I should think about this on the way to the Elven country. Aaah, I want money…Money I am free to use however I want…I wonder if there’s someone with some treasure stashed away. The kind of person who can’t complain even if I steal it.

“…Ainz-sama?”

“Hmm? …Ah, sorry. It seems like I was lost in thought for quite a while. About the retinue—”

Ainz stopped himself before saying “Hanzos will do.” It was generally said that excellent employees were all good at reading the mood. Although Ainz was a mediocre employee, perhaps he had rolled a crit just for this moment, because his intuition told him to shut his mouth for a moment.

It is because he managed to read some slightly different emotions than usual in Albedo’s tone.

“—No, I did not originally plan to take Hanzos along, but is there some work you wanted the Hanzos to do?”

“Ah, no, as you don’t plan to take Hanzos this time, it’s not my place to object to Ainz-sama’s decision…” Albedo hesitated for a bit as she tried to read Ainz’s mood from his face. “Some have been vocally complaining that the Hanzos were the only ones being called upon so much…there are a lot of people who want to work for Ainz-sama, so I wanted to ask if they could be given a chance.”

As Ainz started to contemplate it, Albedo immediately shook her hands in a fluster.

“It’s already good enough that Ainz-sama is now aware that there are people eager to serve given the chance.”

Ainz mentally facepalmed while responding with an “umu.”

Ainz—Suzuki Satoru was just an ordinary person, so he never imagined that such a problem could exist.

He was using the Hanzos a lot, for sure, but to let others have such an impression was pretty bad.

Favoritism would always exist within a company. It was natural that it would be easier for people who were liked by their superiors to be promoted even if their talent was a little inferior compared to their colleagues. That said, favoritism would cause the social relations inside the company to worsen.

That was not good. Was he not just thinking that even though Nazarick was a black company, it was somehow running smoothly because of the strength of its internal social relations?

He couldn’t say, “I will just take the Hanzos” in such a situation.

“Well, let’s just decide the retinue later—no, we should at least inform them soon. It’ll be interesting to see who I choose and how you prepare so that my choice wouldn’t matter, don’t you think?”

Ainz gave a smile, while feeling entirely different in his heart.

Albedo bowed her head with an expression that said, “I see. As expected of Ainz-sama”.

“Understood. I will immediately inform all the denizens of Nazarick.”

“Umu. I am relying on you.”

Ainz stood up and left the room with only Lumière following him. He then let out a large sigh like a salaryman who had just ended his workday.

♦ ♦ ♦

Albedo lifted her head on hearing the door close and her eyes met with the other two who had lifted their heads at the same time.

“About that, Albedo. I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

Albedo responded as she stood up.

“Although Ainz-sama said he is visiting the Elven country on paid vacation…what do you think is his goal? There’s no way he is just thinking about enjoying himself right?”

“—of course.”

“Eh? I-is that so?”

The supreme ruler of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown, was a wise king whose every single move might contain many meanings behind it. One should think there were at least three goals behind each of them.

One’s position as a king was not a thing to be taken lightly. It’s not like a coat that one could don and doff according to their mood. Even if he said that he was on vacation—even if the other countries believed it—he was still the illustrious king of the Sorcerer Kingdom at the end of the day. Each and every movement of his could be thought of as having the Sorcerer Kingdom’s agenda behind them. Any idiot could understand that.

Therefore, it stood to reason that there was another meaning hidden in his act of taking a paid vacation to the Elven country.

“Then what do you think Ainz-sama’s goal is?”

“As he mentioned, improving the organization was probably a part of it, but collecting intel is probably the main goal.” Albedo said as she pondered. “I think Demiurge could probably give a better answer…the Theocracy should be deploying a large-scale offensive against the Elven country right about now.”

“Y-you mean that T-theocracy?”

Information regarding the Theocracy was circulated around Nazarick, so there was no need to explain the fundamentals.

“Yes. After finding out that their hypothetical enemy, the Sorcerer Kingdom, has entered into conflict with the Kingdom, they would naturally try to finish their war with the Elves once and for all.”

“Because it would be bad to fight on two fronts, right?”

“That’s right. Although the Theocracy is not at war with us right now, considering the future situation, it’s best not to divide their forces between the northern and the southern fronts. In that case, it’s highly likely that they are moving out a large force to attack the Elven country. It’s hard to think they will have peace talks at this point, but I am not sure.”

For Albedo, it was not a problem if the Elven country was destroyed by the Theocracy. On the contrary, it was even better for them if the Theocracy enslaved the Elves so that they could gain the great Casus Belli to liberate the Elves. That could increase the amount of options they had against the Theocracy, but it seems like their Master thought differently of the situation. Perhaps he was going there because he wanted to gain more information before making a decision.

Demiurge would have probably answered with certainty if he was here.

Albedo had a leg up over Demiurge when it came to internal affairs, but she had to concede to him on military issues. She had always lost to Demiurge in that subject. While this thought formed in her head, she tilted her head wondering why Demiurge was so silent regarding this matter.

Is Demiurge making moves while keeping it a secret from us? Is he planning something by collecting intel on the situation within the Elven country secretly? I don’t think that’s the case but…

As Demiurge often worked outside of Nazarick, he received more discretionary powers compared to the other Floor Guardians. Or rather, it was more accurate to say that the other guardians didn’t use their privileges as much. That said, he always described the information collected and his actions in very detailed reports (which always ended up being hefty and a bother to read) to their master, which passed through her. That was why Albedo believed that he couldn’t be up to something without her noticing it since she didn’t receive any reports regarding the Elven country.

Considering Demiurge’s personality, it’s unlikely that he was hiding things. He probably just didn’t get around to doing it yet.

However, the truth was she couldn’t be completely sure about it.

She should probably go and meet him immediately after leaving this place. No—she should summon him over. She shouldn’t have the talk in his domain, but if she had her subordinates wait at their side during their talk, it was likely that Demiurge would try to sound out her intentions.

But if he was to bring his devils along…no, would he even take such short-sighted actions? Is he doubting me? He hasn’t made a move yet so the problem is—

“A-are we going to fight the Theocracy?”

“Eh? Ah, yes, about that. We don’t know if it will happen. Maybe even Ainz-sama isn’t sure and that’s why he is using a paid vacation as an excuse.”

Albedo quickly replied in a fluster, jolted out of her thoughts by Mare’s question. Even though she pondered for quite a while, there was no suspicion in the twins’ eyes. She decided to save her thoughts on Demiurge for later.

Perhaps this time their master was thinking of traveling not as the ruler of Nazarick, but just as an undead on a paid vacation. That way, even if the worst were to happen, the damage to Nazarick would be minimized.

“Maybe just this once, there were some elements that even Ainz-sama wasn’t sure of, so he is trying to make moves independent of Nazarick.”

“No way!”

“Eeeh? You are t-talking about that Ainz-sama, y-you know?”

The two elves raised their voices, filled with surprise, and looked at Albedo with eyes filled with disbelief.

Their master’s wisdom had managed to read and control everything until now. They saw many times when one of his unremarkable moves ended up being the fatal strike for the opponent. According to what they’ve heard, he already had a general idea of the next thousand years and was making moves accordingly.

It was natural to doubt Albedo, who said that their Master could be uncertain about something.

“…As expected, even Albedo couldn’t completely read through our master’s intentions——”

Albedo directed a bitter smile at Aura, who spoke with her hands crossed behind her head.

“First of all, it’s impossible for anyone to see the depths of Ainz-sama’s great plans. That is something I have experienced repeatedly till now…frankly speaking, I still don’t understand the reason why Ainz-sama used the word “paid vacation”. Just keep in mind that as you are going to the Elven country, it’s highly likely that you will have to face the Theocracy.”

The two guardians nodded with serious expressions.

“A-are we allowed to take along our own subordinates…”

“Other than those selected by Ainz-sama you mean…”

Albedo considered Mare’s suggestion. While it could be taken as an affront to their master, it could also possibly make him happy that they prepared some on their own.

“If Ainz sama wants a small elite force…no, wait,” Albedo started to consider the matter on a deeper level.

“Select a group for the smaller retinue and another one in case it’s large, tentatively…on my side I will discuss with Demiurge about Ainz-sama’s goals and inform you later.”

The way Ainz-sama was extremely worried about the deterioration of Nazarick’s organizational capacity. Is that also one of the factors this time?

Upon informing him that there was nothing to worry about, she was answered with sarcastic praise. It was probably because of her failure to understand the full extent of his unease and her inability to answer the trust placed in her.

He was especially worried about that point…

For the time being, they had acquired someone who rivaled them in terms of intelligence to work under them. Did he intend to say that even that is not enough? Or was it something else…

Albedo spoke after she heard the twins’ acknowledging her suggestions.

“I think we will get a hint of Ainz-sama’s intentions from his choice of personnel for the retinue…but I expect the work this time to be of an extremely high level. Take notice of everything without lowering your guard and keep your wits about you at all times.”

The two guardians gave a spirited response to Albedo.

Considering their combat strength, she was sure that they would be able to protect their master, but one should never be careless.

She should discuss with Demiurge and prepare for the total mobilization of Nazarick just in case.

Even though it will slow down dealing with the remnants of the Kingdom, we should prepare for it just to be sure

Albedo left the room with the other two while arranging the order of her duties inside her head.