Summary: Continuing the trend of me revisiting plot points much more competently handled in the LN, Manga, and Anime, Carne Village! Which will once again mark ground zero for our New Worlders in their contact with Nazarick, but well, first contact just got a lot…weirder?

The stately atmosphere of the Ninth Floor was much more vulnerable then it's garnishing would suggest. Not that it was any indictment of the quality or arrangements of said floor, but well, magic tended to have that effect on existence.

Solemn majesty could hardly compete against the forces of the unnatural after all.

From behind any one of those thousands of doors that dotted its halls could emerge the banal that would defy expectations. It was from one such inauspicious doors that the newest perpetrator arrived with a load and resounding crash of metal on marble.

Loud, barely muffled swearing finished off any last vestiges of dignity as the door groaned open.

The muted, clanking echoing in the halls felt like a lingering reminder of the burst of insanity. Announcing the presence of the current disturber of the peace to any who would come across his path.

That said disturber was none other than the [Paladin of Pure Silver] himself, Touch Me was much to his sheepish chagrin.

As the feeling of embarrassment passed as no one confronted him, Touch Me's armored body visibly sagged with relief. Arms limply hanging at his side as though a puppet waiting for his strings to be cut so that he could shower kisses on the vibrant crimson rug underfoot.

Finally! The 9th floor at last. All the frustration and helplessness of the journey was slowly turning to joy with each passing step confirmed his new location.

Haaa, I really thought I was never gonna make it out of the fifth floor there for a moment.

Perhaps a more thorough explanation of the happy man's predicament is in order.

Touch Me had quickly, like most of his compatriots, fallen to an anxious boredom. The unease of a temporary readiness for more insanity to strike suddenly slide into an anxious routine. Kind of like how soldiers could find monotony in trenches or any dangerous position it is impossible to stay at high alert indefinitely.

Such attempted endeavors could only hasten the fraying of an already stretched mind.

Finding things to occupy his days with had been surprisingly problematic given that Touch Me's current surroundings were based on a game. So much so that even though there were things he could do, like train, it meant that most of his day was rather empty.

In response to this, several new habits had already been set into his days. One such being his refusal to use his [Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown] to travel. Of course, this alone wouldn't go so far as to explain why he was lost for so long. The main [Gates] and physical stairwells linked the floors in an easily navigable way, much like a system of bridges or elevators.

No today had been something of a weekly pop quiz. To see if Touch Me could reach the Ninth Floor after a sparring match with Takemikazuchi without utilizing any of the main paths.

Really puts into perspective those people that said it was impossible to beat this dungeon.

Having left the Fifth Floor from one such side [Gate] near the Frozen Prison, he had then proceeded to bounce around the Third, Fourth, and Sixth floor through the various side channels that erratically linked different floors.

Dividing an opponent's group and leaving them off balance had been the primary focus when creating this system after all. Normally the highest these traps would go to would be to the 6th Floor colosseum, but some new ones had been created since their arrival that lead to even the Seventh Floor under orders from Albedo and Demiurge.

None, however, unbeknownst to Touch Me, lead to the Ninth. Thus, had begun the hours of wandering that had finally, mercifully ended.

While it was true that Touch Me could have given in at any time and used any of the main transport hubs between floors if he had wished, to you know, proceed in a logical manner, or just teleported with his handy ring. That was not something that Touch Me's pride could swallow having started the adventure.

No, Touch Me was an explorer, set on a course of a more thorough understanding of his residence and no number of setbacks would stop him.

Lacking either the knowledge of Momonga who would know immediately that such a venture would be impossible or the intrinsic sense of direction that Peroroncino seemed to have, he barged forward, only activating skills that assisted in spotting the different transport rooms.

In fact, it had been the sheer density of these failures that had eventually drawn the curious gaze of the monitor of the teleporting [Gates], Aureole Omega, and her creation of a special, one-time portal which had been his ultimate salvation.

This kindness would never be discovered though and would therefore never remove his sense of triumph of having made it.

Despite how much time this new 'hobby' wasted for him, it was arguably his most productive.

Touch Me hadn't walked through any of these halls for years before that day that they were all stuck here. Not excluding the fact that for a non-significant portion of the Tomb which Touch Me had never even stepped foot in. It was easy to forget the size of his and his friend's creation when it was only a few stops.

Intelligence gathering was not limited merely to the layout either, the monsters that he came across served as a useful way to refresh details about classes and enhance his perception of strength in levels and balance. Touch Me was rusty when it came to be remembering his own combat abilities, he didn't know what that made his knowledge of the difference between a level here or there, what classes were available and what they did, or even what monsters he could encounter.

Factors like these had made it even more important to the silver paladin that he should continue to roam the various sub passages that interlaced the floors together instead of giving up.

Not like I can get tired or there is anything else I need to do.

Sighing, he felt the crawling of little legs and a rubbing sensation against his 'lips' as he straightened again. Absently he reached up, hand scratching the visor of his helm. It had become so natural for him to wear the full plate armor that Touch Me often forgot that he wore it.

If only getting used to the lip bug being on was as easy as concealing it.

Touch Me would deal with it though to regain a normal voice. Resting on the annoyance scale at both the itchy and slimy end wouldn't have been as bad if it didn't occasionally shift place like now. He had never been more appreciative of his helmet as any twitches his face gave were easy to hide.

Or just my face in general. I forgot how creepy it looked. Touch Me was not bothered per say by bugs, but nor was he comfortable that he had become one. Wearing armor constantly made it so that he could forget that fact. Avoidance wasn't the healthiest strategy but given the circumstances he was willing to give himself a break when it came to deal with his appearance.

Plus having it prevents me from messing with the attachment process.

Messing with the bugger before it could more symbiotically attached to him, like Entoma's, would slow down the process dramatically and Touch Me couldn't stand the thought of letting that happen.

A shudder passed through his body as he thought of the overly attentive insect maid who had taken to following him around. Her last offer of a snack still turned his mind's stomach.

No, I think it had more to deal with that I could feel my new stomach rumbling.

The NPC's were universally happy to see any of their creators, but it was clear that they had their favorites. Outside his own creation, Entoma fell into the category that seemed to get extra joy in assisting him.

What that meant, Touch Me didn't want to think about, stride unconsciously lengthening as if Touch Me wanted to escape those thoughts physically. Passing by what felt like hundreds of doors before finally pushing open one seemingly at random to reveal… yet another hallway!

Designed to not stick out in comparison to the surrounding hallways, the entrance to the personal quarters wing was rather simple in comparison to what was beyond its doors. The lack of difference to its surroundings was a two-part answer. One, to camouflage the personal rooms from invaders who would look there for rare items. Secondly, there was only so much luxury that one could empress on a room without drifting into the gaudy territory too far.

Crossing the familiar threshold, Touch Me felt all lingering tension leak out of his shoulders.

Nazarick's 9th floor area designed for the personal rooms of guild members was shaped in a T with the base of the T connecting it to the rest of the floor. The left end was the [Round Table Room] for guild meetings, and the right end was the entrance to Momonga's personal quarters.

Doors were spread out farther here, about enough room for a small house in between each. Such was necessary to accommodate any of the personal suits. One of which had opened after Touch Me had passed the first few to reveal a stunning maid leaving, bowing to the room's owner.

Golden eyes widening in a mix of surprise and joy as she turned around after having straightened up, only to be covered by an equally golden wave of hair as she once again shifted into a flourishing bow, this time instead followed by a demure "Lord Touch Me" instead of the "Lord Herohero" moments ago.

Such a display warranted a kind nod from the Paladin of Silver as he passed the maid. A week of such displays had already begun to desensitize him and impressed much of a lost cause changing his friend's stubborn 'children' was going to be.

Not that it wasn't endearing and deeply humbling to receive this kind of greeting.

Touch Me had taken surprisingly well to this treatment. Their attitude, at best, reminded him of the way that his daughters had treated him after he had returned from an extended stay at the hospital. Even the more annoying times was like dealing with a particularly eager to please subordinates.

Not a bad thing at all. He smiles fondly before shaking his head resuming his pace, head firmly facing forward. No time for such thoughts, else he'd be back in his room for the rest of the day. Again.

As he turned the final corner towards Momonga's office, the servants that Cocytus had loaned were already bowing.

Probably heard the maid. Raising his hand in acknowledgement, the two stood at attention with their arms.

Guards like these formed one of the two major groups that were allowed into the personal wing under the sixth rule. No one had problems with allowing the maids but limiting the number of guards had been their greatest fight since that night.

I won't ever understand why the NPCs were so incensed about having us followed by a squad of attendants here. They do realize that even the largest assault in Yggdrasil's history couldn't reach anywhere close to this door, don't they?

Zealots aren't exactly known for their compromising nature though, and the fierce negotiations had continued for many an hour. Burning the midnight candle, they had gone back and forth.

Arguments for logical reasons, like not wanting to compromise the lower floors defenses by removing that many monsters, were shot down by equally impassioned ones about such an ability paled in comparison to the need for them to secure their creators' personage wherever they may wander.

It had seemed like this deadlock would remain as neither side had bent an inch to the pressure from the other after a full afternoon of argument.

Surprisingly it had been Albedo that had 'blinked' first, proposing that instead as a compromise that they only needed to station guards with Momonga as the leader and a rotational guard to be deployed around two Supreme Beings per day.

In that single instance of surprise from the other guardians, they had quickly acted to secure their victory.

Touch Me had physically congratulated everyone for holding firm for their victory, even Ulbert had been scoped up for a hug in his powerful arms.

Part of me feels that I should feel worse for dumping another thing on Momonga, but if I had to give up the solitary of my room every day for the rest of eternity I might have snapped. The usual solutions of paying back Momonga with booze might be out the window, though Touch Me was sure in a world of infinite possibilities they'd find some way.

Though that didn't make the mental image of the overlord drowning under a wave of different spirits poured from giant containers labeled for each occasion any less funny as it floated around Touch Me's mind as he waited for the guards to receive permission for his entrance.

I'll think of something slightly more enjoyable for him than that. He settled on by the time the door in front of him had opened again.

What that door revealed was not a maid or some insect guard, but his own face staring back at him, followed by the top of head, and by his own voice.

"Lord Touch Me, you honor us with your presence. Lord Momonga is still practicing in the other room, so your timing is perfect as always

Perhaps modeling his creation after himself might have been a bit much in hindsight, but Sebas was performing exactly as he had pictured in Touch Me's mind when he created Sebas. Even back then Touch Me wished to protect his friend even when he could not be present. A reminder that he would always support the lonely man that he had found.

These well-meaning intentions didn't change the fact that he was the one stuck with an insectoid face while being constantly reminded of his old, handsome appearance. A slightly younger version too, as if to grind his gears more.

It wasn't his creation that Touch Me was mad at. Rather, he felt the opposite towards the dignified man.

Touch Me loved his daughters and worried about them from the moment their little forms had come to being to now, but that old desire of having his own son. Much less such a polite boy anxiously staring at his shoes while waiting to be acknowledged warmed his heart.

"Be at ease Sebas, I don't require anything but your patience for this old man for taking so long."

Though his tone was playful, Sebas eyes shone with a sincerity in conviction.

"No amount of wait could ever be a bother for me lord as long as I know that you are coming! Rather it is my greatest pride to merely be in your thoughts and a person you consider worth returning to."

Blinking at the once again bowing figure of his old body, Touch Me gave up. Figuring that walking into the next room might break this somber atmosphere, he was glad to hear the footsteps of his creation following him. And if the stately butler was practically bouncing as he followed him, then he'd pretend not to have noticed the breach of character.

Long, awkward swinging motions from skeletal arms greeted him as he walked deeper into the room. How these movements shifted the perspective of the man-sized mirror that whirled around in front of the robed figure, he didn't know.

It's like his hands are tangled up in string or something.

Touch Me thought he must have been witnessing progress though as Sebas gave a polite clap at seeing the steadying of the view before gently moving across the forest top.

Turning around the expressionless skull almost managed to hide the air of sheepishness that radiated of the figure.

"Oh, Touch Me! Umu, you have excellent timing. I seem to finally be able to use this well enough to take a quick look outside." Momonga gestured with his head to his side. "Please join me, I would greatly appreciate your insight into the outside."

"Perhaps I did take too long if you're already done with the fun parts and all that remains is work"

Walking to the designated spot he clasped Momonga on the back.

"Of course, I will help, and don't be concerned about your little hang up. You work too much and I fear that we shall soon see what happens when a skeleton works himself to the bone." The corresponding stiffening of Momonga's back to go with a rash of stammering denials had him chuckling. Skeletons can't blush, but Touch Me swore he saw red.

I get too much enjoyment on how easy it is to mess with this kid. It was a purely warm fun of unsettling the younger man. As an uncle may a shy nephew. That they had slipped so easily back into this routine had brought him no small amount of solace since the event.

We are still ourselves.

This fact comforted him more than it should give the circumstances. Trying to draw the attention off himself, the overlord pointed out the smoke in the distance on the screen.

"Ah, uh, what do you think that is? A festival, do you think?"

It was not.

Rather it was that same hate able imagery of any of the hundreds of war dramas that Touch Me had witnessed over the years played out before him again before him. When the 'villain' earned his title. But the 'camera' lingered too long in this case the blood congealing on the ground, greedily feeding the ground.

Cruelty that was hard to comprehend on the individual level, muted only just by the lack of sound as the viewing portal shifted from scene to scene.

Racing with the newly arrived knights as they stormed through the village to watching the terrified people be herded by the irregular waves of invaders which drove them towards the center of the village, except for those on the outlying parts where dozens of men wielding swords hewn down those unfortunate to be on the outlying areas at the start.

An eerie silence had deafened the room as they witnessed the slaughter. All to easily they could hear the screams and crying. The butchering of the living, desperate people who were stuck in a silent scream carried the feeling of their spirits as they were unknowing viewed by beings that would be like gods among them who struggled to process what they were seeing.

What is the correct response anyway? When your view shifts from a mother impaled together with her young son to a youth limply crawling at the ground only to be speared once more in the back.

Shock or their bodies new sensibilities created a burrier for them to experience it safely from behind.

Like they could tell how little the chaos around them afflicted the knights. How unhurried each strike seemed. Such motions spoke of an unfailing belief that it did not matter how quickly they struck that these villagers would fall before them.

The kind that only comes with experience. Touch Me thought.

"A slaughter my lords" Sebas' voice was wrangling with barely constrained emotion. The familiar sound of his own voice seemed to jolt his own soul back to action.

It was not that Touch Me hadn't felt anything earlier, more that it was controlled enough for him to think. Now, he was aware of how much his blood was boiling with rage. Muscles restlessly twinging and ready to break into action.

The battle instincts of his new body had refused to break in the face of this one-sided slaughter and nor would his mind.

What strategy the soldiers were employing had become evidently clear in his mind by this point.

By pressuring the villagers from three sides they were able to bottleneck most of population into one large mass that was easy to corral with a dozen knights while the rest could form a net at the back end to catch the much slower villagers.

Killing people that were running was much more difficult than merely capturing those that stopped and meekly gave in. If the villagers maintained some hope of survival in giving up, then they wouldn't need to exert as much effort in getting stragglers.

A simple calculation that had informed the grim work of slaughters across any age.

The large, surrounded group of people grew quickly, until only a little more than a dozen living villagers struggled outside to complete a break away. It was on one of these men that their view came to rest on for a while.

Grappling the steel in his hands in a desperate bid to hold them in place and screaming in the direction of the portal. It was of no help to the man himself. Outside of surprising one soldier, he was quickly cut down.

But still his desperate pleas would not break, as even as he lay dying on the ground, his lips moved as he pleaded fervently. Eyes seeming to look onto his unknown viewers.

Those unheard words and fading eyes were enough to break Touch Me from his daze of watching.

"Momonga, won't you join me in ending this needless slaughter?"

Sighing, the skeleton contemplated the question for a moment as Momonga finally broke his viewing of the now dead man to lock gazes with his friend.

"We would gain nothing by helping them. Unfortunately, it is in our interest to merely observe."

"Please! Can't you see what they are doing to those people? We can save them!"

"My lord is right, Lord Momonga. We shall move to help immediately"

Pride blossomed in his chest at his creations support. But staring at the unshaking face of the skeleton, Touch Me deflated.

"Eh, no Sebas. I know why Momonga has answered the way he has. We may bring danger to ourselves, not to mention the others, if we act hastily"

Gripping his hands tightly enough to crush adamantium, Touch Me tried to calm himself.

It never gets easier being able to raise a hand to help someone but to be stopped by the truth of the realities that you must live with.

Touch Me couldn't bear to look at his own face in the eyes and tell him that they couldn't help nor could he bring himself to watch the massacre anymore, so his eyes remained on the only other being in the room.

Glowing red points of light seemed to stare beyond him and Sebas who stood behind him. A million miles away from anything happening in this world.

Maybe his gaze or something else touched him as after finally breaking out of whatever vision he was experiencing, Momonga considered him with a softer glowing in his eyes.

"Umu, you haven't changed since that day have you, Touch Me?"

Those words connected him together with the mind of his friends, to more than a decade ago to the picture of a weak skeleton and strong paladin meeting for the first time.

"Now and always I shall seek justice."

"Very well then. It may be foolish, but I will repay your kindness Touch Me. I take responsibility for this and any of the fallout."

"Thank you."

Relief bloomed in his chest and an anxious excitement to be the Calvary riding to save those people.

"Which is why I will be going first."

The meaning behind Momonga's words didn't need to be stated to be understood and Touch Me just silently acquiesced to the implied "I don't trust you to back down if things are too tough" meaning.

"Sebas, inform Albedo to follow in full equipment. Tell her to deploy to my location with Touch Me and to rally Nazarick's reserve stealth corp."

"[Gate]."

A miasma of blacks and purples sprang to life in front of the skeletal hand.

"I will leave immediately, and Touch Me, you should follow as soon as Albedo arrives if I don't return before then."

"Understood"

"Also, let me do the talking, you can be a little… campy when it comes to rescues."

With that parting jab Momonga stepped forward, staff in hand, and purposefully crossed the threshold, and thus started what would be widely revered and reviled as the arrival of Ainz Ooal Gown in this world.

...

Sometimes when life is moving at its fastest, it feels the slowest. At least, that would be the closest that Sebas could come to describing his life right now if pressed for an answer.

Time could be measured both from an empirical standpoint and the raw feeling as one perceived. The speed of which the events around him had transpired had led to this weird feeling of sinking into the mire of a lengthy timelessness.

As it had taken less than ten seconds after Lord Momonga departed for Albedo to arrive in full battle regalia. How she had arrived so quickly was simple to deduce, and Sebas assumption that she must have been waiting in her rooms so as to be close to this chamber's owner was correct not that he had time to ask.

Twenty for the first of the stealth forces to be deployed and thirty for the last to be depart.

Seconds which normally would have drifted away like grains of sand instead passed more so like boulders, sluggish and heavy in the face of the movement of everything around them. Only one, solitary minute had passed since the portal that had taken away Sebas Tian's creator had disappeared.

It had felt like an hour.

Sebas was the one who had been left behind in that dreadful quiet room. Moreso now that he was alone again pending the arrival of more forces.

Moments separated him from this new burst of company, but Sebas couldn't help the feeling of loneliness that seeped into him.

This is my role as the Head Butler of Nazarick too. Words meant to steel him only brought more shame.

To wait patiently for the masters, return and keep his house in order was the duty of a butler. A task to be completed with the ease of breathing. That was what truths of servitude that he held himself to. The dropping of his stomach with each resounding passing of a second made him feel like a fraud.

Danger of the death of his beloved creator wasn't the fear. He had every confidence in his creator's utter victory, but victory had never been the true concern of a servant of Nazarick.

The rightful conclusion of any Nazarick operation was to be expected.

No, fear came instead from the quiet fact that these halls had been far emptier but a week ago and not even close to the true occupancy that every NPC wished for.

Abandonment.

Discarded again without another thought as so many of the Supreme Beings had chosen. What if something in this world caught the eye of those merciful few that had chosen to stay such that they would be drawn forever from Nazarick?

Might even the steadfast Lord Momonga finally depart them?

Worries like this dwelt in his heart constantly. Fears of a child.

New fears accompanied these old ones. Like the simple question of a faithful subordinate like Aureole Omega risen that had caused a cold sweat to break out across his face.

{Should we inform the other Supreme Beings now, sir?}

Sebas Tian had dismissisadly said that they should wait for more information. A cautious approach that was easy enough to defend should he be pressed on. He hadn't been but he knew exactly why he feared being pressed on it.

It was because he knew that it was the wrong selfish answer to make. Something that he could only view as a personal desire in the face of duty.

That greed was that he so trusted in Touch Me to make the best decisions concerning the surviving villagers, and to protect them. A shameless desire to see the innocent protected even at the cost of hindering Nazarick.

Not to mention that now the protection which they were now in the most need came not from the knights which had stormed the village, but the demons which were now aware of their existence.

Should the other Supreme Beings get involved it would be impossible to guarantee safety for them. The very logic that had created and governed this tomb worked against. Kindness for strangers was a laughable concept for almost every NPC within Nazarick's walls, especially for lowly humans.

It was there for an uncomfortable proposition to him to leave the decision up to these other Supreme Beings who had made the creations of Nazarick this way. It didn't take much thought to determine what these beings thought.

Kindness could not be a foreign concept to the great beings which ruled over the tomb. It had been immediately and universally acclaimed that only out of a great kindness for mere servants had the ten masters decided to stay.

Sebas could hardly think of a more shameless request then to ask for more kindness to be shown to what must be to them merely ants quarreling other ants to these beings.

Not to mention that Sebas couldn't imagine some of those lords ever helping such vulnerable creatures.

How could the man that created a monster like Demiurge care for something so insignificant as the welfare of what would remain of a little over a hundred lowly humans? From what little he could remember his creator's and Lord Ulbert Alain Oodle's reactions they had been naturally opposed, so maybe Demiurge just reflected his own master's views?

Not to say that was entirely possible for some of the Supreme Beings to take a more practical view and persuade Lord Momonga to choose a different course of action like he had originally intended.

Would Lord Herohero or Lady Bukubukuchagma suggest for human tributes like solution might was just one possibility?

Many within the tomb would rejoice at being able to substitute their rations for their preferred prey, and a few peasants that were destined to die would be as good a place as any to start for a worthy cause of feeding a Supreme Being.

Could Lord Touch Me really talk his companions out of such an action should they be adamant about it?

Sebas personally did not wish for such things to come to pass, but how could Sebas oppose his masters for these humans if they demanded it? If it wasn't a direct request or order, Sebas could convince himself to hold off for now.

Hands unable to stop shaking, he clasped them tightly behind his back. Trying to summon an image of calm in the face of the thoughts of what fates may wait for the survivors of that village.

For now, Lord Momonga has yielded to saving these people thanks to my master. Involving the others now, before that village can be saved might harden his heart on the matter before value may be found to justify saving them.

Other servants of the great tomb would shrug off these concerns, he was sure. More, most would view them as treasonous to doubt his lords so much over this matter. Who was he a lowly tool to question the ways of those so far beyond him?

It was a crisis of faith that Sebas had similarly dealt with in a different reality. One which the single-minded devotion to his duty had seen him through. But now there was another, deeper loyalty that complicated it further.

If Lord Touch Me once again left, but now in a place where Sebas could chase him, would Sebas be able to remain behind in Nazarick? To through all else that he knew and loved behind for him? To stand against the rest of Ainz Ooal Gown?

Yes.

With no hesitation that answer came from his very soul. Such was the nature of the bond between creation and creator. Beyond any duty or oath.

This one singular loyalty to outweigh all others.

That would be such a terrible thing to come to pass for the butler. Sebas was a servant to all the Supreme Beings, the pride and joy that he took from serving each of the extraordinary beings. While he had his preferences, that did not change this. Following Lord Touch Me's will alone would be a betrayal of their trust and what he knew to be against the wishes of the man he served.

Only one thing in his life could outweigh the terror of dying a traitor to this incredible place. And that was to help drive Lord Touch Me away from the others. Let alone from something so foolish as his own wants or desires.

Inconveniencing the Supreme Beings was a crime only suitably repaid with his death.

All this tension and reason to act spoke to the true nature of the being of Sebas Tian as he merely waited a bit longer. Hoping that soon he might be contacted by Lord Touch Me, so that in his wisdom, their might come the answer to Aureole Omega's question.

He managed to hold off the hour it took for Albedo to update him with fresh orders.

…

"[Sleep]"

The two sisters collapsed to the ground inside the protective magic sphere like puppets whose strings had been cut.

They couldn't resist even a 2nd tier spell. Huh.

As much as part of him was tempted to wake them up and see the effects of a 1st tier spell would have on them, he restrained this curios side of himself for now.

Time, and probably Touch Me, wasn't on his side for that idea.

A 6th tier one-shooting those knights mean the [Death Knight] should be fine on its own but best not to push it too much.

"Albedo"

"Yes, my lord"

"Organize our incoming forces around the town, myself and Touch Me shall finish here. Afterwards, I shall signal you to rejoin us before we reveal ourselves."

"Understood my lord, as my love commands."

Bolting, the dark warrior left the four alone. Momonga facing the now unconscious two girls while Touch Me inspected the armor of the remaining knight. Rewriting the two girls' memories to show him in his now masked appearance would take hardly any effort if evidenced by how easily they fell for earlier low tier spell.

Still I should be careful given that I may unintentionally do more damage as a matter of level difference.

Casting [Memory Alteration] required a decent amount of mana, and concentration in lower level players. Momonga, however, was far too powerful for such a thing to be a hassle.

Imprinting his command into the girl's mind, Momonga successfully concealed the ivory white bone that the young woman had seen.

As an additional precaution, Momonga tried to influence the spell to make the memory vaguer. It was… unusual how easy it was to pry into these girls' minds and reconstruct their thoughts. While he had just tried the later idea as a thought, some part of him could sense it taking hold.

Come to think of it, why didn't I assume showing up as some skeleton wouldn't cause more panic then the attacking knights themselves.

Sighing, he began to turn his attention to the younger sibling. Touch Me had finished his inspection of the knight as his voice carried over to him.

"So, Ainz Ooal Goal, huh?"

His non-existent heart stopped at the casual question, wincing noticeably at being reminded of his other little bold masterstroke.

To be honest, Momonga still hadn't known why he felt the need to give the guild name when asked by the sisters for a name.

What with their being nine others with just as much claim to it, it was rather bold for Momonga to take it for himself and unthought out. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to change the sisters' memories to his correct name

"Y-you noticed that?"

"Of course, have you been practicing that reveal? Getting the robe movement just right must have taken some time."

"I haven't been practicing that bit, it was just a spur of the moment type of thing."

"Then after we get this little thing sorted out, how about you tell me which ones you have been practicing guild leader."

"Umu…"

Momonga could hear the man chuckling before sighing. Sensing his friends discomfort an armored hand reached out to turn him around so that he was staring at the profile of the silver knight. Wincing in expectance of a chastisement what he instead got was only a sigh.

"Using the name of Ainz Ooal Gown like this is bothering you that much isn't it?"

How couldn't it? This great legacy that Momonga had built with his only friends. Something that after so long he was finally enjoying with them again. No matter how unusual or uncomfortable the circumstances.

They were all stuck here with him because of his need. Without him reaching out so long and so hard for them, none of them may be stuck here. To take further advantage of the precious memories which had succeeded in bringing them back to him was perhaps the most unnerving action Momonga could think of taking.

Touch Me pressed on.

"Listen son, we entrusted you with that name when we all choose you as guild leader. Don't shy away from it or its legacy if you want it."

"I don't! I-it's just that don't you think it was, um, inappropriate to use it for myself? We made it together for all us!"

"True, but didn't we also make that together as well?"

Gesturing pointedly at the staff in the overlord's hands. The proud [Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown] which Momonga still felt weird to possess.

"Never did you question why we all so easily agreed to make that? Of course, the ultimate guild deserves the greatest guild weapon possible, but there were other options for weapons. Instead we all enthusiastically struggled for that one. One perfect for a certain guild master."

Momonga felt his emotion suppressor kick in and harshly bring him down from the high of the warmth of the Silver Knight's words.

"Thank you."

"Do not be so thankful for the truth, bigger issues remain after all Ainz."

"Umu, you are correct again. Shall we proceed with that issue then?"

"Yes! I was thinking of something noble, and classic like an Arthurian knight or do you think that's too overdone?"

"…eh?"

Any momentum that Ainz had felt was building with their conversation crashed immediately down as the middle-aged man began ranting and raving about the good aspects of different names choices. Names he had thought of if he had a son or names that he thought were cool.

Either way, Touch Me made it very clear that his pure hearted support for Ainz's new name was that the knight would not be refered to as Touch Me in another world again.

Barely able to get a word in edge wise, the one friend eventually rambled his way into getting the other to pick out one of the few hundred that the knight had limited himself to.

A process which had seen Ainz reevaluate how well he thought that the other man had been adjusting to their new circumstances and made him silently swear to find a way to keep him more occupied to avoid a repeat of this situation.

By the time they ended up arriving at the village center, the skeleton knight had finished off the last of the attacking knights some time ago. Instead the [Death Knight] had stopped moving before their arrival, looming over the last invader to fall, blade waiting as if to be triggered by the arrival of another target.

The hulking mass of death eerily quiet and posed like a statue from the mind of a particularly disturbed sculptor's mind.

What remained of the villagers were shivering while bowing towards their unlikely savior. Whispering words vanishing as the three imposing figures appeared before them in the sky. Some screamed while others fainted.

Ainz meanwhile was just feeling rather awkward again as another group of people viewed him with awe and fear.

Umu, perhaps we should have left that conversation for later then?

"Be at peace, for we have arrived!"

Cape flowing dramatically in the background, Touch Me landed with all the plomb and pageantry of a conquering hero before his subjects in what could only be described as a half-baked attempt to ease the people.

Their response of a weary blinking of eyes felt appropriate enough to Ainz.

Is it too late to just have the [Death Knight] finish the job and leave this headache behind as some bad dream?

Coughing to draw attention to himself, Ainz prayed that they hadn't ruined their chance at a positive impression.

…

What an amazing man, that Ainz Ooal Gown.

Weariness that he had felt on being summoned to his house by the saviors of his village had disappeared almost immediately in the village chief's discussions with the masked sorcerer and his two quiet friends.

Following behind the man that had come to collect him for the final phase of the funerals that were about to occur, Adric Lamont had a few moments to process his conversation with the three individuals and their knight.

Even as the village chief drew closer to the plot of land that had been selected, Adric's thoughts didn't stray far from the people he had left in his house. They were responsible for this surprising ease that he felt now.

Maybe because the future of his village was not in peril from its saviors.

The village chief hadn't expected to leave his conversation with his unlikely saviors feeling refreshed about negotiations and payments for their rescue. Haggling with adventurers alone could turn out to be an ornery enough business over something simple like an increase in time required to gather medicinal herbs.

That the robed man and his party had treated him with nothing but mutual respect and allowed him to conduct the transaction as though he was an equal was almost as bizarre as the normality that Adric had witnessed as he moved through the village.

Because of the timing of the intervention, the damage had been confined only to the people. Most of the buildings hadn't sustained any damage at all in fact, same with the crop, and the calm air seemed to have descended that was more like the hours before night took hold. A calm because there was no reason for anyone to be wandering around.

Lazy winds occasionally rustled clothing and other muted noises kept enough of a white noise to prevent the truly eerie quiet Adric had expected.

Even though the world was ending for us, I guess the rest of it was moving along just fine.

No one would have remembered Carne village for more than a few years if it had been wiped out today. Just another small collection of homes and farms on the frontier that could easily be erased off a ledger should the time come.

Heroes never came to these types of places but in songs and almost as rarely were born here. It was obvious to anyone that looked at this simple, frontier village that there was almost no value to be had.

It at times protected them from bandits because they did not possess the means that they could pay such a massive debt like being saved from an armored platoon with coin.

Which is why Adric had felt so conflicted at the first reassurance of no payment being needed and dread at being asked to privately negotiate. Even kindhearted adventurers did not work for free if they wanted to live long in this world and such words would normally be taken as a flat lie in order to hide other more sinister demands.

Shame welled up inside him as he had originally thought that maybe those four had been of the worst kind. Those that saved to find a convenient group of sacrifices for rituals or slaves.

Payments that were easily forced on those already assumed dead by the rest of the world.

Depending on how monstrous the demands were, Adric had steeled himself to cooperate, if it could insure the whole.

How foolish he felt now!

Well, when the first thing that I saw from them was that monstrous skeleton knight, I shouldn't feel too bad about making such assumptions.

While the logic of Adric's own thoughts comforted his feelings of shame, it was hard to say anything about that group was logical.

Quite simply the bizarre combination of such gravitas of personage each member exuded with an air that came only with the expectation of wielding such influence could not make sense with the respect that they had paid him, a mere peasant, was beyond the scope of any individuals the man had met.

Adric Lamont had long lost the right to call himself a young man at 40. Having spent half that life as the village chief, it had been more than enough time to meet all kinds of people. Even once having travelled to the Royal Capital to submit an official report on his village.

None of that experience could have compared him in any way to deal with these people. From the sheer wealth that he felt from the armor of the silver knight or the seamless robes of the sorcerer to the vigilance of the woman in the dark armor, whose eyes he could feel from behind her helm, watching every movement in that tiny house.

Of the four beings that had dealt with the knights attacking his village, a skeletal knight of death was surprisingly the easiest to understand. A being whose nature to loathe the living had merely acquiesced to commands and protected some perfect prey on the whim of its masters.

Simple enough really.

Though putting it that way made the undead sound too docile as it had easily slaughtered a platoon of skilled knights without taking a scratch. A feat which alone confirmed its strength to be beyond a platinum adventurer's firepower.

Adric had hoped at that point then that the knight of death would merely carry on its way, but instead it had loomed over them. Its motionless seemed to be command enough for everyone in the village to do the same.

Yet Master Luac had confirmed that this rescue had been intentional which had immediately put him on edge. After all, of the four, three of the people consisted of a skeleton warrior, the dark robed sorcerer, and the dark guard that clung to his side were much more ominous then the knights which had been butchering them.

Even the word of such a radiant silver knight had only caused him to be further chilled.

Maybe I've just grown to cynical, looking a gift horse in the mouth.

While he was immensely grateful that the powerful party had only asked for information as payment for their rescue, it just brought more mystery to them after answering them about the common information they had been apparently been after.

Most of it was things that even the children knew. What city was closest by, how much was a gold coin worth, and so on. At the start, the chief had feared that Master Gown had been simply trying to keep his early words of not getting any reward, but the sincerity and attention he paid to every answer destroyed that theory.

Honestly, if this had been their intention then it would have made more sense for them to pay a merchant then me.

The man in the weird mask who introduced himself as Ainz Ooal Gown had stated that he was a sorcerer that had been researching researching magic for the past few decades with his companions and that recently they had emerged from their place of research.

As far as Adric was concerned, such an idea wasn't all too strange given his limited interaction with magic users. Even the Nfirea boy was strange enough at times and he was merely a potion master first and foremost.

Re-Estize and the fortress city of E-Rantel alone had existed well before my grandfather's time. It was unlikely that such a prepared party would have entirely forget about them to explore some ruins deep in the forest.

These little tidbits required someone smarter than him to put together or more information to conclusively create a theory.

But Adric was no such genius and his gratitude insured that he hadn't pressed Master Gown on it, and would never do so. Such was at least owed to the gratitude he felt. It was not his right anyway what had brought these strange people to his home.

Just that these four done something that Adric could never repay. That some semblance of peace had already begun to return to the village as he walked through it was proof enough.

A few men had been working on repairing some of the houses on the edge of the village stopped and a few groups of children huddled with their mothers had now begun to follow behind Adric with them as well. Probably assuming what was about to start. There weak voices just reaching his ears.

The heart of this village still beats.

Adric thought with pride.

From that joy of that statement not being just some empty words had come the ironclad resolve to keep secret of the payment to their saviors. Only death or the order of those they were in debt to could reveal it. Because the death of a lone village chief was nothing.

All this was more than Adric had thought possible as he began rounding the wide path that led to the village 'cemetery'.

Cemetery would be the closest that a person from our world would understand the sparse grave markers that dotted a long twisting path. A necessary given the nature of the birthing of undead beings made it so that the idea of even a small village burying all their dead in one place a risky proposition.

Death was a simple fact of life as a villager. Of course, age was the cause from some but as often it was in the form of a poor harvest or in the form of a conscription officer come to take away boys that would never see their homes again.

These common bonds stood them well in death. The village would fill the plot with them all together for the companionship in the afterlife.

Only their fellow villagers or family would care that they had gone, and these small clusters would be all that they could do to ensure that they would not be entirely abandoned.

Silent graves of a people that never had a chance to speak. Peace in life was not easy to find, let alone for someone to go out of their lives to save them was even stranger.

To a villager, heroes were tales for children, or if you were lucky enough, someone that when you really needed them you had something to give in return so that you could survive.

A little more than a hundred people had called Carne Village home at the start of the day. As he oversaw the final few raising of white stones to mark the graves, he couldn't help but wonder if he was glad that he was occupied so he was late to see the corpses.

By the end he decided it didn't matter, the result didn't change.

I knew all of them.

The silver armored man had offered to help bury them at the start of the conversation between the strangers and the village chief, but Adric had declined. This was their duty as a village.

They were born and lived in Carne, and by their own hands would they commit them back to her.

White sheets covered the bodies as they lay next to their final resting place. Impossible to distinguish the features of one from another such that even the grieving kin that had followed Adric to this isolated plot could not tell them apart.

Maybe now that so few of us are left the only thing that we can do is become one family to fill some of that void.

It was a hard task at any rate to bury them.

Not just from the numbers or the shock of the day, but also the cruel understanding of the soldiers. They had targeted the young men of the village; those most likely to escape or fight back. That most of them had been out in the fields at the time made it worse.

Younger families also tended to live closer to the edge of the village for this reason, and thus the village had also lost many of its younger wives as well.

This lack of strength would further cripple the village in the years to come.

Quite frankly, even if the healthiest and fittest half had survived, it would have been unlikely for them to have collected the full harvest that was out in the field. With those left in the village chief's eyes, he wasn't sure that they could gather enough to feed everyone for the next year.

Planting and preparing the fields was a much harder task to consider as well. The money that the strangers had rejected could be used to buy supplies to tide them over should they not be able to attract enough new people.

Maybe they understood that too.

These were the thoughts of the village chief Adric as he presided over the ceremony. Adric did not need to actively think to say the words anymore. He had memorized them long ago.

Such cold thoughts of the future had distanced himself far enough away from the tragedy of today that he had been able to make it through the ceremony with the dignity that those gone deserved. Being a source of strength for the village was one of the more important jobs of its chief.

I'm so tired.

Today it felt like he had buried them all those that they had lost again with how many they laid in the ground. Worry had stricken his heart as he had no way to know the fate of his children that moved to the surrounding villages.

Adric had already felt the deep aches of his physical body set in, but this mental exhaustion was different. Like his spirit had been buried along with the bodies.

The mismatched rows of white stone faced him head on as he stood in front of the crowd of villagers.

It was the largest single cluster in the cemetery.

These people when they had been alive had looked to him for guidance, to provide answers to the problems that face them, and to provide them safety.

[The Wise King of the Forest]'s presence made me lazy. I thought that that esteemed monster alone would be enough. I am sorry to all of you.

Deeping his bow, the muscles in his lower back ached. Adric didn't mind the pain, but he knew that he would be of no use to anyone if he couldn't move.

Adric's feet began to carry him away from his place in front of the people. Officially ending the ceremony and allowing people to pay their individual respects. Pausing at the Emmot sisters to reach down and pat their shaking heads, Adric finally noticed the group of four saviors watching them from the shade of a tree.

Knowing that it had already been extremely kind of them to allow him a break so that Adric may attend the ceremony, he started over to them. Intent on fulfilling their desire for information should they require more.

But he needn't have bothered. Seeing his movements, the silver knight dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Nodding his great helm towards the assembled villagers with a surprising gentleness. In agreement with his companion, the robed leader turned around and began to head back to the village with his companions trailing behind him.

Ah, seems like I'm not needed anymore. Looks like they are satisfied with the payment then.

Adric felt caught between the leaving party and the grieving members of his village. Not wishing to crowd either of them but desperate to be of some help. By now in the day the faintest tinges of orange could be made out in the distance as the sun and the world continued their eternal ritual.

With the fading sun overhead, watching over the people with him as they exited in their small groups. Finishing paying their respects. Some stopped to ask him what they could do to help, but most just trudging back to their homes, having too much to do themselves to be able to be more helpful.

Of those that wanted to help, Adric picked out four of them to come with him to relieve the lookouts that had taken their posts at the tower after the attack ended. Two of these men were older than him while the other two were little more than boys, who had lost all color in their face when told of their new job.

Can't blame them for being nervous, but we can't rely on Master Gown's or Master Luac's generosity. Adric really couldn't say how long the two or their escorts were going to linger but from the way Master Gown had talked, they were going to be gone before sundown.

At least the village has something that can help make us feel safer.

The village's lookout towers that were normally manned only at night to keep a watch for the occasional bandit. The protection of the [Wise King of the Forest] and the isolation of Carne hadn't required more. Why would a strong armored band want to raid a poor village that was within spitting distance of a horror filled forest when much more appetizing targets existed.

But, well, that lax attitude that had been engendered from these factors was unlikely to remain following today.

It took most of the walk back to the center of the village to explain the basics about how to signal to the village and what to do while on duty, but the boys were attentive enough Adric thought.

Carne's chief expected that he would be able to spend the next hour waiting for the current watchman training their replacements more thoroughly while directing some of the repair efforts.

Maybe the sight of him prepping the guards and giving strong advice would help his people, and after completing the switch, Adric could lumber back to his home and collapse in his bed. Only then would he allow what happened to day to finally sink in.

For now, Adric just wanted to stay busy with a couple simple tasks till then.

"CHHHHHIIIIIIIIEEEEFFFF"

The hair on the back of his neck immediately stood on end at the desperate yell coming from the direction of one of the towers. The man was sprinting hard for a man of his weight and age towards the center of Carne yelling all the way.

It was like a spell as every step froze the people he ran past.

"You all follow me, let's see what this is."

He said before beginning to jog over to meet him halfway. Waving him down to make until he stopped screaming.

"Ridersarehuhahuhacommingagainohgodsprotectus."

"Deep breaths lad. Let's start heading back there and make it nice and clear what you saw."

Not that this reaction doesn't make it clear, but we need to know more.

"Right" Gulping a few deep breaths the heavyset man began again.

Another mounted party had been spotted with the looking glass heading on the road straight to the village. Their armor was different, but it would only take them about a half hour to get to the village as they were riding hard.

The few follow up questions the man could answer did little to determine if these riders would be friend or foe for the people of Carne, and as Adric stood in the shadow of the watchtower, he knew he'd have to decide.

Damn, not enough to really go off of. I don't want to have to send everyone to the woods with the monsters there, but the devil we know here is pretty terrible if they are reinforcements.

"What should we do chief?"

Dunall, the man who had remained at the tower asked.

The villagers that had gathered around them with their frantic murmuring had hushed as they turned to him. Adric gulped, desperately reaching into his tired mind for the right answer. Failing at that his features further downturned, before looking back at the man.

"We must do something. Does anyone have a good solution?"

Adric knew that this was unlikely to help, but at this point he was so far beyond his ability to help his people and staring at the simple fact that this warning without intervention would just make them more aware of the pending slaughter.

Maybe by some miracle one of them could provide something resembling a plan to save them.

"Is there a problem, Village Chief?

The regal voice of master gown was not the miracle that he had been trying to summon. In fact, he was surprised that the man and his party had lingered so long in his village.

"Ah, Lord Ainz and Lord Luac."

Unaffected by the cowering peasants, the power that their party radiated parted the crowd around him so that Adric was face-to-face with the strange masked face of the sorcerer.

"It seems like some knight-like people are heading towards this village."

Shame had paused him briefly at the start.

To bring up the matter of the approaching armed group in front of so many was tantamount to begging them to save them. On top of the already unpayable debt that they had been so graciously forgiven in his eyes was beyond shameful.

But there was no choice though.

"I see."

The comment was simple but clearly showed the depth of thinking and understanding that this majestic figure was able to interpret in so few words.

"I understand. Please have the survivors gather around your house."

Seeing their understanding Master Ainz continued.

"Chief, you will come with us to the center square to wait for them."

"Y-yes!"

It was how this simple village chief saw himself standing prominently as a proud party rode in. Standing almost shoulder-to-shoulder with a group that straddled into that mythical realm. His dirty clothes and weathered appearance made him look like a blemish on a magnificent tapestry

The dying sun glittered off the iron of their armor, sparks and flashes illuminating them in a shifting glow that gave them the look of a party of heroes coming forth from some legend into reality with the thundering of hooves.

Each of the riders was distinct from the others. Weapons and armor adorning individuals that proudly presented the thousand tales that brought them here. They were a mere side show compared to the figure riding ahead of the party.

A man that seemed to have dipped well and thoroughly into that realm of heroes. Easily bringing his horse to a stop in front of the chief and his unusual companions.

His countenance was stoic, and he was clearly analyzing the bizarre grouping in front of him before speaking in a deep, manly voice.

"My name is Gazef Stronoff, Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom. By his majesty's command, I have been sent to hunt down the knights of the empire that have been ravaging the villages in this area."

"Royal Head Warrior…"

Before they had merely looked the part of legends. But those words had confirmed it. To be in the presence of this man that through incredible strength of arms had seen his star rise all the way to the top was almost too much for Adric to handle.

Apparently Adric's words were louder than he thought as Stronoff considered him for perhaps the first time, before calling to him.

"You must be the village chief, who stands beside you?"

"Ah, yes, this gentleman is-"

"Ainz Ooal Gown, the pleasure is mine Head Warrior."

Adric was glad that the sorcerer had so easily interceded in their conversation because Adric wasn't sure how to describe this man that fate had brought to save him and his people.

Stuck between two compelling desires, one to lavish praise on him was only to be expected while the other felt that the great dignity that the man had shown may prefer a more reserved tribute.

"I am a magic caster that has helped this village with my companions when I saw it being attacked."

Simple, but correct, Adric was all too happy to nod in approval when the Head Warrior eye contacted him.

Apparently satisfied, Gazeff dismounted in a fluid motion that bespoke the martial nature of the life of the man. No wasted movement or excessive grace, but a perfect firm landing.

"Thank you for saving this village"

Having crossed closer to the masked figure and his companions, the proud warrior inclined his head to each of them in turn. Voice brimming with barely restrained emotion.

"Words alone cannot express my gratitude."

Adric was proud of this man for saying so sincerely what he hoped that Adric had conveyed earlier. For honestly believing and feeling that way said much about his character.

"Head Warrior!"

Interrupting them was a middle-aged man that had pushed his way to the front. His armor had some distinguishing characteristics, so he was probably an officer of some kind. The urgent tone of his voice caused Adric's stomach to flip.

"We've got movement of enemy forces that have circled around the village! They are closing in as we speak."

A numbing shock took over Adric as he heard those words. Barely keeping him away from the edge of despair.

Again?!

The gods were not done with this village today it would seem, and never more did Adric's weary body and bones wish to let down the mantle of head of this small village.

Knees almost buckling before the adrenaline coursing through his body began to carry him once more to his house so that he may warn the people. Heavy, leadlike movements kept him jostled as his mind began to think of the terrors that might await them if a stronger group were to come.

Would the soldiers or the strangers save them? Now that we are just some ruined village instead of saving themselves.

That the net had already been tied unlike with the knights earlier. This forewarning would do nothing for them unless either party would act. Only the fear of the impending, unstoppable death that seemed to be their fate.

…

Many of you have come before me to question how they might serve the will of the gods, despite the weakness that they have not purged from themselves. That the gods would not care for their struggling to overcome weakness.

To them I have this to say, 'lo, behold the wisdom of the true gods,

It was to the weak and downtrodden that they first reappeared, a village under siege much as we are. Smiting the forces of wickedness and sin.

And when pressed for a reward by the people did the great god Ainz did reply

"Knowledge"

What the villagers did not know that their agreement was proof to Lord Ainz that they were worthy to become the first to benefit and grow their own strength as long as they showed faith in him and the other Supreme Beings.

So, the villagers did and become the center of a great city they would one day become by following His will. It is from this happy tale that the Other first appeared. To spite this teaching of the true meaning of justice,

The Other arose, that would lay waste to us, The harbinger of all weakness and his herald.

- Neia's sermons to the People of the Holy Kingdom 1:5

...

AN: Thanks for reading again!

Brief statement from the author on delays: started new job, was interesting past couple months, thanks to all for continuing interest.

The lead up to Carne Village happens mostly like it normally did, except with a lot more Touch Me. Hopefully this should give you a bit more insight into the ways that I'm trying to set up his character outside dreary man wants to be moody, and the role that I want him to play in this story. As for the 'Battle of Carne Village' I felt content to just let it happen off-screen and force Momonga to take his first step to becoming Ainz.

Ultimately that and editing the village chief's POV took the most time as I wanted to strike a good balance. Speaking of Adric, by now it should come as no surprise that I like expanding on the bit role characters. It was either him or Albedo and I was more in the mood to write from a new worlders perspective.

Its also why I de-emphasized the hell out of meeting Gazef, once again its handled well elsewhere and I have other plans for him.

To respond to some reviews:

Decrement: I feel that Bukubuku just swung out the 'no sex rule' and peroroncino just died inside when it passed.

Guests: sorry for long update, and I want this to have more humor. Its what I really enjoyed about overlord. Genocide in the back, poor mr skeleton can't stop failing his way upward in the front.

Ryuuji Vantek: Its more a reason to justify avoidance than the real reason. I just think that it also wouldn't mesh well with her character as I have it laid out for her to jump straight into doting or motherly. I mean for as much time as she may have spent creating them its another to have two kids show up

AL: That's kinda more the idea with this story as it picks up steam. Like the baseline of the story is happening but it's just better to follow along the tangents or differences these people make. I don't want it to just be a rpg whole party gets one quirky comment per scene.

Pontiac56: The main reason I wanted to create this story was that I felt that it would be interesting to see how and why the opinions of NPCs would change about their creators. Its been stated many times in the LN that if Ainz said white was black everyone would agree instantly in Nazarick, the thing is, its not just Ainz now.

Van: I'm interested too. Ainz has always been a people pleaser to me, and I've added in his favorite people.

Wacko12: Basic race is tree ent, but I'm thinking something like a sapling of world tree to explain his more op abilities racial finishing class in the way of eclipse for overlord.

And to rmarcano, semtex, bluebuble, and the keeper of worlds as well as all you who enjoyed and read this, thank you. The next chapter won't take as long.

And the next Chapter is: Ignition

Until then

-InkBlotches37