His destination was a large hall. There were rows of narrow mortuary slabs on both sides of him, but there were no corpses on them now. The floor was polished limestone. Behind Momonga was a flight of stairs leading down, and at their end was a set of double doors, through which one could access the First Floor of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. The sconces in the walls had no torches; the only light came from the bluish-white moonlight streaming in from the outside.
This was the closest location to the surface that the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown could take him, the central mausoleum on the surface of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.
All he needed to do was take a few steps to reach the outside world. But despite the vast space before him, Momonga could not take those steps.
That was because of the thoroughly unexpected encounter before him.
The silhouettes of heteromorphic beings loomed before him. There were three monsters in total.
One of them looked like a fearsome demon. Fangs protruded from its mouth and its body was covered in scales. It had stout arms and sharp claws, as well as flaming wings and a snake-like tail.
Another was a feminine-looking monster with a crow's head, dressed in a tight-fitting bondage outfit.
The final one wore full plate armor that was open at the chest, proudly revealing its abdominal muscles. If not for the black bat wings and the two horns protruding from its temples, it might have been mistaken for a beautiful young man. However, its eyes held a desire that knew no limit.
They were the Evil Lords of Wrath, Jealousy(Lust), and Greed, respectively.
All the Evil Lords turned their attention to Momonga, but they did not move, only watching with their unwavering gazes. The grim atmosphere weighed down on everyone present.
They were all monsters around level eighty or so, and they should have been assigned to sentry duty around the Infernal Shrine where Demiurge lived, near the gate to the Eighth Floor. Shalltear's undead minions should have been stationed in the upper floors to stand guard. So what were Demiurge's subordinates, his elite guards, doing in here?
Behind them was one more figure. Momonga had not noticed him until now, but it had been watching Momonga from the beginning. Once he revealed himself, everything became clear.
"Demiurge…"
A surprised look appeared on the demon who had been addressed by name (Demiurge). That look seemed to be saying "why would his master be here," or "why would there be a mysterious monster here."
Momonga decided to place his bet on a slim possibility, and advanced. If he stopped now, it would be a miracle if his true identity was not uncovered. In any event, his plan was to slowly move forward while staying near the wall, ignoring the monsters and walking past them.
He was fully aware that their eyes were on him. However, Momonga suppressed his feelings of weakness with sheer willpower, held his chest high, and continued moving forward.
Once they had gotten close enough to each other, all the demons simultaneously genuflected, bowing their heads to him. The one at their head was, of course, Demiurge. His neat movements were slick and elegant, as though he were a nobleman.
"Momonga-sama. May I ask why you have come here, without your escort, and dressed like this?"
The cat was out of the bag.
Demiurge could be said to be the wisest being in The Great Tomb of Nazarick, so being seen through was inevitable. However, Momonga felt that the reason he had been seen through was because of the teleportation.
Only one person in Nazarick possessed the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown that permitted its bearer to teleport freely through its halls — Momonga.
"Ah… it's complicated. Demiurge, you should know why I am wearing this."
Demiurge's elegant face twisted in consternation. He took several breaths before answering:
"My deepest apologies for being unable to divine your fathomless intentions, Momonga-sama—"
"Call me Dark Warrior."
"Pardon me, Dark Warrior-sama…?"
Demiurge seemed to have something to say, but Momonga tried his best to ignore it. Although it was a pretty embarrassing name, it made sense when one considered the names of other monsters in the game.
The reason behind having Demiurge address him by a different name was quite simple. Although only Demiurge and his vassals were here at the moment, this place was an exit, and many underlings would be passing through here. Momonga simply did not want them to call him "Momonga-sama, Momonga-sama," wherever he went.
How much did Demiurge understand without knowing Momonga's thoughts? Just then, a look of enlightenment filled Demiurge's face.
"I see… so that's what's going."
Eh? What's going on?
Momonga stopped himself from speaking the words in his heart.
As a mortal man, Momonga had no idea what conclusion that Demiurge, intelligent and cunning beyond measure, had come to after his ruminations. All he could do was hope that Demiurge realised his true intentions as his head was covered in nonexistent cold sweat under his helmet.
"I believe I have some grasp on your profound schemes, Mo… no, Dark Warrior-sama. Truly, they are considerations that only the ruler of this domain would have taken into account. However, I cannot allow your noble self to proceed unaccompanied. I am aware that it may inconvenience you, but I hope that in your boundless mercy, you will permit one of us to escort you."
"...It can't be helped. Very well, I will allow one person to travel with me."
Demiurge smiled elegantly.
"My deepest thanks for humoring my selfish request, Dark Warrior-sama."
"...Just call me Dark Warrior, you can dispense with the honorifics."
"How could I!? To do so would be unforgivable. Of course, I can obey such an order while acting as a spy or performing special missions, but within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, how could anyone not show the respect due to yourself, Momonga-sama… no, Dark Warrior-sama!"