The ninth floor was predictably magnificent. But then again, he would expect nothing less from the direct creation of the Supreme Beings and the floor where they once dwelled. To his direct knowledge, only the Supreme Overlord of the Great Tomb remains. Lord Momonga himself. There were rumors of other supreme beings returning, but he didn't have any information beyond that.
Demiurge, the guardian of the seventh floor, assumed that his creator has not returned, else he would have come to see how his own creation is performing his duties. As confident as he was in his abilities, that nagging thought that he had done a flawed job persisted. After all, he was just a creation of a Supreme Being, not one himself.
With a steady stride, he walked towards his destination, the dwelling of the Guardian Overseer Albedo. She wished to discuss something important enough to call him up from his post. Like everyone in the tomb, he instinctively knew the entire layout of the tomb and who was responsible for each part, but one thing was strange. Albedo's room was at the same location as the quarters of the Supreme Ones.
The door he now stood in front of all but confirmed it. Albedo had called him to the quarters of a Supreme One. There were too few known variables to assume a concrete answer for now. Careful questioning may reveal more.
Demiurge quickly cleaned his round glasses with a handkerchief, checked his red suit with white vertical stripes for any dust or ruffling and quickly adjusted any unruly strain of his spiked hair. No stains were on his long spiked silver-colored, almost metallic tail or his black gloves. The black leather boots were polished to a shine. With his appearance in order, he could proceed.
With a professional smile on his face and a glint in his crystalline eyes, he knocked on the door.
"Come in." a melodic voice said.
With permission granted, he opened the door and was met with the stunning Guardian Overseer sitting on a sofa. As all the creations of the Supreme Ones, she too was impeccable.
"Albedo, it is a pleasure to meet you in person."
"Likewise Demiurge. Please sit down. I have a need for your input in a few matters."
The map on the table quickly caught his interest. A cave system with a clear sign of Nazarick's entrance. It was an easy guess that this was the only information about the outside world, but that would mean that not only the Tomb itself and everyone inside had changed, but also it wasn't located in the swamps of Helheim anymore. More information was required.
With a moment to spare, Demiurge quickly observed the rest of his surroundings. These indeed were the quarters of a Supreme One, with mostly the basic layout and furnishings a new member of the Ainz Ooal Gown would receive. There was a possibility Albedo had already ascended, but the chances were low and the more likely explanation was Lord Momonga's generosity towards the overseer.
"Look at this." Albedo pointed at the map and then dragged her gloved finger towards the empty spot on the map. "This is all our current knowledge of the outside world. From what I gathered, anyone who stepped outside is automatically acclimated to the current surroundings with a quick repurposing of innate and learned abilities into a new set of abilities called skills. Only pop monsters have been tested in such a manner at this point. Also, scouts reported sensing a natural vibration of magical energy in the air and pinpointed a source generating it at this location. With the possibility of being backtracked, I have not yet sent an investigation team there."
"Hmm, this sounds intriguing. Did Lord Momonga provide any answers?"
"No, he claimed that the transportation to this new location and subsequent changes in ourselves were not his doing. Lord Momonga has entrusted me with scouting operations while he ponders on deeper matters in his quarters."
"I see."
'Lord Momonga is clearly testing us to see if we are capable of discovering the new circumstances ourselves. No doubt he already knows what is going on and expects us to at least approximate the situation.'
"My course of action would be to send agents that are unnoticeable in a dark environment. We could use Kyouhukou's children, as they would likely just blend in perfectly with the cave system. Also, if the outside world changes one's abilities, proper testing should start as soon as possible. I would prefer to send out a few shadow demons at the very least."
"Excellent suggestions. There is another matter I would need to discuss with you."
"Go on."
"It's more of a hypothetical question… If you would have to choose between Lord Momonga and any other Supreme Being, which side would you take?"
"Albedo, why such a question? The Supreme Beings would know better than we where to position us."
"Yes and if that Supreme Being would order you to harm Lord Momonga?"
"You think there is a possibility of such an event?"
"I don't know. I just want to assure Lord Momonga's safety."
"Did something happen? On what are you even basing it?"
"Lord Peroroncino and Lady Bukubukuchagama returned and their reaction to the new circumstance was, let's just say, not too positive."
"Albedo, it is blasphemous to assume Supreme Ones would fight each other."
"I am not assuming they will ever fight, but it is better to be prepared if that ever happens. I'm sure you understand what I mean."
The determination in Albedo's face made it more than clear that she had made up her mind already and there must have been an incident to warrant such a response. The response hierarchy was clear in his mind. His Creator, Lord Ulbert Alain Odle, then Lord Momonga, and only then the rest of the Supreme Ones. But to attack Lord Momonga even if his own creator orders it seemed unthinkable. Should he even reveal his true feelings on the matter to her? Did he have any reason to mistrust the Guardian Overseer?
"Your creator is not back. As far as I know, neither is mine. I am asking where you will stand if there is a conflict between Lord Momonga and Lord Peroroncino and Lady Bukubukuchagama."
"With Lord Momonga, of course. But it is our duty to do everything to avoid such a possibility ever happening."
"Of course. It is our sworn duty to aid them however we can and to help resolve any potential conflict." Albedo said with a light smile.
Her behavior was suspicious. Did she have her own agenda? That wasn't likely. He could sense that there was a light touch of Lord Momonga in the guardian overseer. Yes, that's it. Lord Momonga, in his infinite wisdom, had made precautions to ensure his own safety and made subtle, almost undetectable changes in the most important NPC in the entire Great Tomb.
Demiurge could only admire the planning capabilities of the one who stood above them all. Lord Momonga didn't need to act on his suspicion of potential betrayal of other Supreme Beings; one slight change in one NPC assured his plan's success. To even attempt to guess all the intricate details of Lord Momonga's planning would be the height of arrogance. If he, as a lowly servant, will need to know something, surely Lord Momonga will relay it in his subtle and calculating ways.
"Then I'll trust your judgment. I assume your plan involves more of the NPC's and not just me in this 'delicate' matter?"
"For now I prefer to discuss it with as few guardians as possible. If the suspicions turn out to be unfounded, I would hate to cause conflict between the Supreme Ones. There is one more we could trust, but unfortunately, I have no direct access to the treasury."
"Understandable. Is the treasury's guardian trustworthy enough? I have next to no information about the one who guards the vaults."
"He is called Pandora's Actor and is the only direct creation of Lord Momonga himself."
'So the treasury is guarded by the only NPC that would hold loyalty to Lord Momonga above everyone else.'
Demiurge couldn't hold back a smirk anymore. The more he found out about the ruler of Nazarick, the more impressed he became. Truly, the Supreme Overlord held complete control over Nazarick in the most subtle of ways.
"Then, for now, we operate under an assumption that conflict between Supreme Ones is possible but unprovable and just observe the situation and update our course of action depending on circumstance?"
"Yes, I will update you if there are any changes, and just in case, be prepared for anything."
"Understood," Demiurge said, getting up.
"It was a pleasure to meet and talk to you in person, Guardian Overseer. I will take my leave and return to my post."
"Likewise." Albedo responded with a light smile. There was just one ruler of Nazarick and she was prepared to do everything to keep lord Momonga safe, even from the other Supreme Ones.
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Momonga walked through Ashurbanipal, the grand library of Nazarick. Even with the guidance of librarians, the navigation of the enormous place wasn't easy. Even by a rough estimation, over a million various books were stored there. Some of the Ainz Ooal Gown members got obsessed with filling the place with all books that weren't copyright protected just for the sake of it.
His current goal was to find books about management and leadership. Even though one could say the NPCs of Nazarick were born yesterday, the fear that Albedo will eventually catch on to him just bullshitting his way through and letting her do all the planning was still there.
The Guardian Overseer was frighteningly intelligent and, despite the assumed loyalty, there was always a chance she and the other denizens of Nazarick could turn on him and his friends once the truth of them being just humans got out.
But was he human anymore? With no need to eat, sleep and even breathe, on top of emotional suppression, he was a human in memory only. There was just one NPC in the entire tomb that was human, Aureole Omega, the seventh Pleiades maid, but even she was considered an immortal human that by all means was something different from a regular Japanese salaryman.
Those questions would have to be addressed over time, but for now, he had a role to play, the ruler of Nazarick. So there was an urgent need to learn how to appear like one. Luckily, there was enough literature to learn from.
There was this underlying understanding of where each book in the library was so there was no need to pester the overly eager librarians for information; if anything Momonga tried to shake off one following him by teleporting around the library but somehow the undead helper found him again and again in record time.
It was a minor annoyance, but an ever-present one. Unless he retired to his bedroom, there was always someone near him, ready to respond to his every whim.
With a few books on leadership and management and body language in his inventory, it was time to retreat to his only safe space and practice. With no need for sleep, a few hours of practice would not hurt and maybe the NPCs would not figure out that he was just playing a role too soon.
There were a few intrusions concerning Albedo sending reports, but for now, nothing much changed and there was no information about the outside world besides some ominous magical energy source and a cave system without a path to the overworld, if there even was one.
Anti-spy measures were a must to not be caught in a compromising situation, so the necessary spells were put in place. There still was a need to test offensive abilities, but utility spells worked without a hitch so it wasn't a very pressing matter.
First, an hour or two of just reading and then pose practice in front of the mirror. Hand movements, posture, and most importantly, to sound like a ruler. The first attempts to talk with himself were less than successful. To face his reflection and then put up a role made him want to disappear into the ground out of shame.
But it was needed so no matter how shameful and anxiety invoking the practice was. A few hours in, some basics were drilled in on top of all the previous role-playing experience.
A dismissive hand wave gave the most satisfaction. It just looked so cool and refined. With another report from Albedo coming in, this was the time to end the practice session and talk to his, now, second in command.
Edited by Edgy.