This was the second otherworldly winter Momonga had the pleasure to witness ever since he and his friends had arrived in this world. Being undead, he found the cold weather a bit more enjoyable, preferring it over the blazing hot sun of summer, though his natural resistances mattered little when it came to the sense of temperature. Rather, it was the change of scenery and the overall dying down of commotion across his nation that he cherished. Warm-blooded or not, both the citizens and the guests of Tempest preferred to stay indoors during this time of the year, choosing to seek refuge from the frosty gales and snow.
On the other hand, Pero, being the minister of finance and owner of the second largest corporation in the Western world, had strategically positioned himself to exploit the cold season for immense profit and further gains than ever before. Hundreds of production facilities, both within and beyond Nazarick, buzzed with activity and were creating goods that were destined to become hot commodities during the chill. These wares ranged from sleds that Momonga had only ever seen in animations to instant hot chocolate filled with so much sugar that the Overlord dared not to sample them a second time. Under the avian entrepreneur's direction, countless employees sold these products across the continent.
Indeed, they were an overwhelming success, doing even better than their summer counterparts. With tens of thousands of gold coins pouring into Tempestian pockets every day, his companies were in no way in the red, including the smaller ones.
Today, Momonga was immersed in reviewing various reports in his office, focusing on military progress, as usual. The months following Hinata's, or more accurately, Ker's defeat, had been relatively uneventful in terms of large-scale conflict. The Falmuth takeover was progressing rather slowly in his opinion, and the constant need to produce more soldiers just to have total control over newly acquired territories was a tedious process that drained away time and resources. Achieving full dominion over a nation with an estimated population of forty million was no easy feat, and so far, only about sixty percent of the humans were under Tempest's complete control. Meanwhile, the human death toll had surpassed a million, with their corpses and souls safely stored in Nazarick, and the numbers only seemed to climb as the weeks went on.
The remainder of the Falmuthian peoples, isolated from the rest of the world and driven to a state of extreme scarcity and borderline starvation, were still defiant. This was mostly due to the church's heavy influence on their common sense and morality, which were ingrained so deeply that they couldn't be snuffed out as easily. However, time was on Tempest's side. The Western council had declared their neutrality in the conflict, even if some of the more involved members had sent letters pressing Tempest to accept the human nation's surrender and leave it independent, albeit heavily indebted to the monster nation in the form of legally mandated war reparations.
Luminous had firmly entrenched herself, leveraging the church to rally more support from among the human nations, though with increasingly desperate measures and rapidly diminishing results. This was because Demiurge had orchestrated dozens of counterintelligence operations, not only spreading propaganda that highlighted the ease with which monsters and humans could coexist - using Blumund as the prime example - but also staging many false flag operations to destabilize and undermine their enemies. The cunning demon also utilized numerous church captives to perform acts of terrorism against outspoken supporters of Tempest within the human nations, inciting public outrage over the attacks on civilians and, particularly, merchant pockets. Moreover, he even deployed a doppelganger resembling an older Yuuki to make it seem that the church-affiliated imposter was behind most of the attacks, thereby tarnishing the actual Yuuki's reputation and sabotaging the Free Guild.
Unfortunately, the real Yuuki hadn't taken the bait by retaliating in any form; instead, he chose to hide. The man was careful and learned from his mistakes. This didn't come to anyone's surprise, considering what they had learned of him. It was highly likely that Yuuki, under Ker's directives, was preparing a major large-scale offensive that would be aimed straight at Nazarick, and in particular, Momonga himself.
'I suppose we should've gone directly for his head when we had the chance. I won't underestimate him again. And Ker, what is she planning next? Now that she's aware of Rubedo, open warfare seems unlikely. She'll probably opt for more covert strategies or return even stronger than before. Hmm… If only I had someone to ask about how Gods like her function.'
As the ultimate leader of Nazarick, it fell on his shoulders to ensure the safety of his subjects by any means necessary, but when it came to dealing with incorporeal enemies like her, even Veldora and Ramiris were at a loss. To them, the only true God was Veldanava, a narrative spun by the seemingly deceased Creator God of this world.
When he tried using Omniscience to glimpse into the divine realm or survey the inner workings of the world, the only responses Momonga got were incomprehensible and enigmatic whispers from beyond. It appeared that the answers were out there, but he simply lacked the means to interpret them. The notion that Ker, with her vengeful nature, likely had made enemies among Gods had crossed his mind numerous times. However, the feasibility of uncovering such information and the method to approach these potential allies remained elusive to him. It seemed that only time would tell.
Having concluded his review of the military reports and his reflections on them, Momonga turned his attention to the next item on his agenda for the day: a meeting with Demiurge. As always, the crafty floor guardian had some sort of scheme in mind and wanted his approval.
Shion, serving as the de facto secretary, led Demiurge into the room and closed the door behind her, giving them near-complete privacy. With Albedo being preoccupied with her responsibilities as the Prime Minister and Shalltear acting as her father's second in command, neither was available for secretarial duties. This left Shion to temporarily assume the position, provided she didn't abuse it too much to spend more personal time with Momonga.
"Greetings, Lord Momonga. Thank you for devoting your valuable time to consider my rather time-sensitive proposal," Demiurge said, bowing deeply.
"Think nothing of it. Your insights are always of great value," Momonga replied, motioning for the demon to take a seat.
The once persistent issue of his subordinates declining to sit down or accept beverages and other refreshments had been amicably resolved as of late. The winning argument was that excessive formalities were counterproductive, especially when superiors preferred more casual and relaxed interactions, and his underlings had finally understood it that way.
With this in mind, Demiurge didn't hesitate and readily took the offered seat, even accepting a cup of tea from Diablo, who had teleported in at just the right time. Unlike many others, Diablo had a knack for arriving in Momonga's office precisely when needed, seemingly always looking out for any opportune moment to do so.
"In two hours, an unofficial delegation representing the Western Council will arrive at Free Guild's headquarters to have a meeting with our 'Yuuki' to discuss the potential of expanding the corporation's reach and its protective role. Given the church's increasingly frantic actions, the humans are seeking alternative means to maintain the stability of their sphere of influence." The demon's ever-present smirk widened. "In my humble opinion, this presents an ideal moment to execute a false flag operation to raise outrage and indignation amongst the guild members."
"I already authorized the use of such tactics. Is there a specific aspect you need to confirm?" Momonga inquired, puzzled as to why the conversation was even taking place.
"I seek your full endorsement, my Lord, for there may be overarching strategies from the Supreme Beings that I'm unaware of," Demiurge stated, a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"...Very well, go on then."
"I propose to stage the destruction of the Free Guild's headquarters while their meeting takes place, which would eradicate most of the guild's leadership and position Kagali as the only viable replacement. Leading this operation would be a doppelganger posing as the older Yuuki."
"Do you believe that this will compel the real Yuuki to make a move?"
"Unfortunately, that is unlikely, but it will certainly provoke a response from the Rosso family." Demiurge sounded quite mortified, no doubt stopping himself from bowing down in apology.
'The Rossos? Right, they're the Guild's largest shareholders and have constantly vied with Pero for financial sway within the human nations,' Momonga mused. This royal lineage was from a modest kingdom adjacent to Tempest's domain and had done its best to stay under the radar of the monsters, but their influence could be seen everywhere. Pero had once compared them to the hidden dynasties of old Earth that controlled all banking and owned numerous mega-corporations, lamenting that almost every move he made had been resisted or outright countered by these people.
"I approve of your proposal, regarding the Rossos, why haven't you established surveillance over them? Do we lack specters and shadow demons?" Momonga questioned. It was atypical for Demiurge to overlook potential threats, especially those with a history of defying Tempest.
"With the need to keep our territories under total watch, I have not yet put eyes on every human nation, and our initial observations were detected by a rather perplexing member of the family, Granbell Rosso. His awareness of specters, akin to Elmesia's, may suggest that he possesses an Ultimate skill. Furthermore, records of this man are scarce, but he is still reputed to be over a thousand years old and was once celebrated as a hero among humans." Demiurge explained, straining to keep his composure as he recognized the gravity of his near-unforgivable failures.
"I see. This cannot be a mere coincidence. Truthfully, I suspect that Yuuki and Ker may try to exploit him against us in some way. There is also a chance that Yuuki has taken refuge there, knowing that our surveillance would not reach him if he did so. It seems that we've been presented with two options. We either initiate a preemptive strike or engage in diplomacy, creating an illusion of ceding human nations to the Rossos in exchange for their allegiance. Demiurge, which course of action do you deem more prudent?" Momonga deliberated, weighing the potential responses to either action.
Demiurge perked up at that, reminiscent of an A-grade student in class when asked a question he knew the answer to. "While a preemptive strike would be preferable, it risks complicating the Falmuth takeover and could drive the human nations to abandon all hope in any possible peaceful cooperation, especially should we eliminate a royal family without any clear cause. Were I to preposterously address this challenge alone and without your all-knowing oversight, my Lord, I would initially pursue diplomacy, seeking subtle influence while discreetly unraveling their power structure to dismantle it without arousing suspicion among the other nations"
"...I was of the same opinion. It seems that our minds align once more," Momonga responded, offering the affirmation the demon always sought, knowing full well of his delight in such praise. "Employ whatever resources necessary as leverage. You are permitted to arrange a direct meeting with the Rossos should they decide on a visit to Tempest."
Aware that the truly powerful beings of this world were laying low for now, Momonga couldn't simply overlook the possibility that Granbell might rival Chronoa in power, which would render an undercover assassination all but impossible for even their best operatives. And with the ramifications of a public execution, the best course of action was to maintain a facade of friendliness and bide their time for an opportune moment. If how Yuuki managed to slip away was any indication, then it was far better to be over-prepared than to risk complacency. For now, Momonga could afford to sit back and watch the events unfold from a distance.
It was merely two hours later when Demiurge began executing his operation to utter perfection. The fallout was immediate: the once-revered church of Luminism faced massive backlash. Unprepared for such a turn of events, numerous high-ranking operatives were forced to retreat to Ruberios, severing ties with many human nations altogether amidst an already precarious situation.
Yuuki's popularity was undeniable; he was a downright idol to not only multiple guild members but also those who thought him to be one of the noblest otherworlders to ever walk this world. After all, he single-handedly transformed the Free Guild from a ragtag band of loosely connected guild branches to the powerhouse it was in the present day, safeguarding virtually every human nation. His reworked danger assist system had decreased adventurer casualties by ninety percent in a few short years, rapidly elevating the prestige of the profession, on top of making it more profitable. Those who had met him publicly knew him as a kindhearted and cheerful person, always ready to extend a helping hand.
For the church to murder such an individual in their fanaticism was truly an unforgivable offense, was it not? Perhaps such an action would be justified if it wasn't for the clergy's attempts at trying to shift the blame on Tempest. Who would ever believe that the monster nation would kill one of their staunchest allies just to discredit the church?
Editing by aidan_lo and Zprotu.
Proofreading by Zprotu, Sluethen, athrav, Malguis, Working_Stiff, FantasyTroll, Antilene, Cakeeight, aidan_lo, Thea, Lightflan and NuggetLover.
AN: Thank you for reading the story, and if you have caught up to the latest chapter, you can check out my other work or join my discord server (https://discord.gg/WmGKVU3XG2) where additional chapters are available or if you are interested in becoming a beta reader (gives access to chapters months ahead of regular readers).