A dapper devil marched the ever-clean halls of the ninth floor. He had just finished his provisional duties in the seventh, leaving the rest, unimportant ones with his Evil Lord bodyguards. As he did not have any luck finding his Lord, and neither had any Overseer to contact for a middle-ground, he took the cautionary decision of visiting him at his own quarters. What he found, however…
"Cixous, is something the matter?"
The Homunculus maid fidgeted, spooked by the arch-devil's sudden appearance.
"Lord Demiurge!" She all but bawled out. Seeing what she had done, the maid slapped her own cheeks to regain her composure. "Lord Ainz hasn't let me into his room!"
Cixous looked like she would drop at the floor in despair at any moment.
"It's been six minutes that I haven't been serving Lord Ainz! He never had a problem letting us in before, I could have done something to personally displease him and I wouldn't know!"
She was practically begging to be put out of her misery. Having such thoughts going through his head, the possibility of Lord Ainz having abandoned them crossed his mind for but a microsecond before Demiurge remembered the banter he shared with his comrades the night before.
With a wide grin suddenly forming at the edges of his lips, Demiurge tried reassuring the panicked maid.
"I wouldn't have you worry, Cixous. If I am correct, I believe I can lead the both of us to just where Lord Ainz might be."
Seeing Demiurge coolly readjusting his glasses after gave was enough to give Cixous hope.
"If you would be so kind, Demiurge-Sama!" The arch-devil smirked at the consoled maid, happy he had put her out of her emotional turmoils.
"Very well. We're off to the second floor then! [Greater Teleportation]!"
"The Supreme One will meet you soon enough."
Demiurge smiled, watching as all the pieces fell into place. His lord had already outpaced the predictions of his plans, learning just yesterday of his intentions with Shalltear, and now here they were at the vampire's own chambers.
"Just as I told you, Cixous…" The fidgety maid could hear the devil murmur under his breath. As foreboding and untidy this floor was, she was gratified she could see her lord again.
In another room, an Overlord who had just gotten his clothes back on regally exited Shalltear's chamber. He was met with the bowing of several vampire brides, suddenly all the more cheerful and ecstatic. Frankly, one or two looked even manic.
'It would feel weird to leave without saying a word to them, I'm afraid of how they're going to treat me now though…'
"Thanks for attending us, I hope all of you will continue to serve Shalltear well."
"We couldn't possibly…!"One of the brides spoke out aghast before covering her own mouth. Ainz could only suffer in silence realizing they must have misunderstood him already.
"Ahem, forgive us for her." The bride with a golden tiara made her presence known, clapping her hands together, making two other brides suddenly pick up and carry the misspoken one to some dark room.
"Your thanks are wasted on us, Overlord-sama. We are eager to treat you and Lady Shalltear whenever you desire."
"Umu. Well, Shalltear must be really tired now, so it's best I leave and give her some time to rest."
Ainz could only nod and turn to the exit, trying his best to ignore the squeaks and flirtatious gossip coming from behind him as he left the room.
Behind the transparent frills of the pink curtains covering the Adipocere Chambers, Ainz could already see the arch-devil and his own maid for the day waiting for him.
'Damn it, it's never good for a boss to arrive late to his subordinates, I'll need a good enough reason.'
Tossing the curtains aside, the Overlord tried his best to maintain his kingly presence.
"It appears my dealings with Shalltear took more time than I anticipated. I hope nothing too precarious happened in my absence."
The tiny maid looked like she wanted to speak up, but the anxious demon spoke over for her.
"Nonsense, my lord! It is of our own fault to not better anticipate your plans. Had I had the foresight for it, I could have directed Cixous here much earlier."
"Yes, Ainz-sama!" The maid felt abysmally small next to these two. "Please let me serve you with the remaining time I have left!"
'You just lost a few minutes of work, was it really that bad?' Ainz mentally slapped himself in the face, feeling he was being inconsiderate to his completely loyal subordinates.
"Umu. Of course, Cixous, You can stay by my side for the rest of the day."
Seeing her Overlord raising his arm towards her, Cixous quickly scampered beneath the wing of her master, right below his arm and robes.
"Thanks for facilitating Cixous' work, Demiurge. But I wouldn't believe you came here just for that."
The arch-devil's diamond eyes shone brightly, his body already in a bow.
"It's just as you predicted, my lord. I'd rather speak in a more personal place, though. I would have loved Shalltear to come along too, but I imagine she must be quite at rest now."
It was a gamble, finished off with a smirk from the devil. To do his best as a subordinate following his leader's immaculate plan, he needed to know he was working in the right direction.
"Ahem- That's... It's just as you say, Demiurge. We should move back to the throne room for further discussions."
"Terrific! I mean no embarrassment to you, lord. I see only wonders ahead coming for the great Tomb."
'That wasn't even a second! It's like I have no privacy with Demiurge around!' He suddenly felt calmer. 'He seems approving of it, he must have expected it to come for a long time now, ever since their ritual of fidelity.'
Ainz sighed so only himself could hear. 'It must come with being a ruler...'
"Umu, let's head on. [Gate]"
The all-but-aimless Void manifested in front of them, a vision of the Throne of Kings laying at the other side. Cixous tried her best to hold onto her lord's cape as the two followed Demiurge in, leaving the graveyard behind.
Now alone, one of the vassal vampire brides diligently walked towards her mistress' room. An air of vampiric mana still lingered in the atmosphere surrounding it, letting a dirty smile almost creep into her face.
She knocked twice on the door. "Lady Shalltear? The Supreme One has left with Demiurge, may we come inside?"
After not getting an answer, she opened the door with some hesitation. Shalltear was sitting in bed, her hair all messy and her face scruffy.
"Lady Shalltear?"
"Yes, yesss...I want something to drink, arinsu~"
The vampire bride bowed. "It will be done, oh mistress."
Just as she turned around to exit the room, something in her senses screamed that she staid still.
"I didn't tell you to leaaveeee me…"
The bride was pulled back against her will, like a great hurricane was pulling her into Shalltear's bed. She could see the wicked face of her mistress, her fangs grown out and her eyes flaming, pure orbs of red.
"I said I wanted something to drink, and you will do jussssst fine!"
Having her fate laid out for her, the vampire bride flashed out a scared, perverted smile staring deep into Shalltear's crimson eyes. With her dress torn apart by the True Vampire's tongue, she could do nothing as Shalltear would lunge her fangs and drink deeply from her now naked chest.
Standing in the throne room, Ainz Ooal Gown called forth the guild weapon he longed to use. It had been within his possession all this time inside the tomb, he could even feel the faint anticipation from it when he was sparring with Cocytus, and who knows what wicked buffs of negative energy it provided him while he was lounging with Shalltear.
"The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, my lord? And not the replica from what I can tell." The ever discerning Demiurge motioned toward the supreme staff, the weapon most fitting to the ruler of the supreme beings.
"You're correct, Demiurge. I've been carrying it ever since I brought Albedo to the throne room." The Overlord hummed. 'I had no idea what to expect then, if the NPCs really did turn against me…'
Demiurge tensed up seeing his lord clutching the guild weapon ever so tighter. If his lord ever so chose too, just destroying it would bring him and all his comrades to ash.
Of course, if that was the wish of the Supreme Being, he could only accept in earnest, but having that happen would mean his failure as a servant of the supreme ones.
"W-Well my lord." The arch-devil nervously adjusted his own glasses, getting Ainz to raise an invisible eyebrow towards him.
"Ahem, forgive me. Following Albedo's deposition as overseer, I must raise alarm that several functions of the Tomb may enter jeopardy if no systems are put in place to replace her."
Ainz only nodded in response, urging Demiurge to continue.
"Of course, for a supreme one such as yourself there must be no issue putting these pieces back in place, but there is another concern I wanted to raise, Ainz-sama. If you would permit me?"
'Aaah, hopefully it's nothing too bad. I thought the Tomb was working well enough before, but it's like the whole place flipped upside down overnight!'
"Your input is most valid, Demiurge. Please continue."
There were few things the Golden Princess had to worry for in her life now.
Indeed, even in this tomb of monsters, she had achieved all she ever wanted. Eternal life with her most beloved toy.
It didn't matter the cost, one orphanage, one city, one kingdom, she would have sacrificed as many needed to get here.
Her imp wings were fluttering ever so slightly as she sat by Climb's side. Oh, how she loved just staring, rubbing her hand across his face. Soon enough, she believed, his transformation would be complete.
"And when it is...hah...hah…."
Her eyes widened terrifically, her heart beat increasing like she had just been gravelly wounded, the rush of emotions just at the thought of all the ways she'll spend eternity with her Climb, it was maddening, it was so-
Knock-Knock-Knock.
She raised immediately, quickly feeling for any imperfections in her face. There were only two people who ever came to see her, the two of them cunning demons with unparalleled intellect. Frankly, it terrified her, but as long as she could prove herself useful…
'Yes, they don't have any reason to erase me just yet...'
Renner scampered outside Climb's room and went to the doorway. She didn't know why the visitor didn't just teleport inside as they often did, but wondered no less as any odd thing could be a test of her competence.
Getting on one knee, Renner pronounced with the highest admiration in her voice.
"Please enter, I am ready to serve."
It seems her gamble was right. Walking through the door was a damsel whose beauty was unrivaled across all worlds. She carried herself with such splendor that even the most loyal men would be bewitched by her appearance, almost passing-off as human if not for the demonic horns sprouting from her head.
"My, my. Do you really need to prostate like that for me?"
The Succubus put a hand to her mouth, almost as if to hold back laughter.
"Lady Albedo-sama! Is there any help I can provide for the supreme one?"
'They barely requested my work since, but it's hard to imagine I can provide anything they don't have.'
"You may raise your head at once." The succubus walked past the princess, turning her head back to look at her. "And be a dear and follow me, won't you?"
She had to steel her heart for whatever was to come, only nodding and slowly matching her pace, trying not to tremble as she was lead back inside Climb's room.
"May I ask what we're doing here, Albedo-sama? Have you come to check up on my Climb?"
Renner asked without missing a beat. Even behind her smile she struggled to keep her pupils in place, one wrong move and she'd never be able to feel Climb's heartbeat again.
The silence was overwhelming. No noise could be heard from outside, only her own breathing kept her nerves in check, and only the magical light above them dimly painted the smirk of the overseer.
"L-Lady Albedo, is something wrong- KAGHH!"
It hurt to breathe. Her wings fluttered desperately while her legs trashed around in the air, desperately reaching for the ground below.
"Argh- A-Albedo-sama…" The princess' beautiful voice had gotten raspy. The Succubus has hanging her by her neck with only one hand, only staring up at her with a blank expression. Behind her, all she could see…
'Climb!'
She couldn't die now. She couldn't she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't.
Climb. Climb. Climb. Climb. Climb.
The name of the boy resonated millions of times inside the demon's head while she tried her hardest to grasp to fainting lucidity. What can she do in this situations? How does she escape, how does she survive?
"Fuh-[Firebal-"
CRASH
Before the spell could even fizzle, Albedo smashed the body of the princess at the wall behind her. Various cracks could be heard throughout her body as she fell almost limp on the floor, like the sound of stepping on dry autumn leaves; she felt like a bug crushed against the wall, the mush of her body squashed behind her.
If she was still a human, this hit alone would surely have killed her. She barely retained her vision as the splotches of blood on the wall fell again onto her, slowly covering her hair and face until it was all a mix of blood-stained gold.
Feeling the overwhelming taste of iron pooling around her throat, she desperately coughed out, each one hurting her throat more and more as she scratched around it. She knew she had to breathe to survive, but even in the mere moments she was being choked by Albedo, her neck felt half-way broken already.
Finally, with tears in her eyes, she coughed a big pool of blood and finally looked on the face of her master again, only to see two other figures silently watching behind her.
'Funny. I didn't realize it before, but Albedo-sama is not carrying that odd staff she always has on her...What a thing to think about now."
She was almost lamenting her own fate, did she truly fail like this, right when the dream she fought for was all but within her reach?
Just as she felt her eyelids growing heavier, a sudden move at the edge of the room shook her. A young, miserable boy tiredly opened his eyes, a dark crimson energy enveloping his body.
Turning his face toward the main group, the first thing he saw waking up terrified him.
Princess Renner was bruised, covered in blood and hanging at the edge of her life. A scorching mark wrapped around her neck, with the wall above her draped in a disgusting mass of scraped flesh.
"R-Renner-sama!"
The boy didn't have anything to fight with. He tried reaching for his sword, but it obviously wasn't there. The two other figures watched with perverted interest as he struggled to come up with a plan.
'Damn it, even if I feel stronger now…'
"Damn it, damn it all!"
Abandoning all precaution, the ever loyal knight rushed towards the enemy, trying any minuscule, pathetic hope he could grasp of saving the princess.
The dame in peril herself, however, protested against it.
"C-Climb, stop!"
"[Touch of Undeath]"
She was barely able to lift her head up to the heavens to cry that out, an infernal burning pain scalding at her throat. Fortunately, it seemed she didn't even need to, as Climb already laid paralyzed at the floor.
"It was a foolish attempt at a strike, backed by emotion without any preparation. At least the Fallen Seed seems to have granted some increased physical capabilities."
"It's just as you say my lord, although I'm impressed he got up so fast just after suffering that transformation."
"Humph. I've told you before, Demiurge. The human spirit lets you do fantastical, terrible things. It's good to see it in person sometimes, as unpredictable as they can be."
Renner only watched in more terror as the devil and the supreme being casually held conversation inside the gruesome nightmare she was living in. Only Albedo has stood still thus far, but even that would soon change.
"You did well too, Pandora's Actor."
The succubus' form melted and changed shape, a being she never saw before taking the place of the overseer she had known. Had this all been a trick from the start? Her mind was lost, so lost.
The blood still dripping from her head wasn't helping either.
The doll-like creature bowed, not even sparing a glance to her.
"Mein Gott! It is I who must give my thanks, for letting me use the plan I came up on my own!"
"Yes, even I have to admit it was pretty ingenuous, Pandora. I knew you were Lord Ainz's creation, but it never crossed my head the wisdom you might have instilled from him."
The arch-devil readjusted his glasses only with a sliver of jealousy to his words. In truth, he hoped he could understand his lord better through his creation.
The Overlord would be the one to speak next.
"I hope this soothes your anxious mind, Demiurge. You might have not thought much of him, but there is a reason Pandora's Actor was hidden in the treasury for so long."
'Actually, it's because I was too ashamed to let other see him, but seeing how things are going, there's only so many people around that can fill in the Overseer spot.'
"It's just as you say, lord. I hope to learn as much I can from you, Pandora."
Ainz swore he could see Pandora give him a smirk before the three returned to the business at hand.
"Now, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself...Humm, it would be troublesome to call you such a long name, I don't believe such noble titles matter much anymore, right?"
The bloodstained princess trembled, barely managing her composure to cough out approval.
"Very good." 'Yup, don't have to remember those names anymore.' "Even through all your contributions, we've barely had the time to speak ourselves. It's a shame, isn't it?"
He was overpowering. Even if she wasn't struggling just to hold her limbs from giving out on her, the ones that didn't feel disjointed as it, she knew he was a being she could never outwit.
'He's a supreme being, the darkness of space that clutches all those starry jewels to itself.'
"Y-Yes, my lord. I have spoken so much with Albedo, she never failed to mention your greatness."
The three monsters suddenly had a dark scowl to their faces, only for a second. Did she make the wrong move already?
"So she did, huh? That's exactly the problem. It turns out Albedo had a terrifying scheme behind our backs, and since she talked so much with you…"
The last bit of fear finally crept into her voice, she needed them to believe her!
"I, I didn't know anything! I only ever did as she commanded of me!"
"Spare your breath. I won't be as pitiful as torture the information out of you. [Dominate]."
Ainz sighed. It seems she didn't know anything about it after all.
"Lady Albedo always spoke about wanting to call you by your 'true name', but not even that was divulged to me."
The enthralled Renner spoke matter-of-factually, not even reacting as the blood drained from her face into the ground below.
"Sigh. Demiurge, it seems she was just in the dark as the rest of us, I don't think anything merits executing her now."
"I must agree, lord. I am happy you could once again quench my worries for the safety of the tomb."
"No, that wasn't entirely unfruitful. I now have a pretty good idea on how things will operate from now on."
Ainz dismissively ended the [Dominate] spell, letting Renner lower her head in shock and spit out blood again. With her demonic build, she wasn't going to die, but the lack of blood reflecting on her pale face and the bits of gore strewn behind her from being smashed into the wall certainly did a number of her.
"Princess Renner!" She anxiously raised her head, her pupils almost broken, tears, blood and drool running down her face, still glimmering with a shard of hope she would survive with her Climb.
"You've been cleared of the charges presented against you. Seeing as you did not participate in Albedo's betrayal, you may continue existing under the protection of Ainz Ooal Gown!"
Her wings fluttered maniacally. She didn't even realize as a red potion was tossed all over her, curing most if not all of her wounds.
She had already prostrated herself appropriately to continue.
"From the bottom of my heart, I devote life and soul to you, Ainz Ooal Gown."
"Good, I expect you to, because I already have another task laid out for you."
The demoness raised her head with a smile, enriched to know she will have the opportunity to prove her worth once more.
"From now on you will be subordinate to Pandora's Actor here, and Demiurge when necessary. Your intellect will be used to coordinate the Tomb in Albedo's deposition, as well as the affairs you were already working on. Is that all clear?"
''Only that? Child's play.'
"Your humble servant won't disappoint, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama."
"Excellent." Ainz held a sigh of relief. "Seeing as we're done here, Demiurge, I hope our worries for the management of the tomb are on hold for now."
"I am happy you ask, my lord. I can safely say things will be operating smoothly again in no time at all."
The Overlord nodded. "Then it was good. Each of you may resume your duties, but know I will call for a meeting with all the guardians in a few hours. Pandora's Actor." He turned his head towards his creation.
"Yes, Ainz-sama?" The doppelganger turned eagerly. Father and son staring each other down, Demiurge could only watch with the highest admiration.
"I'm entrusting the position of Overseer to you. Are you ready to take it?"
The doppelganger looked down for a second, almost downcast. Demiurge was worried with the damning silence that his lord would soon face disappointment, but that thought was quickly betrayed.
"If it is the will of my God!" With a dramatic salute, Pandora accepted his new role with all his being. Demiurge could only spread his arms wide in sheer joy at the creation of the Overlord.
'If Lord Ainz had let Pandora's Actor operate with us sooner, his plan for world domination could have flourished much quicker! So then...I see'
"Hohoho, how cruel of you, Ainz-sama, to have been testing us all this time."
Eh?
"Of course, without the Supreme Beings by our sides, we had no choice but to grow out our skills on our own. If Pandora's Actor was always with us, his unmatched prowess would never have given us the chance to shine!"
This time, Ainz and Pandora held almost the same bewildered pose.
"Uhum. It seems you've figured me out, Demiurge. But now it's no longer time for such tests. We need all the efficacy we can get."
"It's just as mein Vater says! Ainz-sama may be unreachable, but it's up to us to make Nazarick worth ruling over!"
Demiurge's eyes sparkled. Yes, this was the reason for their existence.
Suddenly, the devil knelt down, a sight that almost confused the doppelganger.
"Pandora's Actor, allow me to be the first to pledge my subordination to the Guardian Overseer."
Pandora froze for a moment, Ainz couldn't help but realize the scene unfolding next to him.
"Uhh, I accept, Demiurge-sama! Please stop kneeling, it's kind of awkward."
'Hehe, I almost feel bad for him.'