The Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Once the base of Ainz Ooal Gown, one of the most notoriously evil-aligned guilds in the DMMO-RPG Yggdrasil, this impregnable stronghold boasts a vast 10-floor structure. When Yggdrasil's service came to an end, it was swept away by a mysterious force and transported into another world.

Along with it came the NPCs and monsters residing in the tomb at the time—and the last remaining player, the guild master of Ainz Ooal Gown, Momonga, who had stayed until the very end.

"Hmm... I guess I really have no choice but to consult with them."

The last of the Supreme Beings—the 41 founders—of Nazarick, its guild master, and the absolute ruler adored and revered by every NPC of the tomb: Momonga, now going by the name Ainz Ooal Gown, had fallen deep into thought.

At first, he had been flustered when he discovered that the NPCs had developed self-awareness and behaved like real living beings.

Many unpredictable events followed, causing him to panic. But as time passed, he gained experience and composure and started to believe he was managing everything fairly well. That is, until a troubling issue suddenly surfaced, plunging him into deep concern.

The issue was none other than the name—Dragon's Dream.

"This is too much for me to figure out alone..."

The name Dragon's Dream, and its current head, Monkyspanner—just those two were enough to scream player connection.

This wasn't a probability—it was certainty.

In this world, the only ones who would use the name Monkyspanner were players. After all, that's the name of a tool from modern times. There's no way such a name would exist in this kind of fantasy setting.

When Ainz first came across this information, he had too many other issues to deal with—adventuring duties and various disruptions—so he set it aside.

But now, with the matter of the lizardmen near the lake wrapped up and his attention shifting back to the royal capital, this issue had returned to nag at him.

Leaving it alone felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat. Not that he eats anymore—not even fish!

"I knew I'd run into them eventually… but this is too soon."

As he studied this world's history, Ainz had come across traces of what he suspected were players.

So he'd always figured that if he continued to expand his name and influence, he would eventually encounter either a player or someone connected to one.

He had even prepared countermeasures for such a scenario.

But this timing… was far too early. And the fact that they were so overtly revealing themselves was unexpected.

He figured that as long as he didn't approach them, it wouldn't be a problem—but now, it appeared they had already taken an interest in him as well.

"Are they watching me? Was I too conspicuous? Or… did they already notice who I am…?"

There was an adamantite-ranked adventurer party in the Kingdom known as Blue Roses. One of only three such parties in the country—now four—the group was composed entirely of women. They mostly stayed in the capital, only accepting missions when necessary.

Yet now, they had suddenly come to E-Rantel and started asking around about Momon.

They were subtle about it, to be sure—but unfortunately for them, they couldn't escape the surveillance network of Ainz, who had multiple Insect Spies and Assassin Bugs stationed around the area at all times.

Through that network, he discovered that the reason for Blue Rose's inquiry was none other than an order from Dragon's Dream.

"Maybe I really should've cleaned up more thoroughly..."

Ainz muttered to himself, recalling the incident from a few months ago involving Shalltear.

That time, Shalltear had fallen under the control of what was presumed to be a world-class item, her will dominated. After managing to defeat and "dispose" of her, Aura and Mare had asked if he wanted to cover up the traces.

But Ainz had told them to just leave it.

The scale of that attack... back then, I was full of pride and adrenaline. If I remember correctly, I used a wide-area instant death spell combined with a unique skill, and even fired off two super-tier spells in succession. And I just... left the scene like that.

"Ugh…"

At the time, it was meant as a show of force—proof of my power. But it seems I went overboard and ended up spooking someone instead.

Ainz pressed his skeletal forehead.

What was I thinking back then? In hindsight, it was probably the emotional fallout after having to kill Shalltear. My judgment had been clouded, and I rushed a decision. My original plan had been to stay hidden, gather intel quietly, eliminate threats one by one, and only then gradually build up Nazarick's reputation.

So how did things spiral out of control like this...?

"Tch. I don't hold a grudge against Shalltear, but… I can't help feeling just a little resentful."

Ainz made a lip-smacking sound despite lacking a tongue, and scratched at his bare skull—no hair, no skin, just bone.

The sharp tips of his fingers made a faint scraping noise against the surface.

Strangely enough, despite having no skin, it still felt oddly refreshing.

Even without a tongue, he couldn't taste anything—but for some reason, his senses of smell, hearing, and touch were still intact despite having no nose or ears.

Weird, isn't it?

Maybe that's also because of how Yggdrasil had been forcibly dragged into this world. In the game, touch and sound might have existed, but there was no smell system.

Anyway...

Thanks to that impulsive display, I might have to rework large parts of my plan. The group known as Dragon's Dream is a complete unknown in terms of power.

Which means the only rational choice is to proceed with maximum caution. They've been in this world for close to 150 years and have had plenty of time to establish their influence.

When it comes to intel, they're probably far ahead of me.

As one of Yggdrasil's top players, Ainz was painfully aware of the value of information.

In Yggdrasil, intel was everything—monsters, item drops, mining locations, and more. Every bit of data was immensely valuable. Even seemingly trivial information, if stockpiled, could someday prove crucial.

"He who controls information, controls Yggdrasil."

That wasn't just a saying. Once, a single piece of bad intel nearly caused their guild to suffer a devastating blow.

Ainz remembered how he had shuddered at that time.

The experience had engraved into him the importance of knowing everything before acting.

Recklessness was unacceptable—especially here, where he still lacked proper knowledge of the world.

But now… he was drawing blanks.

Despite Ainz's character being built with a high intelligence stat, it clearly wasn't enough to come up with brilliant plans out of nowhere.

"…Yeah, I can't figure this out on my own. Maybe I should call Demiurge."

Just the thought of consulting Demiurge alone made Ainz worry—what if his lack of insight became obvious?

In the end, he decided to summon all of the Floor Guardians instead. That way, he could use Demiurge's strategies as usual without exposing his own limitations.

And if Demiurge noticed something Ainz hadn't, Ainz could just pretend he saw it too and ask him to explain it to the others. That trick had never failed him since arriving in this world. A flawless tactic!

Mm-hmm, Demiurge never disappoints. Even with the recent lizardman subjugation plan, Demiurge had supported him brilliantly.

The brain of Nazarick—no, its strategic genius—was a reassuring ally. Of course, Ainz still had to scramble to create believable scenarios to maintain his façade of brilliance… but he didn't mind the extra effort.

"All right, let's summon everyone. Hmm… Albedo?"

"[Yes, Lord Ainz! I, Albedo, have long awaited your words with my whole heart, as if each day were a year—]"

"A-Ahem. I appreciate your devotion, Albedo. Now, could you gather all the Guardians in the Throne Room? There's something we need to discuss."

"[Yes! Right away! I'll be there immediately—]"

The message cut off before Albedo could finish. Ainz started scratching his skull a little more quickly.

Her condition's getting worse by the day…

Every time he saw Albedo like this, Ainz couldn't help but feel guilty. I'm so sorry, Tabula Smaragdina! I ruined the character you poured so much love into! Endless waves of guilt swirled through Ainz's empty skull.

But then—calm.

The effect of the undead racial passive skill: Emotional Suppression.

Sometimes, it was annoying. But in times of mental chaos like this, it helped a lot. Ainz stopped scratching and teleported directly to the Throne Room.

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