Overlord (WN)-Volume 2 Chapter 3

Rushed it all in one day. I’m even happy with how I wrote it this time. Enjoy.

Frostfire10

PS: Data Book is almost done. Check Reddit for more details. Also apparently Data Book for season 2 and 3 is out in a few hours. The earliest I will get to that is after my university entrance exams around this time next year.

I wrote this thanks to the inspiration gain by Akiduki Minoru-sama's works. While it may not be the chapter that everyone may desire, please forgive me for this.

You have my deepest gratitude.

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Triumphant Return Part 3

Translator: Frostfire10

The Baharuth Empire, the capital Arwintar.

The palace was located in the centre of the city, and one of the most important and confidential rooms inside was the Emperor's office.

Despite it being the middle of the night, there were more people than normal gathered inside. While there were more people than normal, the sheer size of the room gave them more than enough space. And those that were allowed to enter this room were all close confidants of the Emperor and had abilities worthy enough to be noticed by him. In other words, only the best in the Empire were allowed into this room. Not any Tom Dick or Harry could just be let in. And thus the number of people in this room was naturally limited.

The eyes of everyone present fell on the knight that just entered the room. None of them seemed tired, and they were all, in fact, burning in anticipation.

Despite being on the receiving end of such maddening stares, the knight showed no signs of discomfort.

This was as the one who entered was christened one of the Four Knights, the strongest in the Empire, [Fierce Gale], Nimble Arc Dale Anoch. To a man like him who had faced death on the battlefield countless times, stares of this level were nothing.

However, the expression on his prim face showed some hints of exhaustion, but that could not be helped. After overseeing the battle with the Kingdom, he had to return to the capital immediately after all. While he did ride a magic beast capable of flight, the sheer distance that he had covered today was nothing to scoff at.

And the reason why this person who had gone to war had not been even given time to wipe down his dirty armour was that he was the source of information that everyone present in this room was waiting for. And knowing this, Nimble had forced his exhausted body to appear here.

"Welcome back, Nimble."

"Thank you very much. Your Imperial Highness"

In response to Jirniv's warm voice, Nimble bowed his head deeply.

"Now, I have heard it via <Message>, but these people know nothing. Nimble. Give your report."

For just an instant, a puzzled look appeared on Nimble's face.

The question of why materialised in his mind, but it was immediately erased by his loyalty to the Emperor. If his master has wished for it, a subordinate like himself should follow.

While bathed in the gazes of those who realised the situation and then had to come up with countermeasures, Nimble spoke.

He first spoke of the most important part. The most important detail for the Empire's plan.

"—The number of casualties on the Kingdom's side, approximately is over 100,000."

And in response—

"Hahaha—"

—Several quiet voices of laughter reverberated in the room. It was the amused chuckles of those who believed that it was a jest.

If one thought about the normal situation, this was natural.

The Kingdom had mobilised over 200,000 soldiers for this war. Just how were over half of them killed?

It is true that the Empire had mobilised 60,000 knights. And within them were priests and magic casters, and so the raw numbers were in the low 50 thousand. And with simple math, one knight just had to kill two soldiers. Considering that fact that the Kingdom used conscripts and the Empire had specialised warriors in the form of knights, this was not impossible.

However, war was not that simple. It was different from having the soldiers line up and ordering them to kill the enemy.

Attacking from the front would largen effect of the advantage of numbers, and a battle to the death would whittle away at soldiers' morale, and unexpected situations may occur.

And sheer numbers was still a terrifying strategy. And so the Kingdom had mobilised several times more soldiers than the Empire. Like how a school of fish could chase away predators.

Overcoming that disparity in numbers and creating such a massacre was impossible with half-baked methods.

While they understood that the report to Jircniv, the top dog of the Empire, was not the place to include jokes in, the more they thought about it, the more it seemed like a joke.

However, the ones who laughed immediately realised the strange atmosphere.

And those chuckles soon died down.

That reason was the serious expression of the Emperor, Jircniv. And the fact that one of the Four Knights, the strongest martial warriors was not making a joking face. And there were several other officials who were making the same face.

There was just one common factor between them all.

—They were the ones who had met the Archduke Ainz Ooal Gown.

Once silence fell back on the room, Jircniv's voice flowed out.

"Is that so. Give us the details."

Once Nimble nodded in acknowledgement, he was immediately asked a question. With a speed at which one could tell they were just waiting for this opportunity.

"Did the Imperial Army have a similar number of casualties?"

One of the retainers asked in an attempt to understand. And Nimble's response was clear.

"There are no sacrifices to the Empire's military might. There are zero casualties."

"…….."

The room once again fell into silence.

And it exploded into noise.

"What are you saying!"

"What is the meaning of this! Anoch-dono, what are you saying!"

"I do not understand! For the Imperial Army to escape harm, yet for the Royal Army to fall…. Did a natural disaster occur on the Kingdom's side?"

As Nimble raised his hand, the commotion died down. However, the eyes of the retainers still maintained their harsh glare. While they were civil officials, they were excellent workers chosen by the Emperor. Their glares rivalled that of seasoned warriors.

They would not permit him to say any other ridiculous things.

While bathed in such gazes, Nimble gave a tired smile.

As if to say that even he thought so.

"The entirety of this war was accomplished by the Archduke's troops."

The mood in the room shifted as several gazes fell on Jircniv. Yet, he merely maintained his wry smile and showed no signs of speaking.

The retainers tried to recall all the information they had about this new noble.

Archduke Ainz Ooal Gown.

The word "unknown" was the most suitable to describe this personage. Even the brains and limbs of the Empire who were gathered here knew close to nothing about the man.

Of course, they had requested such information from Jircniv several times. However, he had always redirected the question and ended the conversation.

And so the upper echelons of the Empire were filled with rumours of him.

Jircniv's strategy ever since he became Emperor was to use his military power to cut away at the influence of the nobles. This was why he was called the Blood Emperor.

And suddenly there was a person just below the Emperor, even with a new position created just for him. It would be strange for there not to be rumours.

Would he not be invited into their circle?

Would he be able to restrain the Emperor?

Could they sell the Emperor a favour via the Archduke?

All sorts of thoughts revolved around this personage. And if he was the reason for this result, everyone's interest would be peaked.

"Basically, the Archduke has enough military power to decimate an army of 200,000?"

They could not internalise it, but at least they could understand this. Following which, one of the retainers asked a few key questions.

How did he hide such a force nearby, and, what is he?

"How many tens of thousands…. No hundreds of thousands of men did he mobilise? No, is that even possible? Is the Archduke royalty from some country?"

"He might be a demi-human."

"Rather than that, if he was able to mobilise such a force without us hearing about it, it would be very dangerous. Was this the Emperor's decision?"

"I am more interested in where he got all the rations from."

"Is that the case, your majesty?"

In response to the questions of his retainers, Jircniv made an unnerving smile and replied.

"Well, his report is not yet finished. Nimble, continue."

"Yes. Firstly, is th Archduke, he does have the military might equivalent to several tens of thousands of men. However, I have not seen them in action, and is only based on my estimates."

"…Is that answer not strange? Was it not because of his troops that he was able to decimate the Kingdom's army?"

Nimble's response was like a bomb dropping.

"The number of troops the Archduke commanded was approximately 300 strong."

Complete and utter silence.

The eyes of the retainers were filled with disbelief. And a few, those that had laid eyes on Ainz Ooal Gown, then thought to themselves that it might be possible.

"…Anoch-dono, perhaps you should take a rest."

"300… Does he control a flock of dragons?"

"What do you mean? Is 300 some kind of metaphor?"

"Your Imperial Highness. Could you please inform us of the truth?"

"It is true that those 300 could rival dragons." Nimble purposefully ignored the buzz around him and continued. He knew that if he were in their shoes, he would do the same. And so he focused on a single man. "Those 300 were all creatures called Death Knights."

Chairs fell to the floor in a clatter.

The first to do so were the three others of the Four Knights. And then the man who had recently ascended to the post of Head Magician. Amongst them, the shock of the Head Magician was the greatest.

Mouth agape and with a weird light in his eye, the man quivered in fear. This let the others around him fully understand the impact of those 300 troops.

The goosebumps on their skin made them fully aware of the strength of these Death Knights.

"That's…… Impossible…. To control 300 of those things? The Archduke…. How much of a monster is he? That is already something a human cannot reach. I can understand why Fluder-sama became his disciple."

"….Head Magician-dono. These Death Knights. Are they strong?"

"They are on another level…. Those that can defeat such abhorrent undead are those who have stepped into the realm of heroes. 300 of them is a number that a single country cannot take on."

The retainer got a clear answer to his question.

However, a country cannot take them on. To comprehend the meaning of such words was difficult. They simply could not imagine it. However, their weirdness and strength were fully communicated to them.

In the minds of the retainers, they imagined 300 troops equal to the Four Knights. They knew that if the Four Knights did not tire, and their enemy did not run, this was possible. However—

"….I see. With such troops, it might be possible for there to be 100,000 casualties…. But is it that simple? Against such opponents, the army should merely scatter and run."

This was a natural doubt.

For 300 men to kill 100,000, one would have to kill 335 others. There was no way that the enemy would not escape in that time. And then, Nimble's next words drove the retainers even further into confusion.

"….The Archduke did not even use the Death Knights."

Complete silence descended on the room. It was as if question marks suddenly materialised over everyone's heads.

In the midsts of this deafening silence, Nimble simply continued to give his report.

"Archduke Ainz Ooal Gown used but one spell. And that massacred the Kingdom's army. In the space of 10 minutes."

Quite the amount of time was needed for these words to sink into everyone's brain.

His words were like a joke. They were words that seemed to refute everything they had seen, everything they had studied, and everything they believed in. They could not accept them.

As silence ruled and time passed, one man finally spoke.

"My apologies, your Imperial Majesty."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I believe there is no meaning in my presence here any longer, may I please leave?"

"What are you saying?"

While bathed in the harsh gave of Jircniv, the new Head Magician spoked.

"Human magic simply cannot reach that level of destruction. And yet someone was able to do it, able to go beyond the boundaries of humanity. Basically, he stands in the realm of gods. And so rather than a human magic caster like myself, you would be better off contacting the priests or bards."

Rather than quitting from a sense of self-depreciation, it was because he was knowledgeable about magic that he gave up in despair."

"If that is possible, I believe that it would be best to grant the position of Head Magician onto someone else…. I can understand the reason why the magic caster who went with his Imperial Highness recommended myself. I wondered why someone who was so intent on continuing Fluder-sams's work would do such a thing…. There exists no one who would want to trade spells with such a monster. And I am the same."

"I will not accept that. According to all the information I have, you are the best suited to continuing the Fluder's legacy."

"I cannot match the Archduke…. No, I cannot even reach his feet. Even if I keep researching, even if I keep practising, and even if I use all of the Empire's resources."

"….I am fully aware of the foolishness of engaging him in battle. That…. Is the personification of power and wisdom. I do not wish that of you. It would be a waste to use the trump card of magic for such an act. Even then, Fluder is a possible enemy."

"….My apologies, your Imperial Majesty. I was confused and misjudged you."

"I don't mind. Anyone who was turned into a scapegoat would think that. By your estimations, how strong is Ainz?"

"As I said earlier, he is far beyond the realm of humanity. To put it simply, the Archduke is a monster that dwells at the bottom of the abyss of magic. He stays somewhere beyond the scope of my knowledge."

"….I see." Comprehending this, Jircniv nodded his head and looked elsewhere. "Now, do you understand why I did not tell you about the information from that <Message>? If I did not do this, you would believe that the <Message> was a fake."

<Message> was viewed to be unreliable.

Basically, if the one who cast the magic was mistaken, or even purposefully spreading lies, such information would still be spread out. And so the terrible evaluation of the spell stemming from this possibility caused the use of <Message> to be excluded from information networks.

"And this is how it is. Now, have you understood what sort of being the Archduke is?"

Despite Jircniv's smug words, there was no response.

A being rivalling gods became a noble. Even if they were asked what to do, humans could not come up with anything. As the retainers remained silent, one person half-heartedly spoke."

"What sort of chains shall we use to restrict Gown? A monster who could destroy a country."

This was the thought on everyone's mind. A god-like being had snuck into their country and it was not clear how to treat him. Normally such words would never be spoken. However, in such a situation where these words were let out, it meant that there were ill feelings, even towards the Emperor who had granted him that position.

However—

"Just when" The air behind Jircniv seemed to shake. "Did you get permission to speak of the Archduke without honorifics? Whose permission did you receive?"

The sound of swords being drawn reverberated in the room.

The Four Knights. Two of them had grave expressions on as they stepped forward. The faces of executioners.

The air that Jircniv gave off was that of the Blood Emperor, and most of the people in the room felt chills run down their spines.

"Tell me. Did you receive the permission of someone besides myself, the Emperor? DId you receive the permission of my friend Ainz?"

"M, my apologies. I simply spoke in haste…."

The retainer on the other end of Jircniv's harsh gaze managed to stammer out an apology. After a brief moment of silence, Jircniv shook his head and spoke.

"There will be no next time. You are nothing but trash compared to Ainz. And…. It is not clear how Ainz gets his information. Never say or do anything foolish. Ainz is a being of wisdom that can see through all of our plans. Show him nothing strange such that he feels no need to act. Know that he may take your hasty words and turn them into a knife to pierce the Empire."

"Understood."

The retainers responded in unison and then bowed with the fluidness that showed years of practice. Jircniv finally showed a smile of satisfaction at that and hid the sharpness embedded in his gaze.

"For your question earlier, I am considering many things. There is no need for you all to worry. However, for a more pressing issue, make preparations for the triumphant return. Of the Archduke."

Normally, the contributions of the Generals and Knights, the entire army, would be celebrated. It would be strange to put the efforts of one man above the rest. However, no one present, who knew the abilities of Ainz, made any sign of rejecting this command.

"Ainz's military achievements for the Empire are extremely large. And his abilities are far beyond us. After this, I believe there is no need for me to listen to any more individual dissent regarding him?"

"Understood. If you had not shown us this much proof, we would not have believed any of it."

"But…. He really is on another level."

At the retainer's mumble, Jircniv put on a wry smile.

"Indeed. I had thought that the casualties of the Kingdom were already too few. As expected of Ainz. As expected of our Archduke."

Despite saying all of that, Jircniv's heart was overflowing with the desire to curse Ainz.

Jircniv's true aim was to complete the trap of having the surrounding nations to form a coalition against Ainz Ooal Gown. However, once they were to know of this, he was sure none of them would be willing to join. Especially when the Kingdom's losses were so high. He was able to cut them down in an instant, and so a part of the net would be easily broken through.

What if Ainz had foreseen this and thus acted this way?

As if to prevent others from learning about this, he nodded his head using the bare minimum of his muscles.

The probability that he had aimed for this situation was high.

To Jircniv, the most important thing to be cautious of was that monster's wisdom. With just a short meeting, he was able to peer at Jircniv's hand. And because his opponent was Ainz, the probability that Jircniv's real aims were seen through was high.

And beyond that, when he heard that Ainz had used such a spell via <Message>, his blood had run cold, and now he saw the reason for Ainz to do so.

Of course, it was possible that that was his only spell, but that was certainly not the case.

His reason for using such a terrifying spell, apart from Jircniv, was either power or to burn the terror known as Ainz in the minds of everyone.

This everyone was, of course, the Kingdom, and other 3rd party nations.

The Slane Theocracy was definitely observing that war. And in one blow, Ainz had done in all of the interested parties in the war.

He was done in again. No, when the act of confirming Ainz's true abilities was used against him.

He stopped himself from cursing.

If there were fewer casualties, things would have gone according to Jircniv's plans and the coalition against Ainz would have been established. But….

Jircniv stopped his face from crumbling with just his sheer iron will.

There was a possibility that this meeting was making its way to Ainz's ears right now. That was why Jircniv had to maintain his position as Ainz's friend. While Ainz himself was probably aware of the farce, he had to keep it up for appearance’s sake.

Jircniv let a smile spread on his face.

He hid his hostility for Ainz. And he acted cruelly to his retainers.

And yet he had no confidence of completely hiding the fact that he was scared of this man.

"…However, with this, it should be enough of an appeal to him. The position of Archduke has sufficient influence. And there will be plenty of announcements about him. Everyone should be drawn in."

"What should we do with nobles that seek to get close to him? What about the risk if they anger him."

"There is no problem. Ainz is a smart man. He knows what is beneficial and detrimental to him. He would not do anything to harm us in the current situation. He is trying to use us after all."

"Isn't that more dangerous?"

"No. The riskiest thing for us is if Ainz himself acts. If he leads around the nobles by their noses all we have to do keep them under surveillance. And once we catch a whiff of what is going on, we will know their entire plan. Don't they say that to kill an invisible monster like the Invisible Hound, just lead it to a marsh?"

"I see. And at the same time, you can charge those idiots for treason."

"Yes. And that is how we will bind him."

"What if he breaks those chains?"

"Even if factions are not created, if he is caught up with those idiots, it will be enough to slow him. Of course, if we do so, the chance that Ainz will act is high. He is able to look at 1 and see 10 after all."

Seeing their lord speak so much about this man, the retainers deeply felt how highly he thought of this man. For Jircniv to speak of someone with such respect and caution, the Archduke was the second.

"For your Majesty to evaluate this man so highly."

"Ah. With just a short meeting with him, he read through all my plans. And he played us around and managed to retaliate."

"That is…."

"Well, basically he is someone we cannot relax our guard around…. It cannot be helped that we are complaining about him. Firstly adjust the annual expenditure such that the Archduke has the second highest amount after me, even if you have to force it."

Those responsible for the budget made exasperated faces for an instant as difficult work was foisted upon them. However, they fully understood that the Archduke was someone who could shake the Empire to its core.

They could not refuse. As this small refusal could lead to the future of the Empire changing drastically.

"Even if we reduce the allocated funds for several nobles?"

"That is fine. You know what is important correct?"

"Understood."

"And the preparation for Ainz's residence. The most extravagant mansion should be used. We have several ones prepared just for situations like this, so clean it up. And get some servants to work there. Put emphasis on the looks of the maids…. Well, they would not match up with those other ones."

"There are no women that can beat those maids, right, [Heavy Explosion]?"

"Agreed."

One of the Four Knights, [Heavy Explosion] Leinas Rockbruise, quietly agreed with [Lightning Bolt] Baziwood Peshmel. Leinas was the sole woman amongst the Four Knights.

Her deep blue eyes boasted the colour of winter, and her expression was unchanging as if frozen solid. Her doll-like face was well kept and her long blonde hair hid half of her face. Just below it, the edges of a black scar could be seen. Everyone knew that this black scar was the reason that Leinas disliked heading out.

Her healthy pink lips separated slightly. And from the gap, one could see her pearl white teeth shine through.

"…Those maids were stronger than me, and were more beautiful than any woman I have seen…. I felt jealous."

Due to her doll-like unchanging expression and her monotonous voice, one could not sense even a hint of jealousy. However, the other members of the Four Knights could tell that she was slightly emotional.

This was probably the jealously that Leinas felt.

"That is true." Jircniv nodded in agreement. "They were inhumanly beautiful. As if they were either demons or angels."

Several of the retainers had their interest naturally peaked as men by Jircniv's appraisal. He was an Emperor and a man who could choose any woman. However, the only one who could say such a thing in his presence was the head of the Four Knights, Baziwood.

"…Now we cannot forget the congradulatory gifts for the war. Please handle that."

"I will, but there is a chance that it may be larger than your Highness' private funds."

"That cannot be helped. However, avoid letting the other nobles learn of this. I will be troubled if Ainz is not surrounded by fools. And it will be bad to let them learn that he is not below me."

"What about leaking the details of the war to prevent them from gathering around him?"

Baziwood was the one to respond to this question.

"That is different. Due to his Majesty's work behind the scene, the various noble factions seek a power that can support them. In fact, there are many who attempt to contact us and the generals. While they say they come for pleasure, their eyes are completely serious. Some of them even try to give their daughters to me. If I accepted all of them, I would have over 50 wives. Of varying ages."

Baziwood, who was of common birth, mocked the nobles who tried to contact him.

"That is why, the stronger you are, the more attractive you are to them. Of course, the smart ones would stay away, but the smartest ones would crawl up to him and show him their stomachs. Of course, after sending in several others to confirm their safety."

As everyone raised cries of understanding, one of the retainers enviously spoke.

"…As the Archduke has such power, he would probably receive countless gifts from the various nobles as 'congradulatory gifts'. I really want to see the mountain of art and treasure he receives."

"Ku! Hahahaha!"

"Y, your Majesty?"

The retainers widened their eyes in shock from the sudden outburst of laughter. Still chuckling, Jircniv wiped away the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes.

"Sorry. It was a funny joke. Treasure eh. After seeing the palace that Ainz lives in, I do not believe that he can receive anything that would earn his admiration."

"Nazarick…. Was it. Is it something of that level?"

"A pristine temple. The holy lands where the gods reign. It is a place built with only the best materials…. Or something like that. Of course, we did not see all of it, but just from the cost of the items that Ainz was wearing at our meeting, it easily rivals the national budget of the Empire."

"That much…."

The retainers found themselves at a loss for words as they failed to imagine such a scene. It was too ridiculous afterall. Amongst them, one person realised that he was in a tricky situation, and asked Jircniv in a panic.

"Then…. What shall we do about the gifts? Should we focus more on the rarity of the gift rather than the monetary value?"

"….Indeed. We are in trouble…. Does anyone have any good ideas?"

"….Shall we create a medal and award it to him? It should be a medal that one can only be awardness should he or she butcher an overwhelming majority of our enemies."

"That is not bad."

Jircniv nodded.

By leaving it to his subordinates, he aimed to avoid Ainz's dissatisfaction from being directed at himself, but a medal should have plenty of value. And more importantly, Ainz had yet to receive any sort of commendation from the Empire. Factoring that in, this was a bright idea.

While it was originally a reward for being victorious, if the creation of a new medal was involved, it would certainly be enough of a reward.

"Then proceed with the medal creation. It will be a medal that will be awarded to no one but Ainz anyway. You can make it extravagant."

"Understood. I shall immediately mobilise those familiar with ceremonies to began its creation."

"Excellent. While there are many things to decide on, the first thing is to quickly proceed with Ainz's victory parade. And draft the documents needed for our meeting with the Kingdom. I have heard about this from several of the generals, we must at least pass over E-Rantel and its surroundings over to Ainz."

Since E-Rantel would be granted to Ainz, he would protect the Empire from the Theocracy and the Kingdom. And if they were to initiate combat with Ainz, they would become scapegoats instead.

"Then it should be fine to include the area where undead often appear, the Katze Plains. We can cut down on the number of knights we send to defeat undead, casualties will decrease and we can cut down on that large expense."

"Certainly. If we are able to ignore that land, it will become easier for us to breathe…. Is something wrong? Your Highness."

"Hmm? No, I was just wondering if it was fine to grant that land to Ainz."

"Is there a problem?"

"I feel like he will be able to create an infinite number of soldiers. The undead do not need provisions after all…. Now, well, it is an unavoidable worry. Fine, hand it over to Ainz. There are no drawbacks to the Empire."

"About the Archduke's territory, is support from the Empire necessary until his revenue stabilises?"

"….There is no need. I want to see whether Ainz is able to handle it, or chooses to use magical means to solve this problem."

"So we should not prepare any form of support?"

"Of course not. Prepare it. If Ainz requests it, immediately lend it such that he owes us. Well, that will probably not happen, as he can read all of my actions."

"Then your Highness. May I please bother you to demarcate the border of the Archduke's territory?"

"Ah yes. It will depend on how much the Kingdom relents, but he should have at least the city of E-Rantel."

The fortress city acted as the defensive pillar of the Kingdom.

And it was located at the intersection of three nations. There was no way that the Kingdom would simply hand it over. However, there was a reason why Jircniv and the retainers considered the handover a done deal. And that reason was—

"…As long as the Arhcduke pushes them with all of his forces, the discussions would go smoothly."

"Indeed. If it becomes like that, I shall ask Ainz for his assistance."

Jircniv laughed at the retainer's words.

Ainz was an extremely dangerous and terrifying being, however, the Kingdom would feel his terror even more intensely.

"We should have some good wine. Cheers to the fate of the Kingdom. Ah, as something to chain him down, we should give him a wife."

"…Your Highness. Can he, um, have children?"

While everyone's gazes fell on Baziwood who had asked such a strange question but seeing that no one was planing to answer, the conversation ended. Even Jircniv showed no signs of replying.

"Who knows. I don't. However, it does not matter if he can make children or not. We are just trying to confirm whether a wife can tie him down."

"I cannot understand why all the nobles say this. Marriage should be between two people who love each other."

Most of the retainers who knew of noble society made wry smiles at his swords. Amongst them, the smile Jircniv had on was different. His smile had no ill intent, in fact, it was a playful smile.

"Baziwood. I like that part of you. Your way of thinking that allows you to refuse the invitation of countless nobles to marry their daughters. However nobles do not do such things. The connection between families is prioritised. If I continue on like this, even though I hate it, they might send such unpleasant women to by bedchambers. That is how it is."

As if to use Jircniv's words as a springboard, one of the retainers opened his mouth to speak.

"Before we send some noble to become relatives with the Archduke, we should study all of the available options first."

"That is true. Restraint is necessary. However when he is invited to noble houses…. I want to see his reaction to those daughters trying to crawl into his bed. Well, fine. Think of something. Find some good women and put them on a list."

"How many should we prepare?"

"Hmm. I don't really care. I would be great for this to continue until he makes a wife."

After firing off these orders, Jircniv stumbled across a question when he recalled Ainz's figure.

What was the man beneath those clothes, and, does he even have anything like lust?