Overlord (book 1)

killing the knights. Of course, the primary intention was to let other YGGDRASIL players catch

wind of this.

Ainz wanted to have a shelter inside the Kingdom, the Empire or the Theocracy.

On one hand, if there were other players in these countries, clues pertaining to their existence

would start to surface. On the other hand, if Ainz were to mobilize all of Nazarick in order to

search for these clues, not only would it take a lot of effort, but the risk would also be high. If

someone had temperament like Albedo’s, giving him the wrong order would certainly create an

unnecessary enemy.

With respect to intelligence gathering, becoming allies with one of these countries had a great

deal of benefits. In order to protect the Great Tomb of Nazarick’s independence, having the

backing of a strong party would be useful. But since he didn’t know about the relative strengths

of these countries, he judged it would be wiser to not hastily associate himself with one at the

moment. Also, since Ainz didn’t know who the strongest person was in this world, he couldn’t let

his guard down. In these three countries, there might be someone even stronger than Ainz.

Becoming a member of one of these countries might bring quite a few disadvantages, but there

should be a lot of benefits as well, right? The question is, how does he gain citizenship?

If the answer was to become a slave, then no thank you. He wouldn’t consider becoming a

black-hearted corporate employee like Meromero either. That’s why he had to reveal his

presence to all forces, observe their reactions and potential offers and choose the ideal side.

These were the fundamentals of looking for a job.

So when should he immigrate? As long as Ainz lacked information, there was a possibility that

Ainz would be manipulated.

Thinking about all this, Ainz wearily shook his head.

In these past few hours, he used his brain too much. He didn’t want to think anymore.

"Sigh … ... Let’s call it a day. We’re done here. Albedo, let’s head back."

"Understood."

Albedo’s answering voice was very tense. Since no danger was present, there wasn’t a need for

her to be on alert.

Considering this, he could only think of one reason as to why. Ainz, using a low tone, inquired:

"...... Do you hate humans?"

"I don’t like them. Humans are fragile and inferior creatures. If I crush them like insects, there would be a pretty sight to behold...... these two girls are exceptions though."

Even though Albedo’s voice was as sweet as honey, what she said was stil very cruel.

Considering that Albedo had the appearance of a warm-hearted goddess, Ainz thought that her

previous sentence was at great odds with her appearance and began to admonish her:

"Is that so..... I understand how you feel. However, I hope you’l calm down a bit, since knowing how to conduct oneself is very important."

Watching Albedo nod frantically, Ainz started to worry.

At this stage, Albedo’s likes or dislikes wouldn’t cause any problems, but that wasn’t necessarily

true in the future.

Knowing the preferences of his subordinates was a matter of great importance.

After noting Albedo’s prejudice against humanity, Ainz started looking for the village chief.

Courtesy obligated him to say his farewells before leaving.

He immediately located the village chief. The chief had a solemn expression and stood in a

corner of the square speaking with several vil agers, yet something wasn’t right. The vil age

chief’s face showed a troubled expression as if something were about to happen.

Did something troublesome happen?

Ainz repressed the urge to say goodbye. When saving someone, one should do it properly. With

this thought in mind, he approached the village chief:

“... What’s the matter, vil age chief?”

The vil age chief’s face lit up with a glimmer of hope.

“Oh, Ainz-sama. There seems to be people riding horses, who look like soldiers approaching

this place…”

“I see…”

The village chief stared at Ainz with a worried look, as did all the other villagers.

Ainz gently raised his hand, telling everyone to be at ease:

“Leave it to me. Al the vil agers wil seek shelter in the vil age chief’s house; the two of us wil stay here.”

A bell rang, and the villagers began to gather. At the same time, Death Knight went next to the

vil age chief’s home to guard it and Albedo stood next to Ainz waiting for his commands.

In order to dispel the vil age chief’s anxiety, Ainz cheerfully spoke up:

“Don’t worry, since this is a special case I’l help you free of charge.”

The village chief ceases to tremble and forces a smile. He probably had already made mental

preparations to bet everything on Ainz.

After a short while, several horsemen appeared on the road and slowly paraded into the square.

“... Their equipment is different and appears to be haphazardly arranged…. Are these even

proper soldiers?”

Ainz was perplexed by their equipment.

The knights from before had an imperial emblem on their armor, and they were armed with