Overlord, Vol. 01: The Undead King

changed my name. From now on, call me…” Ainz pointed his finger and gathered everyone’s eyes. “Call me Ainz Ooal Gown, Ainz for short.” His finger was pointing to the tapestry behind the throne with the guild’s crest. He struck the floor hard with his staff to get everyone’s attention. “Anyone with objections, stand and say so.”
No one had anything to say in response. Albedo spoke, beaming. “We have heard your honorable name. Hail, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown! To you, most noble one, Ainz Ooal Gown, we of the Great Tomb of Nazarick pledge our absolute loyalty!”
Then the guardians joined in. “Hail,

f you’re getting Neuronist to do it, that’s no problem. But you know I want to experiment on the corpse, right?”
“Yes, my lord. Then, we are currently appraising the gear we stripped off the knight-looking things, but I have heard none of the items are very enchanted. I imagine we’ll put everything in the treasury when we’re done.”
“Sure, that seems appropriate.”

Before everyone’s eyes, it grew bigger and bigger—a vacuum.
It sucked everything in.
Soon nothing was left and it had gone so laughably, stunningly easily.
With the brilliant dominion authority lost, the light in the area dimmed all at once. The wind rushing over the plains, rustling the grass, seemed to echo. In the midst of the silence, a hoarse voice spoke. “What are you…?!” Nigun asked the impossible being again. “I’ve never heard of a caster by the name of Ainz Ooal Gown. But then, there can’t be someone who can take out the highest-level angel in one shot. It would be wrong for such a person to exist.” He shook his head weakly. “All I know is you’re vastly stronger than evil spirits. It doesn’t make sense… What ar

’m going to give you the maximum pain that exists in this world and mess with you till you go insaaane! I’m going to burn your limbs off with acid, make minced meat of your man bits, and force-feed it to youuu! When you recover, use magic to heal him! Aaaah, I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you so much my heart feels like it’s going to explode!” Her armored arms flailed.

Hm, I wonder about that… I’ve been watching the whole fight. The only reason I came is because I was absolutely certain I’d win. Don’t you think I would have forsaken that man if I thought I couldn’t beat you?”

Seems about time I swap in.”
The scenery before Gazef changed. He was no longer on the crimson-dyed plain. He was in the corner of some kind of humble dwelling with perhaps a dirt floor.
His men were scattered around him and villagers were there, looking at him with concern.
“Wh-where am I…?”
“This is a storehouse that Lord Ainz put a magic barrier over.”
“The headman…? I don’t seem to see Sir Gown…”
“No, he was here up until a moment ago, but you appeared right where he was.”
So it was your voice in my head…

“What’s so funny?”
“Gah… The foolish one is you. There’s someone in that village who is stronger than me. His power is so unfathomable I’m not sure all of you would be enough to take them… There’s…agh…there’s no way you’ll be able to kill the villagers if he’s protecting them.”
“Stronger than the kingdom’s most powerful warrior? You think a bluff like that will work on me? That’s the height of stupidity.”
Gazef smiled faintly. What will Nigun look like when he meets Ainz Ooal Gown? That thought would be a good souvenir for the next world.
“Angels, kill him.” The beating of countless wings sounded over his heartless words.
As Gazef was about to make a run for it, prepared to die in the process, he heard a voice right next to him:

I understand. I’ll protect this village without fail…on my honor as Ainz Ooal Gown.”
Hearing this vow, Gazef’s heart lightened. “Thank you, Sir Gown! Then, we have nothing to fear. I can go forth boldly into battle.”
“Before you do that, please take this.”
Ainz must have thought of something as Gazef smiled—he handed him a small object. It was a weird little carving that didn’t seem terribly special to Gazef, but—“A memento—I gratefully accept. Well, Sir Gown, it’s a shame we must part, but I’m going to go.”

He shook Ainz’s hand with both of his bare hands and laid his heart bare to match. “I really, really appreciate it. You did an amazing deed, protecting the innocent from that storm of atrocities. …And I have to say: I want you to protect them again. I don’t have anything I can give you right now, but I do hope you’ll consider my request.”
“That’s—”
“If you ever come to the royal capital, I promise, on my honor as Gazef Stronoff, that I’ll give you whatever you desire.”
Gazef took his hands away and was about to drop to one knee, but Ainz stopped him.

Gazef was an impossible-to-ignore member of the king’s faction, so if the nobles thought they could thwart him, they were liable to act without thinking things through—even if their thought process was being manipulated by an agent from another country.
One of the reasons the nobles hated him was that he had worked his way up out of his commoner background by his prowess with the sword alone.