Personnel Changes

"Now, let's move on to the next matter." Momonga saw that they had gotten through the previous issue without incident and felt somewhat relieved. Nazarick's internal problems had been dealt with, so it was time to address the problems outside.

Come to think of it, Nazarick's internal problems had been caused by external ones. If they could resolve the external problems, the internal ones would resolve themselves.

"Lord Ainz, please allow me to interrupt. There is still one matter we need to settle." Demiurge spoke up again, looking toward Momonga on the throne.

"Hmm..." Momonga was a little anxious. If their enemies were players, that would be one thing. Even if they had a guild like his own, it wouldn't matter. But unknown enemies were the most frightening. He wanted to hurry up and arrange Nazarick's defenses, but...

"Go ahead," Momonga said.

"Lord Ainz, I assume you intend to arrange Nazarick's defenses next. Is that correct?" Demiurge asked, wearing a confident smile as he demonstrated his wisdom to the Supreme Being he served.

"Phew..." Momonga's anxiety vanished. He nodded. "That's right, Demiurge. Do you have any good suggestions?"

"I believe we should appoint a new Floor Guardian Overseer first. That would allow us to organize the defenses more effectively. This is a very important position," Demiurge said.

"Your suggestion is a good one. That would indeed be the right thing to do." Momonga fell into thought. Albedo's duties involved not only leading the Floor Guardians, but also overseeing Nazarick's operations.

"Lord Ainz! I am willing to take the position of Floor Guardian Overseer. I will do everything in my power to protect you!" Shalltear eagerly volunteered. If she took the position, she could spend every day with Lord Ainz. She didn't want to let such a wonderful opportunity pass her by.

"Uh... Shalltear..."

Momonga was about to give his opinion, but Demiurge spoke first. "Lord Ainz, I oppose appointing Shalltear to this position."

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not that big-mouthed gorilla! If I become the Floor Guardian Overseer, I'll make sure Lord Ainz doesn't suffer so much as a scratch. I'll stay by his side twenty-four hours a day."

Shalltear glared fiercely at Demiurge. To ruin someone's chance at love was like killing their parents. If Demiurge didn't have a good reason, she wouldn't let him off.

"Hmm..." Before Demiurge could speak, Momonga said, "Shalltear, you need to guard the first, second, and third floors of Nazarick. You aren't suited to this position."

"But... Lord Ainz..." Shalltear's confidence immediately faltered. She gazed at Momonga pitifully, hoping he would change his mind.

"Enough. We'll choose from among the Guardians beyond the eighth floor," Momonga said. The eighth floor was Nazarick's last line of defense. If they couldn't hold it, Nazarick would have almost no chance of turning things around.

"Lord Ainz, in that case, Sebas is the only one who can serve as Floor Guardian Overseer. I have no objection to Sebas taking the position," Demiurge said. Although he didn't get along with Sebas, he wouldn't let personal grudges affect what was best for Nazarick.

Besides, Sebas was level-headed. He would be a better choice than Shalltear.

"No, not Sebas," Momonga said. "Sebas is the Guardian of the ninth floor. He also serves as butler and manages the Pleiades. If we reassign him, we'll have no suitable replacement for those duties."

"May I ask who else could serve as Floor Guardian Overseer, Lord Ainz?" Demiurge asked.

"Have you heard of Pandora?" Momonga asked.

"Pandora?" Demiurge was taken aback. He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know of him."

"He's a Guardian I created myself, and he isn't classified as a Floor Guardian," Momonga said. It seemed the Guardians didn't know everything about Nazarick, after all.

"Oh? A Guardian created by Lord Ainz? Ah, in that case, I don't think there'll be any problem. I'm simply unsure how strong he is," Demiurge said. The Floor Guardian Overseer needed not only wisdom, but also enough strength to protect Lord Ainz.

"You don't need to worry about that. He's as strong as all of you," Momonga said. As the Guardian of the Treasury, Pandora wouldn't be able to turn the tide if Nazarick were breached. It would be better to reassign him.

Besides, he also had the King of the Castle class, which could reduce the guild's maintenance costs.

"In that case, I'm relieved," Demiurge said. "Would it be possible for Lord Pandora to join this meeting?"

"Hmm, there's no need to rush that," Momonga said. Quite some time had passed, and he needed to get the defenses in place as soon as possible. "Before Albedo steps down, we'll carry out one final task. Guardians, listen up."

At Momonga's words, all the Guardians, including Albedo, who was still here, knelt to hear their Supreme Being's orders.

"Albedo, activate every defensive trap in Nazarick, and set them to the highest alert level. Also, no Guardian is to leave Nazarick without permission. Finally, dispatch monsters capable of turning invisible to patrol the area around Nazarick, within a radius of two thousand meters."

Momonga knew this would increase Nazarick's maintenance costs. Those traps would consume Nazarick's resources constantly, but this precaution was necessary. It was better to spend resources on defense than to let the enemy seize them after conquering Nazarick.

"Lord Ainz, should Gargantua be activated as well?" Albedo asked cautiously.

"Not for now. Gargantua isn't suited to defensive battles," Momonga said after a moment's thought.

Gargantua, the Floor Guardian of the fourth floor, was a massive golem created by YGGDRASIL's developers. Since it stood a full thirty meters tall, it had been placed in the underground lake on the fourth floor.

However, Gargantua wasn't suited to defensive battles. It was designed as a strategic siege golem.

As he looked at Albedo, Momonga suddenly thought of someone. He continued, "Also, transfer Rubedo from the eighth floor to the fourth floor and appoint her as its Floor Guardian. Have Rubedo manage Gargantua and activate it when the enemy arrives."

"Yes." Albedo thought of the younger sister created by Lord Tabula Smaragdina.

Momonga considered the arrangement. It should make everything foolproof. Rubedo wasn't the strongest among those on the eighth floor, but without the bonuses from equipment and items, she was the strongest NPC among the Guardians.

However, defeating Rubedo would require something special. In this way, she could also be used to test the enemy's trump cards.