Work Report

Momonga, who had been living in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, had been on edge lately. No one else would ever know his secret, though. He was still Nazarick's supreme ruler, the king whose mere presence inspired awe.

Only Momonga knew the truth: every day, he was consumed by worry and fear. Their defeat in that battle had made him doubt whether he was capable of ruling Nazarick as its master.

He knew nothing about the art of kingship, and he didn't even have the ability to lead a company. After all, he'd only graduated from elementary school, and in the past, he'd always been the one taking orders. Whatever his superiors told him to do, he did.

All he'd ever needed to do was mechanically carry out the tasks assigned to him, then spend his remaining time immersed in the virtual world. But now, overnight, he'd become the ruler of a power. He'd been anxious from the start, and then, not long ago, his subordinates had witnessed his defeat.

He'd also become involved in a conflict between great powers in the New World. These past few days, he'd been like a startled bird. How could a single guild stand against the might of a nation? And how could a failed ruler not leave his subordinates disheartened?

These two matters had weighed heavily on his mind. He needed a victory to reestablish his authority in his subordinates' eyes, but he had no idea what success would even look like. He absolutely didn't dare pick a fight with the Slane Theocracy right now.

For the time being, all he could do was avoid clashing with his subordinates' opinions, lest they grow even more resentful and leave Nazarick.

Momonga thought that, looking back, it was fortunate he'd made the right choice that day and hadn't ignored most people's opinions to act unilaterally.

That was why the Guardians were still willing to recognize him as Nazarick's ruler. Though Albedo had been wronged for the time being, there would always be a way to pardon her in the future.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A knock came from outside the office. Momonga hurriedly composed himself and sat up straight.

Though Demiurge had suggested having maids attend him, Momonga had refused. Unless something urgent came up, he wanted to be alone in the office and familiarize himself with every detail of Nazarick as soon as possible.

Although Nazarick was the place he knew best, he hadn't visited some areas in so long that he couldn't remember all the details.

"Come in," Momonga replied to the knock in a deep voice.

With a creak, the elegant double wooden doors swung open, and Demiurge entered. The moment Momonga saw him, he felt inexplicably guilty.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Demiurge. In terms of strength, Demiurge was no match for him. But when it came to management skills, Demiurge left him in the dust.

To make it easier for Demiurge to carry out the task Momonga knew nothing about, he'd granted him some authority to mobilize Nazarick's forces.

Although he didn't know how to manage subordinates, he did know one saying: "Trust the people you employ, and don't employ people you distrust."

Since he'd already handed the matter over to Demiurge completely, he couldn't halt him for no reason just because he had doubts. Even so, there were still precautions he needed to take.

If Demiurge wanted to deploy a Guardian, he had to report it to him. They'd provoked a great nation, after all, and whether out of concern for the Guardians or because he needed them to protect him, Momonga didn't want any of them to come to harm because Demiurge had sent them away.

Of course, the same went for Demiurge.

However, Demiurge hadn't deployed any of the Guardians. Instead, based on their respective circumstances, he'd proposed several constructive measures to reinforce their assignments.

Even Momonga hadn't thought of those measures before. Thanks to Demiurge's suggestions, Nazarick's defenses might not have improved by an entire level, but at the very least, they'd shored up the gaps they'd previously overlooked.

What made Momonga feel guilty was that whenever Demiurge offered a suggestion, he would say, "You must have foreseen the problem long ago, yet you still allowed this subordinate to discover it for himself and correct his shortcomings. As expected of a Supreme Being!"

That left Momonga deeply ashamed. He knew nothing about any of it. He could only say that he hadn't known, because he didn't want to take credit for his subordinate's accomplishments.

But after he said that, Demiurge only assumed he was being humble. Momonga truly wasn't. Helpless, he could only accept his subordinate's praise with a guilty conscience.

"Lord Ainz."

After entering, Demiurge bowed to Momonga, then said, "I have two matters to report to you. I wonder if you have time right now?"

"Ah, that's fine. I happen to be free. Go ahead," Momonga said. He really did have nothing to deal with. He'd already finished reviewing the situation in Nazarick.

"Then I'll begin with the first matter." Demiurge straightened up and pushed his glasses up. "Regarding Mare and Aura's punishment..."

"Wait a moment, Demiurge," Momonga interrupted him hurriedly. He didn't know why this was being brought up again. Albedo had indeed been at fault in the eyes of the others, but the Elf Twins had been a reserve force. Considering the enemy's strength, their mistake hadn't been that serious.

"What is it, Lord Ainz?" Demiurge asked.

"The two of them have already been punished. Although you think they failed to provide timely support as a reserve force, they did well enough against such a powerful enemy. So I don't want to impose any further punishment on them."

Momonga said it all in one breath, watching Demiurge's expression.

Only Demiurge was in the room with him. Momonga thought that if he explained his reasoning clearly, he might be able to make Demiurge give up on the idea of imposing further punishment.

"You are truly merciful, Lord Ainz," Demiurge said with a sigh. He then explained, "However, I wasn't suggesting that you punish them further. I simply wanted to report that the punishment you assigned them has been almost completed."

Momonga was suddenly rather embarrassed. So Demiurge had only wanted to report on the matter. Luckily, though he was clearly embarrassed, he was only a skeleton.

"They've worked hard. They've already finished so quickly?" Momonga said.

"Yes. The surface structures of Nazarick are now completely invisible, and they've blended in with the surrounding forest. There are just a few matters that require your approval," Demiurge said.

"Oh? Go ahead," Momonga said with a nod.

"How should we deal with the monsters that were already living in the forest? Now that a new stretch of forest has suddenly appeared, it seems they're trying to claim it," Demiurge said.

"Let Aura handle it," Momonga replied. "The monsters are part of what conceals Nazarick, but there's no need to interfere too much, or we might give ourselves away."

"Understood." Demiurge paused, then said, "There's also a second matter that requires Lord Ainz's involvement."