Overlord (WN) Chapter 25

　Sebas descended the steps.

　He had to stuff the luggage he was carrying into the carriage parked on the street.

　Sebas looked down at the huge piece of luggage he was carrying with both hands.

　It appeared to be 20 maybe 30 kilogrammes. Sebas could have lifted that weight easily with just his little finger but one never knew who was watching. His unnaturally sharp senses did not detect any signs of detection magic but Sebas knew that his senses could be fooled.

　Being wary of prying eyes, he pretended to be encumbered by the luggage like any ordinary human would be and walked quietly through the inn. As he quietly walked—-

 

 

 

　Sebas walked quietly through the 9th floor of the Dungeons of Nazerick. Behind him followed his direct subordinates, the battle maids Naberal Gamma and Solution Epsilon.   

　The wide passage of the Dungeon was clean and beautiful and very well kept. Here and there along the path, the elite soldiers of Cocytus stood guard.  

　These were the bodyguards known as <guardian>.  With forms resembling horned beetles, the Guardian Knights wore their uniform crimson surcoat and held in each appendage, a crimson spear that gave off a pulsating aura. In addition, in place of armor, each knight possessed an incredibly tough exoskeleton.    </guardian>

　These were the sturdy soldiers that patrolled the level with vigilance and in perfect formation.

 

　Sebas admired the neat formations of the guards from the corner of his eyes as he twisted and turned along the countless passageways of the dungeon until he reached his master’s quarters.

 

　On either side of the door, two anthropomorphic hercules beetles stood at attention. They were nearly two metres tall and possessed solidly built bodies. Each beetle wore a loose fitting surcoat of platinum. These were the <royal>. Even though the Knights’ levels were only in their 70s, their defensive capabilities were unparalleled. Taking into account their endurance, magic resistance and weapons-damage resistance, even level 100 players would find these knights troublesome.     </royal>

　The Royal Knights held a gigantic glaive in each appendage with a beautifully embellished long sword the size of a great sword hanging from their waists. Each glaive gave off a platinum aura of high class enchantments.   

　These guards stood as still and silent as a rock.

 

　As beetles, they possessed compound eyes and had a wider field of vision than humans. They probably tracked Sebas’ every movement.

　And in fact, Sebas could feel the guards’ questioning eyes on him. He could tell they were uncomfortable. Of course, a good part of their discomfort stood from being aware of a potential intruder, but there was also an element of discomfort stemming from having to treat Sebas specifically as a potential intruder.

　Such was the high position that Sebas held as the Land Steward of Nazarick. Sebas was the civilian equivalent of the highest military leader leader in Nazarick. Even highly ranked subordinates of Cocytus felt uncomfortable having to challenge him.

 

　Sebas accepted the guard’s challenge as a matter of course.

　Anybody who acted suspiciously would be attacked no matter who that person might be. Even if that person is Sebas. Sebas acknowledged the guard’s right and duty to challenge him.  

 

　Sebas stood before the pair with a faint smile.

　Then he straightened and knocked on the intricately decorated door three times.

　Moments later, the door opened slowly and a maid appeared. It wasn’t one of Sebas’ battle maids, but a homunculus—-a maid without combat abilities.

 

“I wish to have an audience with Ainz-sama.”

“I understand. Please wait for a moment”

 

　The maid closed the door in a slow respectful silence, her presence fading as she moved away from the  door.   

 

　The maid had gone to inform the owner of the room of his request. Slowly, of course. For the owner of the room is the Supreme Master, the person with the highest authority in Nazarick. One should certainly be expected to wait.  

 

　After another few moments of waiting, the door opened once more and the same maid appeared.   

 

“An audience is possible, please come this way”

 

　The maid stepped away from the door and allowed to Sebas to enter.

 

“Please excuse us.”

 

　The trio bowed their heads before entering the room.

 

　The scene in the room was one which he was familiar with. All rooms of the supreme 41 shared identical layouts. Even their leader’s room was unchanged.

 

　Sebas stepped into the room and onto a carpeted flooring so thick and soft  he could swear that he sank slightly into the carpet with every step.

　On the right side of the room was a king-sized canopied bed with a closet door next to it. On the left, a gigantic ironwood executive desk dominated that side of the room.

　On one side of the wall a bookshelf that reached to the ceiling was packed with books.

　In the centre of the room was a circular table with a few books from the bookshelf stacked neatly one on top of the other.

 

　The room was setup in a such a way that depending on how one viewed the room, one could say that it was a simply furnished room or crammed with treasures.

　However, each and every furnishing was a treasure in of itself of peerless value. Each work of art was protected with preservative magic to prevent deterioration.  

　And of course, works of art gain value with time, so  one could say that the value of the items in the room was even higher than the face value.

 

　Sebas was unable to see Ainz from where he was standing.

　None the less, Sebas was still aware Ainz’s location in the room. In the middle of the room, there were two maids standing, one to the left and the other to the right side of a circular table. The maid whom welcomed them at the entrance, stood with an elegant posture.

　In other words, within the room, there were only three maids.

　From his current position, Sebas deduced that Ainz’s would be sitting on the chair, flanked by two of the maids. His figure was hidden behind a pile of books.

 

　None the less, a puzzling thought came into Sebas’s mind—-

 

　—-Was the number of maids too little?

 

　This was Sebas’ thought.

　The place belonged to the supreme beings, hence it was required that they maintained a proper level of cleanliness that befit its status. To have only three maids present in the room of the Supreme of the Underground  Tomb of Nazarick, was highly inappropriate.

　It seems that there is a need to discuss this matter further with the head maid. Sebas kept a reminder in his heart.

 

“—-Good, you all have arrived.”

 

　The pile of books moved slightly. Ainz figure was discernible among it. Sebas and the rest put a step forward on the carpet and bowed towards Ainz. At the same time, his gaze was directed towards the ceiling.

　There were several presences detected on the ceiling—-

　Although his gaze was directed there, he was not able to determine the exact identity of those mysterious beings. He was slightly disturbed by their presences. 

　This might have been the work of magic or special skills similar to that of