Overlord Volume 13 - The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Part II

wept recently.
“Ahh…”
Neia forcefully wiped her tears away, just like how Shizu had first wiped her

face.
“Baraja-sama. The people who witnessed that battle all want to hear about the

Sorcerer King. Many more have come with their families in tow.”
“I understand. We’ll tell them that His Majesty ― Ainz-sama is a truly noble

king, and also about Shizu.”
Neia looked straight ahead.
“Goodbyes really are depressing. However ― Everyone! Let’s go! Let us

spread the truth ― that His Majesty is justice ― to more people!”
“―Ohhhh!”
Over 3000 people shouted in unison, and then they fell into step behind Neia.

●

The carriage moved on.
The long project was finally over. Ainz had never experienced it himself, but
this must have been what it felt like to be an expatriate. Even if he had returned
to Nazarick from time to time, this might have been the first time he had been
away from it for so long.
He had thrown the matter of ruling the demi-humans of the Abelion Hills to
Albedo, and he had handed the entirety of the Holy Kingdom’s future affairs to
Demiurge.
In other words, Ainz had taken the weight off his shoulders. He sighed, subtly
enough that Shizu ― who was sitting opposite him ― did not notice. While he
had switched Demiurge’s script to easy mode halfway through, the fatigue from
all the complicated events until that point had not yet been fully eliminated.
However, he did feel the sense of relaxation which came from solving a
previously insoluble problem.
That said, after returning to Nazarick ― E-Rantel, rather ― he would need to
carefully and slowly take care of the work he had put off for the past two seasons.
Once, he had put his stamp on documents in a slapdash manner, trusting that
Albedo had already looked them over, only to be told, “Truly, only Ainz-sama
could make decisions so swiftly. I am filled with respect.” Ainz had wondered

whether that assessment of him was sarcastic or not.
Indeed. It was not because he had work waiting for him that he had not used

[Gate] ― which could take him back in an instant.
Definitely not.
There were ways to teleport to places one had not seen before, but it was still

too early for that. It would do no good to show his hand. Of course, the Hanzo
on the carriage had said nothing, and the anti-divination spell he had cast had
not been triggered. It was a clear sign that nobody was monitoring Ainz and the
others, but the opposition might be using methods which Ainz did not know
about.

Since there’s time, I can wait until we reach a more sheltered place to cast the
teleportation spell, Ainz thought.

Indeed. It was definitely not because he wanted to keep away from those
documents he could not understand no matter how many times he read them.

Still, if there was a problem―
Shizu hasn’t said anything since she got on the carriage…
Neia had been that way too, but he always felt restless when he shared a
carriage with someone else and they remained quiet. He could casually mention
something if the other party were a man, but he would have to watch his words
since she was female.
Can’t you say something, Shizu? That thought had been in Ainz’s mind ever
since the beginning. Regretfully, it did not seem like it would be happening
anytime soon. Finally, Ainz was no longer able to bear the silence, and after
preparing himself for the worst, he spoke.
“Shizu, how do you feel about leaving Nazarick to work on your own? Do you
have any questions or suggestions for the future?”
He would start by listening to a report from his subordinate, who had been
busy with work when she had been sent out for an errand.
While he was not good at speaking to women, it was fine when he imagined
them as female coworkers.
“…I think… worked hard.”
“Is that so? You have worked very hard.”
That was the end of the conversation. It was dead and gone.
Even if he waited a little longer, he ought not to expect Shizu to carry on.
Once the words “worked hard” were mentioned, it was very difficult to
continue on from there. She had not answered the question about having any

questions or future suggestions.
That said, these thoughts of his were merely the shallow contemplations of a

superior. He ought to be thinking, Since she worked hard, all I have to do is wait for
the results. There were also benefits in doing so. That was because the implication
was that nothing had happened which might cause a problem or become an
issue.

However, Shizu continued speaking.
“…It’s hard to think on your own and then take action…”
“Indeed, that is the case.”
Shizu had been working in Nazarick all this time, and all she had done was
receive instructions and carry them out. However, he had only given her rough
instructions this time, and then the actions she took based on the decisions she
made within the scope of those instructions were her first task. For all he knew,
that might have been too broad for her. Perhaps he should have started by giving
her a simpler task, but Ainz also knew that Shizu had given him concrete results.
“Still, it’s hardly unusual for the Pleiades to go outside for their work. The fact
that the maid demons are now the Sorcerer King’s minions has spread from the
Holy Kingdom to the other nations by now. In future, you may be given orders
which result in you leading subordinates of your own for activities outside
Nazarick. This was a good experience. But giving vague instructions was a bad
idea. Just as I thought, the person giving orders has to make them clear―”
At this point, Ainz sensed that he was digging his own grave. As the pinnacle
of Nazarick, Ainz was the most likely to give out orders.
I can’t possibly come up with concrete action plans. Or rather, if I come up with
shallow plans, Albedo and Demiurge will frown on me!
“―should emphasize adapting to the situation, and come up with plans that
give a certain degree of leeway. In the end, it’s still the person on the ground
who knows best!”
“…Yes. I learned a lot more compared to just following instructions.”
“Ahh, indeed, just so. I understand how you feel very well.”
Ainz scratched his head as he nodded, but then as he realized the difference
in competency between Shizu and himself ― whose nonexistent stomach ached
when he had read Demiurge’s reports ― he wept softly in his heart.
“Speaking of which,” Ainz decided to change the subject. If he went on, he
might only end up shocking himself more. “It seems you and Miss Baraja got
along very well. It felt like a shame that we had to part.”

“…I was interested… in her…”
“―Really?! That’s wonderful!”
Ainz’s expression of joy was genuine.
Suzuki Satoru had not had children before, but he could understand how a
parent felt when one heard that a child who had no friends had made friends for
the first time.
Ah, I’m glad I resurrected her… hm? What does being interested mean… don’t tell
me she’s not a friend, but more like a toy…
“…Can I assume that you are friends?”
Shizu briefly bowed her head in thought, but in the end she replied with a
“…Yes.”
Ainz was filled with delight. However that explosion of joy was promptly
negated.
While he was unhappy about that, the thought that this might be the first time
someone from Nazarick had made a friend outside brought a trickle of joy to his
heart.
Most of the people in Nazarick did not leave it, so they did not make friends
outside. Perhaps if he let the other members go outside regularly, they would be
able to make good friendships.
Ainz did not think that people with friends were superior to others. However,
thinking that one did not need friends was also incorrect.
That said, it was always better to have the chance to make friends than not.
I had my friends from Ainz Ooal Gown. In that case, it might be good to let the other
members go outside and give them free time to interact with others… especially Mare
and Aura. No, it’s also possible that giving them all some time on their birthday is…
umu.
“Have you arranged to meet Neia again?”
“…No… too far…”
“Ahh! No need to worry about that. I’ve already marked this place as a teleport
point. You can go and have fun whenever you want. Just use [Gate]. There’s no
need to be shy. Mm.”
“…If I’m free… please let me do so…”
“That’s right! Free… I’ll give you lots of free time. I’ve been thinking about a
holiday plan for some time now. I should give the Pleiades a vacation too.
Wouldn’t it be good to go out and have fun with the others? I’ve arranged to have
you placed under me, so it should be fine.”

Shizu thought briefly about it, and then shook her head.
“…It’ll cause problems.”
“Problems, you say…”
What does that mean? Problems for Neia? Or will it keep her from having fun with
Neia? Or is it because the other members won’t approve…
“Well, if it causes problems then it can’t be helped. You’ll have to go on your
own, Shizu. Speaking of which, let me change the topic. Miss Baraja’s parents
are both dead. Is that all right?”
Neia Baraja’s parents were both dead. If she had asked him, he felt that it
would be alright to resurrect them. If doing so would make her even more
grateful―
No, that’s not right.
Simply put, resurrecting Neia’s parents was not worth the cost of doing so. It
was plain to see that Neia was sufficiently grateful to him. In that case, there was
no need to continue scoring points with her. In addition, Wands of Resurrection
were very expensive, so he wanted to save them, if possible. If Pestonya and the
others were to use resurrection spells, then she would require gold coins or
jewels or other valuables as part of the spell’s cost.
In truth, there were practically no benefits to be gained.
However, it would be a different matter if it were Shizu’s friend. I wouldn’t mind
giving Shizu’s friend benefits like that.
Because she seemed close to Shizu, he had asked her questions ― both Neia
as well as Shizu ― to judge their reactions.
“…It’s all right… Special treatment isn’t good.”
“Really? It would make an excellent present… in that case… well, that’s it,
then.”
In truth, resurrecting the dead ― especially incomplete corpses ― could
prove very troublesome. There would be many people who would go How come
you could do it for him and not for me? Also, it would be troublesome if he was
asked to resurrect the Holy Queen. Granted, Demiurge could probably handle
the situation if he did resurrect the Holy Queen, but the demerits outweighed
the advantages.
“If you want to play, how about reading that book? Would that be alright?”
“…It’s fine… it’s in the Doctor’s room.”
Shizu possessed knowledge on all of Nazarick’s mechanisms. Leaving it be like
that was too dangerous, and she would not have been able to leave Nazarick.

Therefore he had used [Control Amnesia] on her.
Shizu’s knowledge of those mechanisms had been part of the backstory her

creator — a Player — had made for her. While he did not know if the spell could
work on such things, after casting it on her, he found that the spell worked as
intended.

That was a technique Ainz had developed after repeated experiments on a
guinea pig he had obtained. It felt like he could do incredible things once he
mastered it.

The reason for that was because Ainz had the feeling he might be able to
access the core of the NPCs. What exactly were the NPC backstories, the
beginning of their memories? Still, that was simply wishful thinking on Ainz’s
part, and it was very likely that they were completely unrelated. If he wanted to
sort that out, he would need to further understand the spell, and understand
everything to do with the human memory. In that case, he would need a lot of
guinea pigs and decades to practice and research with, as well as preparing
himself for the possibility that it might all be a waste of time.

Still, Shizu had currently been implanted with incorrect memories, so to some
extent, she was a trap.

Anyone trying to use Shizu to enter Nazarick would have a very bad time in
store for them.

“The Doctor… hm? Can those Shizus move?”
“…If the time comes.”
Aren’t they just mechanisms, then? Ainz wanted to say that, but he did not. It
was just like how Santa Claus’s true identity was hidden under a veil of mystery.
While Suzuki Satoru did not remember him ever visiting, he had come to visit
in Yggdrasil―
“Although, they were actually the devs.”
As Ainz laughed forlornly, he noticed Shizu looking intently at him, and so he
said, “I was just talking to myself.”
“…Your Majesty.”
“Hm?”
“…Your Majesty.”
“…What is it, Shizu?”
She had addressed him by his name in the past, but now she had suddenly
switched to using his formal address. That slightly ― or rather, greatly ―
disturbed Ainz.

“…Been too familiar all this time… is that how it was?”
“What, what are you saying? I’d feel sad if you called me Your Majesty. Ainz-
sama will do. Frankly speaking, you don’t even need the -sama. How about Ainz-
san?”
“…That would be rude. I’d get scolded.”
“…Oh, I see. Well, you don’t need to call me Your Majesty, at least.”
“…Got it.”
“Oh yes, how about the runecraft thing that I told you about over the
[Message]?”
“…I tried.”
“I see…”
It would seem it had not gone well. Still, it ought not to be a problem even if
it failed.
Still, maybe I should wait to reclaim the items I lent, including that bow Ainz mused
idly as he watched Shizu.
When he had left, he had shared his carriage with a girl who kept glaring at
him. On his way back, it was a girl with a blank face. Both of them were unique
in their own way.
As Ainz thought about this, he smiled.

●

Caspond looked outside from the deepest part of the royal palace ― the Holy
King’s chambers.

His coronation would be in a few days. Therefore, he had come to this empty
room ― including the break room beside this one ― to calm his thoughts.

The first person who would complain, and who would not mind her words was
Remedios. She was currently meditating in her home. No, it would not be right
to say she was meditating. Rather, she was gathering her strength at home. That
was because he intended to have her find any demi-humans that were still hiding
within the Holy Kingdom and root them out.

That said, he had still moved to the Holy King’s room before the coronation
had finished. This was a very good reason for Caspond’s enemies to attack him.
He had insisted on doing so even though he knew that because the power
struggles had already begun.

The aim was to establish the facts before the anti-Caspond nobles could say
anything. Given that Caspond did not quite understand noble society, the ability
to tell friend from foe was quite convenient. That too was part of the plan.

“…I’m sure some of the nobles must be unhappy by how I took the throne
without making arrangements with the other nobles. That’s particularly true for
the Southerners ― the ones which he did not oppress. In that case, what will the
Northerners I fought with think if I listened to them…”

“They would surely be unhappy, and become a major divisive factor. That way,
the plan to divide the country in two will be complete.”

Caspond’s self-directed mutterings received an answer.
It was a gentle voice that seemed to seep into the heart. It belonged to the
entity which was Caspond’s superior.
Caspond immediately turned and knelt to the speaker. He bowed, and then
raised his head.
“I bid you welcome, Demiurge-sama.”
He was not wearing his mask, and he had not changed his appearance before
showing up. In other words, he was certain that this place was safe.
“I am here in order to move items back to Nazarick. Are there any problems?”
“None at all. Everything has gone as you have planned, Demiurge-sama.”
Caspond smiled, and Demiurge returned it.
“While there were some things which were beyond my expectations, the first
phase of the plan has concluded without any problems, thanks to Ainz-sama’s
actions. I look forward to your good performance in the future.”
Caspond’s head was bowed, but he knew those words were not true.
Demiurge expected nothing of him. However, if he was about to jump the rails
which had been laid for him, he would immediately jump in to correct the plan
and keep it on track.
He ought to have prepared several plans for revealing Caspond’s true identity.
His instructions had included several items which made him wonder why he had
to do them. Those must have been intended to prepare for that moment.
The first phase of the plan was to bring the Abelion Hills and the demi-
humans under the sway of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Before that, they would
exterminate the troublesome species and then plant the seeds of a conflict
between the Northern and Southern Holy Kingdom.
After that, Caspond would be in charge of the second phase, which was to
bring North and South into opposition, and then conflict.

The final, third phase would be to have the Sorcerer Kingdom step in to take
over everything.

“…I have a question regarding the item needed for that, which would be my
corpse. Will you keep it here?”

“There is no need for that. It has already been brought to Nazarick. When it
is necessary for the plan, it can be brought here.”

The true Caspond’s body was wrapped in an item known as a Shroud of Sleep,
and it had apparently been brought to Nazarick.

This magic item could arrest the decay of a corpse. He had been neatly killed
with instant death magic upon capture, and his body had been preserved before
rigor mortis could set in. If one touched it, one could still feel traces of his body
heat. With that corpse, one would simply assume he had died all of a sudden.

“Allow me to verify something. Do you understand what you ought to do, as
Holy King?”

“Yes. In order to make this a country worthy of Ainz-sama, I must make it
prosperous.”

“Mm, just so. However, you must keep the people unhappy. After all,
dissatisfaction is the best spice to welcome a new king.”

“Yes,” Doppel-Caspond replied. Then he asked Demiurge about a problem
that had not been described in his plan.

“Speaking of which, what should we do about that girl?”
That was all Demiurge needed to realize who Doppel-Caspond was talking
about, and for the first time his smile came from the heart.
“I once used the word ‘unfathomable’ to describe Ainz-sama… indeed, that is
the case. Ainz-sama has prepared an excellent pawn for me. Her existence has
cut years off my plan.”
Doppel-Caspond had the feeling that Demiurge’s eyes ― he could not tell
exactly where he was looking ― had suddenly moved. They seemed to be looking
at the wall. And over there is… on that topic Caspond remembered that it was the
main gate of the capital.
“While he had said he wanted to enthrall humans to his side… to think he
could actually make a girl like that in such a staunchly religious country.
Although, I have no idea why he said it would be fine to kill even a girl to whom
he had lent a weapon. No doubt it must have been to force her into the
appropriate mental state.”
Demiurge seemed to be in a very good mood, and he did not seem to be telling

this to anyone in particular. Caspond merely waited in silence for Demiurge to
turn his attention back to himself.

“The instruction to help that girl was truly the right answer. No, if it were
Ainz-sama, he would surely be able to correct anything that I did. While he did
say in the past that he planned to introduce flaws into the plan to test my
adaptability, to think he had laid such cunning plans… he is truly the one who
united the Supreme Beings. Every time, he shows me how inferior I am
compared to him… Kuku, what a cruel master he is.”

Demiurge seemed profoundly moved as he shook his head, and the interior of
the room was silent. Finally, Demiurge adjusted his collar, as if to bleed off the
last of his excitement, and then tightened his tie.

“Support anything Neia Baraja does with everything your position affords
you. Do so in the name of giving thanks to Ainz-sama. That ought to further
accelerate the conflict between North and South… I will soon hand you plans on
what to do if someone tries to interfere with that girl. Until then, act as we have
discussed.”

“Yes! …But what will become of that girl? Do you intend to make her the next
Holy King?”

In that case, he would need to make the appropriate preparations. That said,
Demiurge had said he would be giving him exact instructions, so it would be best
to do as he was told.

“That is not a bad idea, but it would be better to give her another mission.
While there is no telling if Ainz-sama wishes to be regarded as a god, if he does
intend that, then it would be better to prepare for it. The experiment of
worshipping Ainz-sama as a god will surely be useful in that case.”

“Yes!”
“Now then, is there anything else you would like to take this chance to verify?”
“Yes. It concerns that woman who is no longer necessary, Remedios Custodio.
While the original plan was to have her run around as needed, would it not be
better to kill her off?”
“No, just keep her alive and let her become a scapegoat for the nobles’
dissatisfaction. That was why I said she was the only one who was not to be killed
during our first encounter. Transfer her to another post. Let the Vice-Captain
become the Captain of the Paladin Corps and then make use of him. He can be
put to meaningful work.”
“I understand!”

“Deal with her when the conflict becomes evident.”
After Doppel-Caspond showed that he understood, Demiurge indicated that
the conversation was over, and vanished with [Greater Teleportation].
The demon hiding in his shadow, and the Hanzo that Caspond could never
defeat no matter what he tried were still at his disposal.
Doppel-Caspond rose to his feet and looked outside the window again.
While he could only see the courtyard, he imagined he could see the reveling
people throughout the city. After that, he laughed mockingly.
“―Enjoy the taste of happiness for a while longer, my people.”

OVERLORD
Character Profiles











OVERLORD
Character Profiles

THE
FORTY-ONE

SUPREME
BEINGS

COMPILATION



Afterword

Thank you for your hard work, dear readers who have made it all the way here.
The hand you held the book with must be feeling heavy, no?

I’m sure you must all have felt the fear of dropping a book on your face when
reading while lying down.

Volume 13 is the first Overlord book in history with a page count well in excess
of 500. What did you think of the contents? I would be happy if even a small
portion of the readers felt it was interesting.

However, in truth, it might have been better to split it up into a second and
third part instead. Reading the whole thing from start to finish really taxes the
brains. Reading chapters 4, 5 and then the intermission before going to sleep
might be a better pace. How did you read it, everyone? Ah, a major advantage of
dividing it into two books would be the opportunity to enjoy more of so-bin-
san’s lovely illustrations!

Still, this won’t happen again, so there’s no point thinking about it.
While I kept saying I want to cut the page count, the length of this book ended
up being really rough. As page count increases, all the associated work takes
more time too, and the schedule keeps slipping. The probability of wrong words
also increases, so it seems like there are pretty much no upsides to it.
Next time, I’d like to write a book that’s easier on both the author and the
audience.
Now then, while I did say the next volume is in 2019, I’m planning to write
something very long before that, so I don’t know how things will actually turn
out. Relaxing and waiting helps a lot. The third season of the anime will also
come out during that time, so I hope you’ll all enjoy it.
But in truth, I’ve pretty much run out of things to put into the afterword. In
the past, when I was a reader and saw the author say he didn’t know what to
write, I would think “just write whatever you want.” Now that I’m in the same

situation, I can understand what they had to deal with. What would you all write
if you were in my position? Honestly… the idea that I don’t need to write these
afterwords anymore is starting to grow on me!

Now then, I’d like to thank everyone who helped me with this volume. I look
forward to working with you in future.

Kugane Maruyama

April 2018



Information

Source Text: Nigel
Additional Editing: cortz & firedragon1x
Version: 2.3 (061021)