"ARGGGGGH!"
The man's screams filled the dark room, chilling the hearts of the other humans who were forced to watch.
"Please, stop! I won't do it again, please, please!" He begged, the tears in his eyes falling in droves, as he felt the cockroaches chewing on his flesh.
By the walls, many other humans were stranded in chairs, staring with eyes wide open at the scene happening in front of them.
They felt the cockroaches climbing their legs, not hurting them in any way, but only making their presence known, and they cried, no, they screamed just as loudly as the man in the center.
Above their heads, flying in the air, Wraiths and Greater Wraiths could be seen releasing their [Dread Aura], intensifying the heavy atmosphere in the room.
Watching this scene, Ainz only had one question.
"What did this man do?" He asked curiously.
Scenes of torture were nothing new in Nazarick, but Eris knew him well enough to understand that he didn't like to watch pointless suffering.
"He insulted your name, Ainz-sama. And also tried to attack me in one of our sessions." Eris handed him a file for the man.
Name: Jonathan Ekis Figoro
Position: Vice-Captain of the Sunlight Scripture
Age: 36
…
Session 3: The patient showed signs of resistance to the treatment.
When asked about his feelings towards the Supreme Being, the patient made sarcastic remarks about the undead, proceeding to threaten me with banishment. When given a chance to apologize and repent, the patient jumped toward me before being quickly subdued by the guards.
"So he tried to kill you?" He felt a fire burning inside him upon hearing this.
"Yes, he did, but this also gave me an excuse to advance the treatment for the other patients," Eris replied cheerfully.
"Right now, these patients are going through a shock therapy to help loosen up the barriers blocking me from accessing their subconscious. I'm confident that after a few more sessions, we'll have a breakthrough and all of them will be turned into your loyal subjects, Ainz-sama."
Eris didn't show any signs of resentment towards the man named Johnatan, only eagerness to progress with her treatment plans.
It was a pure love for the subject that Ainz couldn't help but admire.
At the same time, this concerned him. Eris was only a level 1 Skeleton Mage, and most of these people were at least level 15, so any mistake could prove fatal.
In Yggdrasil, resurrecting a level 1 NPC would be very easy, just a matter of a few gold coins, but since coming to this world, he still hadn't tested this feature, and truthfully, he hoped to never need to do it.
As much as the NPCs worried about his safety, he also worried about theirs.
It was true that the world was generally of a much lower level than Yggdrasil, but for level 1 NPCs, such as Eris, it would be just as fatal, which was why he kept them inside Nazarick at all times.
Should I forbid her from participating in these sessions personally?
But one look at her, as she excitedly spoke about her treatment plans, was all it took for him to know that he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He knew the fire that burned in a researcher's mind when looking at their favorite subject, for he was just the same.
Taking this from her would be too cruel.
Maybe I should just assign some high-level vassals as her bodyguards, and at least one who can redirect damage to themselves.
"That's good to hear, but what's to become of that man?" He pointed at Johnatan, who was still screaming while the cockroaches ate his flesh.
"Well, he'll die, of course," Eris replied without hesitation.
"Oh? Isn't he one of your patients?"
"From the moment he insulted you, Ainz-sama, his fate was decided. But he'll only die after helping with everyone's treatment. Until then, he'll stay right where he is."
"I see, that's good."
They were not in shortage of prisoners or test subjects, so there was no need to keep a potential danger close to Eris.
Especially one who had dared to threaten her.
"Greetings, Ainz-sama." Suddenly, a calm and composed voice interrupted them.
Ainz turned toward the voice, but upon not seeing anyone, he looked down.
"Oh! Kyouhukou, it's good to see you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Ainz-sama. Thank you for visiting this one's humble abode." Kyouhukou bowed his head in a sign of profound respect.
Kyouhukou looked like a gigantic cockroach.
He stood on two legs, towering over any regular cockroach at 30 cm tall. He wore royal garments, with a beautiful golden crown, and a red cape.
In his hand, he held a royal scepter, completing his memorable design.
This was Kyouhukou, one of the Area Guardians stationed on the 2nd floor, and a member of the Five Worst, a group of the most feared NPCs in Nazarick.
They weren't feared for their power, but by how… upsetting they could be.
Neuronist, as the official torturer, held the title of the worst occupation, while Kyouhukou was unanimously given the title of worst residence.
As a level 30 NPC, he didn't have much power for battle, but it was quite common for level 100 enemies to instantly disconnect from the game upon being teleported to his residence.
The sight of thousands of cockroaches running towards you was enough to traumatize many wannabe invaders, and it could be said that stories about this place helped preemptively fend off many enemies who were considering invading Nazarick.
That being said, Kyouhukou was not an evil NPC. In fact, he could be considered one of the most noble, polite, and good-natured out of all the NPCs in Nazarick.
"Ha ha, lift your head, Kyouhukou, there's no need for this excessive politeness. How have you been doing? Your residence looks as flashy as ever, it seems."
"This one is delighted with your praise, Ainz-sama. Everything is functioning normally. Initially, I thought that with the departure of Cocytus-sama and Entoma, I would go through some days of loneliness, but thankfully, Eris-sama saw fit to perform this treatment here, even going so far as to feed my family."
He was aware of the camaraderie between the insectoid NPCs of Nazarick.
Cocytus visited this place from time to time, considering Kyouhukou to be his ally.
Entoma, on the other hand, came mostly to eat some cockroaches, from what he had heard.
Both of them left Nazarick to conquer some tribes that lived in a lake somewhere in the forest.
"I see. That's good to hear, but are your familiars being properly fed? Do you want me to provide more food for them?"
"There's no need, Ainz-sama! My family can go by with some cannibalism, and I can always summon more of them if needed. Please don't feel burdened by this little one's situation." Kyouhukou once again prostrated himself.
"I don't feel burdened at all, and food is not something Nazarick lacks. I'll instruct Albedo to take care of the logistics, don't worry."
"Thank you, Ainz-sama!"
After talking with the two of them for a while longer, Ainz teleported to the 5th floor.
***
"[Create Middle-tier Undead]"
A black smoke escaped from his body, moving into the frozen bodies on the 5th floor, using them as vessels to give rise to 12 new undead under his command.
He made two parties, each composed of members of the Death Series: Death Knights, Death Warriors, Death Archers, Death Assassins, Death Wizards, and Death Priests.
If the intel given to him by the members of the Sunlight Scripture was to be believed, these 12 undead could easily conquer one of the neighboring human countries by themselves, save for the Slaine Theocracy.
But he wasn't reckless enough to take this information at face value.
If something went wrong, it could cost the lives of the people of Nazarick, and that was something he wasn't willing to risk.
"[Create Low-tier Undead]"
Once again, smoke left his body, and this time created 20 new undead.
10 of those wore arcane robes and showed rotten faces full of respect as soon as they came to be.
These were Elder Liches, level 22 magic casters, that he created to serve as low-tier administrative servants in the tomb.
Weak as they were, these Elder Liches possessed human-level intellects. They could learn, they could write, and they could teach others, not to mention their access to the spell [Message], serving as convenient subordinates for the NPCs in Nazarick.
If they ever needed expendables to work outside, they would also be decent.
At level 22, they could use 4th-tier spells, which put them barely in what the adventurers called the adamantite class, and with the many enhancements that his skills and now talent gave them, he thought they wouldn't look bad by comparison.
The other ten were white skeletons wearing belts full of tools.
These were level 15 Skeleton Craftsmen, created to help build whatever was needed in Nazarick or outside.
He quickly opened portals and sent them to where they would be used.
There are not many corpses left…
After a few days, most of the corpses retrieved from the destroyed villages had already been used to create undead, be it by him or by Pandora's Actor transformed into him.
He had originally intended to visit the cemetery this night, but the party after his duel with Kalgra took longer than he expected, and he decided to do it the next night without fail.
Ainz was very aware that his ability to create permanent undead was completely outrageous in this world.
And he had every intention to make full use of it.
Considering the size of the city, as well as its use for war, Ainz was fairly certain that the cemetery would have at least tens of thousands of corpses.
If acquired, this supply could last for many years.
Just as he was considering leaving, he caught sight of an approaching figure.
The snowstorm raged strongly, painting the world in white, but in the middle of it, a lone knight approached.
At first, it was only a red dot in the whiteness, but as it got closer, Ainz began to recognize who it was.
The horse wasn't alive; it was a Soul Eater, an undead monster that looked like a white horse skeleton, its bones connected by a yellow fog that resembled flames.
Riding it was a black skeleton.
She wore a beautifully crafted red armor that shone like a ruby even in the middle of a snowstorm.
She must have seen him, because the Soul Eater increased its pace, quickly running through the snow before stopping in front of him.
Ainz touched the smooth bones of the Soul Eater, feeling their strong connection as creator and creature.
Soul Eater was the strongest undead he could create permanently, being exactly level 40.
Their name was derived from how these monsters ate souls to activate many of their abilities.
Their lore stated that a Soul Eater would grow stronger the more souls it ate, but in game terms, they received buffs after killing enemies with their abilities.
They could also devour these souls to heal themselves or strengthen their other skills.
Overall, Soul Eaters were versatile undead capable of many things.
But for him, they were mainly good mounts he could control perfectly.
"Greetings, Ainz-sama!" Nethys jumped from the Soul Eater and quickly gave him a military salute.
Standing at 1,9m tall, Nethys was a black skeleton with blood-red flames for eyes and a powerful, sharp voice.
Even while standing in front of him, she didn't lower her belligerent energy.
No one would think that she was only a level 1 Skeleton Warrior.
"Hello, Nethys. It's good to see you."
Usually, when he came to create undead, she was busy doing something else, so he hadn't seen her much in the last few days.
"It's good to see you, too, sir!"
"Ha, ha. How have you been? Missing Cocytus already?"
"No, sir. My mind has been on training the troops, so I didn't have the time to care for Cocytus-sama, who has been assigned to a mission he is not qualified for."
Oh, so this is why you came to see me today?
He found it weird that she came to see him as soon as he appeared on the floor, but now he understood why.
"Oh? What makes you think Cocytus isn't qualified for the mission of conquering a few demihuman tribes?"
"That's not what I said, sir. Cocytus-sama is more than capable of conquering those tribes if he fought them as a warrior, but as a commander? I'm well aware of his cognitive limitations, so I don't think your decision to give him command of the troops was a wise one, sir."
Nethys spoke without hesitation.
She wasn't someone who hesitated in the first place.
Nethys was someone profoundly enamored with the idea of warriors.
Training, guiding, and, of course, leading warriors were among her areas of expertise.
To her, a person was a gem that needed to be polished by training and discipline until they became a formidable warrior.
In her eyes, someone's value lay less in how much potential they had, but more in how much of this potential they could bring forth.
As a commander, she was incredibly demanding, but he knew that she was even more demanding when it came to herself.
In a battle or in a war, a moment's hesitation could cost someone a life or their victory, so Nethys never hesitated and always spoke her mind, even if to contradict him.
That was simply the type of person she was.
"I must say that I truly love how blunt and direct you can be, Nethys. It's very refreshing."
He then hopped on the Soul Eater and extended his hand to her.
"Come on, show me where you are training your troops."
He wanted to see what she had been doing all these days, even going so far as to request Thalia to build her a training facility.
"O-Okay." Nethys looked flustered, but she still mounted the Soul Eater, getting in front of him.
He had already expended his uses of [Create Middle-tier Undead] for the day, so he couldn't create any more of them.
The Soul Eater moved around, adjusting to their weight and getting into a more comfortable position for the two of them.
This, of course, was one of the benefits of using an undead he created as a mount: he could make it adjust itself to him as much as he wanted.
He felt comfortable in this situation, but Nethys seemed to think otherwise.
She went stiff as soon as she got in front of him.
Tall as she was, Ainz couldn't help but think that she looked like a child at this moment.
In a way, she really is my child, isn't she?
He ordered the Soul Eater to move forward.