A young blond man, dressed in lavish attire with a handsome face, Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix of Baharuth, strolled leisurely through the corridor. Someone had already reported that intruders had breached the palace, but Emperor Jircniv didn't give a damn.
In this world, the only ones capable of posing a threat to the heavily guarded imperial palace were the powerhouses from the Sorcerer Kingdom. If it was someone from the Sorcerer Kingdom showing up, he wouldn't even bother resisting—just stick his neck out and take the chop like a good boy.
The memory of that nightmare of a day still lingered fresh in his mind. A pair of dark elf twins, riding a massive dragon, had descended from the sky, unleashing high-tier earth magic to wipe out the fully armed knights in the palace. It was the first time Baharuth got a taste of the terrifying might of the Sorcerer Kingdom—aka the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
From that point on, everything spiraled out of control, plunging into the darkest depths of the abyss.
The royal family was "invited" by Ainz Ooal Gown to tour the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Fluder Paradyne, the empire's chief court wizard and the emperor's most trusted advisor, defected to serve under Ainz Ooal Gown.
Ainz Ooal Gown unleashed some unheard-of Super-Tier magic, annihilating tens of thousands of Re-Estize troops in one go.
Ainz Ooal Gown engaged in a martial arts contest with the Martial Champion, subtly warning the imperial emperor not to act recklessly.
Baharuth officially declared itself a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom, bending the knee without a fight.
Jircniv rested his hand on the white stone railing of the palace, gazing out at the majestic castle, a bitter smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. When he first ascended to the throne of Baharuth, he was brimming with ambition, hell-bent on carving out a legacy that would echo through the ages.
To that end, he didn't hesitate to ruthlessly purge the nobles tied to him by blood, consolidating the royal family's power in one fell swoop. After that, he planned to unleash the empire's iron cavalry to crush the capital of their long-time enemy, Re-Estize, then march south to conquer the lofty Slane Theocracy.
Next, he'd flatten the unruly demi-human tribes scattered around, expand the borders, and make Baharuth the mightiest human empire in the world.
But then this Great Tomb of Nazarick popped up out of nowhere, screwing over every damn plan he had. All his ambition, dreams, schemes, and grand aspirations? In the face of overwhelming power, they were as flimsy and pathetic as a kid's sandcastle on the beach.
He'd spent day and night dreaming of ending the century-long war with Re-Estize using the empire's knights and magic. But when he saw Re-Estize's main army—soldiers dropping like harvested wheat under the terrifying magic of the great demon king Ainz Ooal Gown—he felt no satisfaction, only a bottomless pit of dread.
If Ainz Ooal Gown could wipe out tens of thousands of Re-Estize lives without batting an eye, then flattening the entire Baharuth Empire would be a walk in the park for him.
Reports from the intelligence division even mentioned that in the Azerlisia Mountains, seventy thousand Quagoa had been butchered to the last by Ainz Ooal Gown's minions.
Facing a bloodthirsty demon king like this, Emperor Jircniv now only cared about keeping the people of Baharuth—and himself—alive. Grand dreams of conquest? Fat chance. Even picking a fight with the battered Re-Estize didn't spark his interest anymore.
Baharuth and Re-Estize, locked in a war for nearly a century, were nothing but two scared little rabbits shivering in the dead of winter under Ainz Ooal Gown's supreme intimidation. If one got snuffed out, the hunter's arrow would just swing to the other.
Jircniv let out a sigh, brushing off the heavy thoughts. Lately, he'd been slacking off big time. Once a hard-working ruler who steered clear of women and focused on state affairs, he'd now started drowning himself in booze and chasing skirts. When he realized all his efforts were just water slipping through his fingers, what was the point of his life if not to kick back and enjoy it?
He shoved open the doors to the main palace hall and stepped inside. Normally, this was where he met with ministers and generals, hashing out national matters and running the show. But now, the glitzy, golden hall was dead empty. Some of the veteran officials had been scared shitless by Ainz and quit to hide out at home. Others probably couldn't stomach the emperor's downward spiral and bailed.
Wait—no, there was someone in the hall.
Jircniv looked up and spotted a girl in black, her dark hair framing a giant sword strapped to her back. She was leaning against a pillar, eyes half-closed, head bobbing like she was dozing off.
Who the hell was this girl? Jircniv frowned. How'd the guards let her waltz in here? He adjusted his fancy headpiece and belt, then strolled over to her, clearing his throat with a sharp cough.
The young girl jolted awake, her sleepy eyes sizing up Emperor Jircniv in a hazy daze. "You're…"
Well, this oughta be good!
A sly grin crept onto Jircniv's lips. He towered over the girl by a full head, looking down at her with a wicked smirk. "Well, well, what a pure and unpretentious little thing. You're the first common girl to see the emperor and not drop to your knees. You really have some personality. I like that."
The dark-haired girl blinked, looking a bit confused. She tilted her head, mulling it over, then straightened up. In one swift move, she lunged forward, grabbed the fancy collar of the blond man's robe, and hoisted him off the ground!
"So," EeDechi's black eyes flashed with a sharp glint, all traces of sleepiness gone, "you're that Emperor Jircniv, huh?"
With one hand, she hauled the squirming, pretty-boy emperor and chucked him onto the dazzling, gem-encrusted throne in the center of the hall.
"Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix," he said, smoothing out his crumpled collar, trying to cling to some shred of dignity as the empire's top dog. "I'm the emperor. What the hell do you think you're doing? You've just committed a capital—"
A whoosh cut through the air as EeDechi yanked her giant sword from her back. In a flash, the broad blade swung right past Jircniv's ear, the wild gust from it tossing his golden hair into a mess. His words choked off mid-sentence.
"Name's too long—can't keep it straight. I figured an emperor would be some crusty old geezer, not a fresh-faced little hunk with a baby-smooth complexion." EeDechi nodded, giving his cheek a couple of playful taps with the flat of her massive blade. "Young guys are good. Young guys know how to listen."
"Your Majesty! You damned she-bandit! Let him go!" A chorus of shouts erupted behind her as the palace doors crashed open with a loud bang. EeDechi spun around to see three knights in gleaming, full-body magical armor charging in, wielding longswords and greatswords.
Two men and one woman led the charge, the frontman a burly, gold-bearded warrior clad in heavy armor. They fanned out across the wide hall, cutting off EeDechi's escape routes with precision.
Behind them, wave after wave of fully armed knights poured in, decked out in enchanted full-plate armor. Longswords, steel spears, and Adamantite tower shields formed a fan-shaped wall, boxing in EeDechi and the emperor tight.
From the corner of her eye, EeDechi caught Jircniv letting out a long breath, slumping back into his throne the second the three knights stormed in.
These three warriors were the emperor's pride and joy, the legendary Imperial Four Knights—well, three now, since one had bitten the dust.
"Lightning Bolt" Baziwood Peshmel!
"Fierce Gale" Nimble Arc Dale Anoch!
"Heavy Explosion" Leinas Rockbruise!
Baziwood gripped a broad, black giant sword, his face dark as he eyed the blade EeDechi held near Jircniv's ear. "A wanted criminal of the empire, and you've got the balls to sneak into the palace! No wonder we couldn't track you down—you've already busted your way in here."
Nimble, draped in a black cloak, sounded antsy. "This girl's got some skills. She's already fucked up dozens of guards and grand mages in the court. To play it safe, we hit her together."
"Cool it, don't jump the gun! His Majesty's still in her hands!"
EeDechi grinned, pulling her sword away from Jircniv like it was no big deal, then sauntered toward the bristling encirclement like she was taking a Sunday stroll.
No one knew why this badass bandit girl would ditch a heavyweight hostage like the emperor, but the imperial knights breathed a little easier. The biggest leash on their fighting power had just been tossed aside by the enemy herself.
Once EeDechi was a good distance from Jircniv, Baziwood roared, "Go!"
The three knights unleashed their prepped Martial Arts, tearing through the air like four streaks of razor-sharp black lightning, slashing at EeDechi from all sides!