After Ren Kuroda finished speaking, every Guardian present—whether it was Demiurge or the others—looked at him with unmistakable admiration.
Even Ainz's nearly dislocated skeletal jaw slowly clicked back into place.
For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder—
If Ren had been given an actual intelligence stat back in YGGDRASIL… just how high would it have been?
Albedo and Demiurge had both been designed with their intelligence maxed out, making them the undisputed masterminds of Nazarick.
As for Shalltear… well, judging by her creator's priorities, most of her "points" had clearly gone into combat ability. Her intelligence probably sat somewhere around a tragic single digit.
Meanwhile, Ainz himself—despite being the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick—had always relied on improvisation and the Guardians' tendency to overinterpret his words whenever he spoke with Demiurge and the others.
That was why—
Watching Ren casually keep up with them… no, even outpace their thinking—
Ainz couldn't help but feel both admiration and envy.
What he didn't know, however, was that everything Ren had just said…
Was complete nonsense.
Ren had originally taken an interest in the Lizardmen for one simple reason:
He liked the look of them.
That was it.
There had been no grand strategy, no long-term military foresight—nothing of the sort.
And yet somehow…
Not only had the Guardians believed every word—
They were now looking at him like he was some kind of visionary genius.
…Seriously? They bought that?
In any case, thanks to Ren's "explanation," Ainz and the others changed their stance toward the Lizardmen.
Because of Ren's influence, Ainz also agreed to one of the Lizardmen leaders' requests:
They would choose their own warriors for the coming battle.
And regardless of the outcome—victory or defeat—
The rest of the Lizardmen would be spared.
It didn't take long for the Lizardmen to assemble their forces.
Alongside the five tribal chiefs—each around level fifteen to twenty—stood several elderly warriors of their kind.
Their opponent, however…
Was Cocytus, one of Nazarick's Guardians.
The reason for choosing him was simple.
Among all the Guardians, Cocytus was the only one with a positive karma value. And as a warrior through and through, he was best suited to judge whether the Lizardmen were truly worth cultivating.
"You should consider yourselves fortunate," Cocytus declared, his deep voice echoing across the battlefield.
"That you have encountered a Supreme Being as merciful as Lord Ren."
"Now—show me your valor."
"I am Cocytus. Take one step forward, and death will be your only reward."
"And yet… you have no other choice."
"Fight. Display the strength that earned Lord Ren's recognition."
"This… is your final chance to prove your worth."
In truth, ever since the initial campaign against the Lizardmen, Cocytus had admired their spirit.
Otherwise, he would never have risked speaking on their behalf to Ainz.
So while his words sounded cold and absolute, they carried a deeper meaning.
This battle—
They could not refuse it.
If they faltered or fled, it would prove their race unworthy of Nazarick's investment.
And annihilation would be inevitable.
But if they fought with everything they had—if they demonstrated true valor and earned the acknowledgment of the Supreme Beings—
Then a future awaited them.
Five Lizardmen, barely scraping past level twenty at best…
Against a fully equipped, max-level Guardian clad in legendary gear.
The outcome—
Was never in doubt.
It was a one-sided battle.
Brutal. Overwhelming. Absolute.
And yet—
Even in the face of certain defeat, the Lizardmen fought with unwavering resolve.
They proved their courage.
They proved their worth.
After the battle, Ren and Ainz used resurrection items to revive every fallen Lizardman.
First, they had demonstrated overwhelming power.
Then, they had displayed the miracle of resurrection.
At that point—
The Lizardmen's submission was complete.
To ensure absolute control, Ainz also formed a contract with Kurushu, the red-eyed Lizardman female, placing her in a position to monitor the rest of her kind.
"Though you have chosen submission," Ren said calmly, looking down at them,"your strength is still far too lacking for Nazarick."
"So next… we'll be arranging a stage for you to grow stronger."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Consider it your initiation."
"Work hard—and prove your value."
Meanwhile—
Far from Nazarick, within the royal capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom—
The atmosphere had grown increasingly tense.
In recent days, high-ranking nobles and ministers had been flocking to the royal palace almost constantly.
Meetings were held one after another, with no end in sight.
And every topic discussed…
Was grave.
First, there was the criminal syndicate known as Eight Fingers.
After being relentlessly targeted by the adamantite-ranked adventurer team Blue Rose and the warrior group Four Armaments, they had begun retaliating like cornered beasts.
The entire capital had descended into unease.
Then came the report brought back by Climb, the personal bodyguard of the Golden Princess.
According to him—
A powerful demon was preparing to attack the royal capital.
At first, the nobles dismissed it outright.
After all, the information came from nothing more than an adventurer.
And a "powerful demon"? How powerful could it really be?
This was the royal capital of Re-Estize—the heart of the kingdom.
It was defended by the kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff, along with elite troops.
If it could be overrun so easily, the kingdom would have long since fallen under another nation's control.
But a few days ago—
That complacency shattered.
The once peaceful and secure capital began to change.
Powerful monsters—bat demons, soul-devouring fiends, demonic wolves—started appearing throughout the city.
Even more disturbingly—
Large numbers of Lizardmen, creatures that should never have been anywhere near the capital, began to emerge.
No one knew how they had gotten there.
But the moment they appeared—
They attacked.
Relentlessly.
And their targets?
The nobles.
The ministers.
The wealthy elite.
These monsters behaved with unsettling intelligence.
They didn't attack randomly.
They went straight for the most lavish mansions in the city.
Every raid followed the same pattern:
Break in.
Capture the well-dressed nobles alive.
Kill anyone who resisted.
Loot every valuable item.
Then set the estate ablaze—
And leave.
It was too organized.
Too precise.
Too… deliberate.
Like bandits operating under orders.
The nobles, who suffered the brunt of these attacks, quickly realized something terrifying:
Their personal guards and servants were utterly helpless against such monsters.
So they rushed to the palace again and again, begging for military intervention.
They demanded that the king deploy the army—
That Gazef himself be sent to eliminate the threat.
Gazef Stronoff was indeed the kingdom's strongest warrior.
But no matter how powerful he was—
He was still just one man.
With nobles being captured in droves, he feared for the king's safety above all else.
And so—
He refused to leave the king's side.
As the situation worsened and the number of monsters continued to rise—
The nobles' panic turned into chaos.
They flooded the palace daily, demanding action.
Until finally—
With no other choice left—
The king made his decision.
He would personally lead the army—
And bring this disaster to an end.
...
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