Overlord: The Wandering Sorcerer Chapter 18 — The Empty Throne
The voice faded.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Momonga stared into the darkness beyond the throne room.
The words remained in his mind.
Welcome home.
Supreme Being.
He had heard those words before.
Not in this world.
In Nazarick.
From the NPCs.
From beings who had been created by his friends.
Yet there was something fundamentally wrong about hearing them here.
There was no Nazarick.
No Great Tomb of Nazarick.
No guild.
No other Supreme Beings.
Only him.
And Nabe.
Momonga slowly turned toward the silver-haired woman.
“Who said that?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve been here for two hundred years.”
“Yes.”
“And you’ve never heard that voice?”
“No.”
Momonga’s gaze hardened.
“Then why did you bow?”
The woman looked down.
“Because the tomb demanded it.”
Nabe’s hand moved toward her sword.
“That is not an answer.”
The woman looked at her.
“No.”
She paused.
“But it is the truth.”
Evileye stepped forward.
“I think we should leave.”
Momonga didn’t answer.
He was staring at the throne.
The inscription had vanished.
Only the black stone remained.
As if the name had never existed.
“Momonga.”
Nabe’s voice was quiet.
He looked at her.
“Yes?”
“Something is approaching.”
He turned.
At the far end of the chamber, the doors opened.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
A long corridor appeared beyond them.
There were no guards.
No monsters.
No traps.
Only darkness.
Momonga raised his staff.
“I’ll go first.”
Nabe immediately shook her head.
“No.”
Momonga looked at her.
“You said you would never enter an unknown ruin alone.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“I am going with you.”
Momonga smiled.
“I thought so.”
Evileye sighed.
“And apparently I’m going too.”
Momonga looked at her.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She adjusted her cloak.
“I’m still coming.”
The silver-haired woman watched them.
“You shouldn’t.”
Momonga looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because if you go deeper, the tomb will recognize you completely.”
“What happens then?”
She hesitated.
“You may not be able to leave.”
Momonga considered that.
“Then we’d better find the exit before that happens.”
She stared at him.
“You’re not afraid.”
“I am.”
“But you’re going anyway.”
“Yes.”
The woman smiled faintly.
“Then perhaps you really are a Supreme Being.”
Momonga almost laughed.
“I don’t think you understand what that word means.”
“Perhaps not.”
She followed them.
They entered the corridor.
The moment Momonga crossed the threshold, the lights activated.
A pale blue glow traveled along the walls.
Ancient runes appeared.
Evileye stopped.
“These aren’t normal runes.”
Momonga looked closer.
“They’re system commands.”
“What?”
“Not ordinary magic.”
He touched the wall.
The symbols shifted.
A new line appeared.
IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
Momonga’s expression darkened.
Another line appeared.
GUILD MASTER STATUS: UNVERIFIED.
Then:
SUBORDINATE STATUS: DETECTED.
Nabe’s eyes widened.
The final line appeared.
ERROR.
The lights went out.
Silence.
Momonga looked at Nabe.
She looked back.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
The silver-haired woman spoke quietly. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“I do.”
Momonga turned.
“What?”
“The tomb cannot understand why you are here.”
“Why?”
“Because its records say you should have arrived with your guild.”
Momonga froze.
Evileye looked at him.
“But you told us you came alone.”
“I did.”
The woman nodded.
“That’s why the tomb is confused.”
Momonga thought about it.
Then something occurred to him.
“What if it isn’t confused?”
Everyone looked at him.
“What if it knows exactly what happened?”
The woman frowned.
“Explain.”
Momonga looked at the walls.
“The tomb recognizes me.”
“Yes.”
“It recognizes Nabe.”
“Yes.”
“But it doesn’t recognize our situation.”
The woman nodded.
“So?”
Momonga’s eyes glowed.
“So whoever created this place expected something different.”
He paused.
“They expected a guild.”
The woman slowly understood.
“And you came alone.”
“Not exactly.”
Momonga looked at Nabe.
“I didn’t come alone.”
Nabe’s expression softened.
The silver-haired woman stared at them.
Then she smiled.
“Perhaps that is why the system is failing.”
Momonga nodded.
“Maybe.”
They continued deeper.
The corridor opened into a huge underground hall.
Rows of statues stood on both sides.
Each statue depicted a humanoid figure.
Some were warriors.
Some were magic casters.
Some were creatures Momonga couldn’t identify.
At the center of the hall was another inscription.
This one was intact.
Momonga approached.
The writing was in an ancient language.
He activated translation magic.
The words became clear.
Those who serve the Supreme Beings shall remain until the end.
Momonga stared at the inscription.
Nabe lowered her head.
Evileye looked at her.
“You really were created by someone like him.”
Nabe didn’t answer.
Momonga did.
“Yes.”
The silver-haired woman whispered:
“Then you understand.”
Momonga looked at her.
“Understand what?”
“What it means to remain when your creator is gone.”
Momonga became silent.
The woman continued.
“We waited.”
“For how long?”
“Until we stopped counting.”
“Who are we?”
She looked at the statues.
“Those who were left behind.”
Momonga’s gaze moved across the hall.
“How many?”
“Originally?”
She smiled sadly.
“Thousands.”
Evileye’s expression changed.
“Where are they now?”
The woman looked toward the darkness.
“Dead.”
Momonga froze.
“All of them?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Some became monsters.”
“Some?”
“Some became kings.”
“Some became gods.”
“And some…”
She looked at Momonga.
“…are still waiting.”
A chill passed through him.
“Where?”
The woman pointed toward the deepest part of the tomb.
“There.”
Momonga looked down the corridor.
For the first time since entering the tomb, he felt genuine uncertainty.
He didn’t know what he would find.
Perhaps another NPC.
Perhaps another player artifact.
Perhaps a trap.
Or perhaps something much worse.
The voice returned.
This time it was closer.
Supreme Being.
Momonga raised his staff.
“Show yourself.”
Nothing happened.
Then the statues moved.
Every head turned toward him.
Evileye jumped backward.
“What the hell?”
Nabe drew her sword.
Momonga raised one hand.
“Wait.”
The statues didn’t attack.
They simply watched him.
Then they knelt.
One after another.
Thousands of stone figures lowered themselves before him.
Momonga stared.
His thoughts raced.
This wasn’t admiration.
It wasn’t loyalty. Get faster updates on g.com.
It was recognition.
The tomb believed he was someone else.
Or perhaps…
someone he was supposed to become.
The silver-haired woman walked toward the center of the hall.
“There is something you need to see.”
Momonga followed.
They reached a massive circular chamber.
At its center stood an empty throne.
Unlike the throne in the previous room, this one was enormous.
Behind it was a symbol.
A circle.
Eight marks.
And above them…
a ninth.
Momonga stopped.
“What is that?”
The woman shook her head.
“No one knows.”
Momonga stepped closer.
The symbol began glowing.
A message appeared in the air.
GUILD MASTER ABSENT.
Then another.
SUCCESSOR REQUIRED.
Momonga’s eyes widened.
“No.”
The woman looked at him.
“What?”
“This isn’t a tomb.”
“What is it?”
Momonga stared at the empty throne.
“It’s a guild base.”
Silence.
Evileye looked around.
“Then where is the guild?”
Momonga answered quietly.
“Gone.”
Nabe looked at the throne.
“And the members?”
“Dead.”
The silver-haired woman shook her head.
“Not all.”
Momonga looked at her.
She pointed toward the throne.
“Some are waiting.”
A sound came from behind them.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Someone was entering the chamber.
Momonga turned.
The darkness at the entrance moved.
A figure emerged.
Tall.
Armored.
Carrying a massive sword.
Momonga immediately recognized the equipment.
His undead heart didn’t beat.
But if it had…
it would have stopped.
The figure looked directly at him.
Then knelt.
“Supreme Being.”
Momonga couldn’t speak.
Nabe stared.
Evileye’s mouth fell slightly open.
The silver-haired woman smiled.
“Another one.”
The armored figure lowered his head.
“We have waited for you.”
Momonga finally found his voice.
“How many of you are there?”
The figure answered:
“Enough.”
Momonga looked at the empty throne.
Then at Nabe.
Then at the thousands of statues.
And finally at the darkness beyond the chamber.
For the first time since arriving in the New World, he realized something terrifying.
He had spent months searching for other players.
But perhaps that had been the wrong search.
The players were gone.
Their creations remained.
And somewhere beneath the world…
their abandoned kingdoms were still waiting for someone to return.
Momonga looked at the kneeling figure.
“Stand.”
The figure obeyed.
Momonga took a slow breath.
“I am not the person you think I am.”
The figure looked at him.
“That is irrelevant.”
“Why?”
“Because you carry the authority.”
Momonga’s gaze hardened.
“What authority?”
The armored NPC pointed toward Nabe.
“She.”
Then toward Momonga.
“You.”
Then toward the empty throne.
“And this.”
Momonga understood.
The system didn’t care about his identity.
It cared about the connection.
The creation.
The authority.
The bond between creator and creation.
And somehow…
Nabe had brought that connection into this world.
Momonga looked at her.
“Nabe.”
“Yes?”
“I think we just found our next adventure.”
Nabe smiled.
“Where do we begin?”
Momonga looked at the empty throne.
“By finding out who built this place.”
The armored NPC lowered his head.
“That answer may change everything.”
Momonga smiled.
“Good.”
He turned toward the deepest corridor.
“Then let’s find it.”