Perhaps some would think that Luke was just teasing Albedo and Momonga for fun, that it was simply a meaningless joke — they’d wonder why he always acted so “boring.”
But in truth, it was the complete opposite.
This was an idea Luke had a long time ago, a glimpse of his true ideal.
Ever since he first discovered the game YGGDRASIL after being transported to Japan, Luke had been thinking deeply about what he should do if he ever truly crossed over into another world — what he would do, how he would do it, and whether it could even be done.
OVERLORD may have its heartwarming moments between Momonga, his companions, and the NPCs they left behind, as well as lingering traces of human sentiment in Momonga’s heart, and even plenty of comedic interludes.
But it is not a comedy.
The original work is filled with so much darkness that it could shatter a person’s worldview.
From the perspective of heteromorphic races, however, those dark elements are nothing at all.
Because humans are, in their eyes, a completely different species.
They have no desire to involve themselves with humans in any way.
Almost all of Nazarick’s subordinates believe there is no reason to think like a human.
That is why, later on, Demiurge could conduct human experimentation without a shred of psychological burden, and could lure humans into traps only to slaughter them without a second thought.
From their standpoint, they are not “wrong” at all.
After all, from the moment they were created, they were born as “monsters.” And nearly all of their creators — the Supreme Beings — were also “monsters.”
They have no way of knowing that before the crossing, they were merely data, or that those Supreme Beings, though outwardly heteromorphs, were actually ordinary humans — albeit humans with eccentric tastes.
And to say that all of Momonga’s companions would have wished for their “children” to treat humans as mere livestock and slaughter them at will?
Impossible.
If Nazarick’s NPCs ever learned the truth, perhaps they might treat humans a little better, but reality offers no such “if.”
Luke was not entirely opposed to the actions of Nazarick in the original story.
Most of the humans killed were ones who deserved death.
As for the innocent ones — the humans and other races captured for experiments — the story only touched lightly on their suffering.
They were experimented on, yes, but at least their lives were not taken.
And the world has never lacked those who suffer misfortune despite having done nothing wrong.
All Luke could do was try to slightly change the fates of those tragic individuals when the chance arose.
There were only a few whose deaths he truly regretted, simply because their portrayal in the original was too detailed, their fates too tragic. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
One of them was a certain young lady who appeared later in the story — a noble girl from a fallen house.
In order to care for her younger sister and repay her late parents’ kindness, she ventured into Momonga’s domain.
In the end, she met a miserable death, while the sister she desperately tried to protect was sold by their heartless father to a cult as a sacrifice and brutally murdered.
She was perhaps the only person Luke wished Nazarick had not killed.
Of course, he didn’t think that her actions did not deserve punishment (as an adventurer, accepting a quest means being ready for death), because her teammates dared to deceive Momonga’s companions — the most precious memory in his heart — which was akin to touching Momonga’s reverse scale.
Granting them a swift and quiet death could already be considered an act of mercy.
Even so, Luke felt that the girl’s filial piety and devotion to her sister were so rare and so sincere that they deserved admiration.
As a transmigrator, Luke himself had experienced the pain of “wanting to care for one’s parents when they are no longer there.” He would think of his family all the more on festive occasions.
He had been the eldest son, with one younger brother, always his brother’s role model — excelling in his studies, getting into a prestigious university, and filling his parents with pride whenever they spoke of him.
But after crossing over, everything was gone — no parents, no brother.
So in a sense, he was similar to that young lady, and that reason alone was enough.
In another sense, he was just like Momonga.
Aside from his companions and the memories in his mind, he had nothing.
That was why, during all those years in YGGDRASIL, he had devoted himself entirely to the guild — not merely for the sake of becoming stronger or acting like some overpowered “chosen one” after transmigration.
That was why he wanted to change the futures of some of these “small characters.”
And beyond that, his greatest wish was to assist Momonga — to bring happiness to as many suffering, downtrodden people as possible, to give them what he and Momonga could no longer have: good health and a happy family.
Luke’s ultimate wish was to create a world like the prosperous world in his previous life — perhaps with a gap between rich and poor, but where everyone was born equal, received the same education, and had relatively fair opportunities in the end.
And as for administrators of such a world?
The Guardians of Nazarick were perfect for the job.
Completely loyal to the Supreme Beings, they could handle the responsibility, and because they considered humans inferior, they would have no interest in seizing human political power.
Just as humans would never envy the position of an ant queen or a monkey king, they wouldn’t care about ruling humans either.
No one understood better than Luke that Momonga actually disliked power — he didn’t care for authority at all.
Like Luke, he was just an ordinary person, whose highest contact with “power” in his past life might have been a city mayor, hardly enough to leave him obsessed with power.
What they truly loved was exploration and adventure — their ultimate addiction.
YGGDRASIL — the World Tree — was divided into nine great regions, known as the Nine Realms: Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim.
Only three of these — Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim — were truly safe zones for heteromorphs.
But Momonga refused to hide away in those three regions, boldly venturing out into the wider world.
What kept him going was his curiosity and thirst for the unknown and Luke was equally addicted to this sense of discovery.
But as time went on, the guild members became Momonga and Luke’s other great attachment.
For their sake, the two of them had to give up their greatest desire — exploration — and instead live like machines, performing endless repetitive tasks.
Still, Luke had countless other ideas.
Human creativity and learning ability were so powerful — what if they were given certain technologies?
Could there be unexpected breakthroughs?
He often wondered: if the world had only two nations constantly competing, wouldn’t they have entered the space age much earlier?
What if Nazarick’s level cap could be removed?
Without the game system, Level 100 should no longer be the ceiling.
If that were possible, he and Momonga could surpass their limits, a completely new experience that would thrill them every bit as much as adventure itself.
But all of these grand, idealistic dreams had one prerequisite: Nazarick had to integrate, at least partially, into the human world, and learn to show a certain degree of respect for other races.
This was an enormous challenge, one that could be said to completely overturn the settings of Nazarick’s NPCs.
So he came up with a method: grant all races within Nazarick’s future territory a single, unified identity — the property of the Supreme Beings.
There might still be social classes, there might still be rich and poor, but everyone’s fundamental identity would be the same: They would all be the “possessions” of Momonga and Luke.
The rich would not be allowed to casually kill others, and even the poorest would still have the right to live.
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