My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...It's just a very common bureaucratic tactic, nothing more than playing dumb and stalling for time! Or maybe they've even blocked the news from within!"

Pochetti, the retired prime minister of the Golden Dragon Kingdom who was playing the game "OVERLORD" with a tough guy account, said calmly, "...This mayor is probably still hoping for reinforcements from the capital! Or he thinks that the city's triple walls are hard for us to break through - of course, that's not the case."

Therefore, we shouldn't let the petty tricks of ants disrupt our plans! Before absolute power, all schemes are futile.

"...But the people in the city probably don't know how powerful we are right now, let alone how weak they are. After all, power is something that only makes an impression after it's demonstrated."

Lulutia said, "...It's what they call ignorance is bliss!"

"...Yes, you're right. In that case, let's proceed according to the original plan!"

Ainz Ooal Gown snapped his fingers without hesitation, "...Demiurge, Mare, Aura, issue an ultimatum to this city!"

—The next moment, to the horrified eyes of the soldiers guarding the fortress city of Yelantil, three figures soared into the sky from the "demon army" camp, unleashing a barrage of fireworks and roars as their entrance music, while shouting awe-inspiring words in the air:

"...Whoosh—Boom! Whoosh—Boom! Whoosh—Boom! Boom! Boom! (Fireworks explode)"

"...A warning to the foolish people of this city! Our master, the great and supreme being, the ruler of destiny, the unstoppable and indefensible conqueror, the Sorcerer King from a distant time and space, the most esteemed Ainz Ooal Gown, has descended upon this place!"

This world will tremble at the coming of our Lord, and all enemies that stand in our way will be destroyed in our Lord’s wrath!

And your city is the first target on our Lord's journey!

"...We are servants of the Supreme Being, and we have been ordered to come and announce your inevitable fate!"

"...Submit! Or die! You lowly creatures, make your own choice!"

"...The merciful Supreme Being grants you a day to think things through! But do not presume that you can stop my army's advance with the city walls!"

Remember, if you do not open the city gates and surrender before sunset tomorrow, you will be reduced to dust along with this city…

The terrifying screams echoed repeatedly in the sky, leaving the entire city's residents completely bewildered and terrified.

—After his plan to show off during the last confrontation with the [Sunlight Scripture] failed miserably, Ainz's show-off attempt finally succeeded this time...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"...Damn it! How dare he, how dare he despise us like this! What does this demon king take Ye Lantier for?"

Hearing the arrogant shouts coming from mid-air, Mayor Panasonic was not only terrified but also felt a sense of indignation.

Although he still lacked the courage to open the city gates and fight to the death against the terrifying army shrouded in mystery outside, Mayor Panasonic was quite confident in the defensive capabilities of the city beneath his feet.

After all, Ye-Lantir is the largest fortified city on the kingdom's border, a military stronghold built to defend against invasions from the Bahars Empire.

The entire city was situated on a small hill, relying on the natural terrain. It was protected by three layers of walls, as well as trenches with spikes and towers equipped with heavy weapons. The city had ample stockpiles of military equipment and food, and also had its own water source. By the standards of this world, it was virtually impregnable.

Although they hadn't expected to encounter war at this time, and the city's garrison was somewhat insufficient—every time the Bahars Empire launched an attack on the kingdom, it would gather its forces and issue a proclamation well in advance, and the kingdom would quickly conscript militia and organize a massive counterattack force to confront the empire's invading army on the Kaz Plains, while also sending reinforcements to the fortress city of Ye-Lantir to strengthen its defenses.

Such war tactics have been followed and repeated many times, and both sides have become accustomed to them.

The subsequent battles and their outcomes were always pretty much the same.

First, there was an armed standoff between the two sides, followed by continuous small-scale clashes. After a period of time, both sides withdrew their troops and declared victory. However, the actual territorial boundaries remained unchanged, and even the fortified city of Yelantil rarely suffered any significant attacks.

As a result, in order to alleviate logistical pressure and reduce financial expenditures, as well as to prevent border officials from amassing large armies, the fortress city of Ye-Lantir did not have many troops stationed during peacetime—as long as reinforcements from the capital were sent into the city before the empire could slowly invade.

Therefore, without prior warning, the garrison in the fortress city of Yelantil was severely understrength and could not possibly launch a preemptive strike to defeat the powerful enemy attacking from outside the city walls—they could not even manage to harass them.

However, after Mayor Panasonic ordered the opening of the city's armory and urgently conscripted a large number of citizens and adventurers, the city's defenses were severely weakened.

—Although these rabble are unlikely to form ranks and fight in the open, they can still make up the numbers by having them stand on the city walls and throw stones and pour boiling water.

Of course, judging from the situation just now, the enemy should have flying units that can ignore the city walls, but the garrison of the fortress city of Ye Lantier is also equipped with giant crossbows and magical weapons specially designed for anti-aircraft shooting, so they are not completely powerless in a real battle.

According to Mayor Panathore's estimate, even if the Bahars Empire launched a full-scale attack, it would take at least a month to capture the city. Even with this mysterious and terrifying "demon army," the fortress city of Ye Lantil should be able to hold out for at least seven or eight days.

Although the enemy had many monsters, they could only slowly pile up earthen mounds, climb ladders, or dig tunnels when faced with the impregnable city walls!

(That's not actually the case.)

By then, the reinforcements dispatched from the capital to intercept them should have arrived around the same time.

Even if we really can't hold out and have to surrender, we should wait until the capital's reinforcements and the enemy forces engage in a decisive battle and determine the victor.

So, despite the fear on everyone's faces, Mayor Panasore, having calmed down, managed to muster his composure and reprimand the others:

"...Look at you all, look how terrified you are! The enemy hasn't even attacked the city yet, just a couple of bluffs and you're all crying? Have a little more faith in the city's three walls! And His Majesty's reinforcements will be here soon..."

And so, amidst an atmosphere of fear and dread, the twilight of the setting sun gradually faded, and the dark night descended...

This was also the last night that the fortress city of Ye-Lantir was still under the rule of the Kingdom of Ri-Yestije.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the dead of night, the fortress city of Yelantil was utterly silent, with few lights and an atmosphere of fear and tension permeating the air.

In response to the current wartime situation, the mayor of Panasonic had already issued a curfew, ordering all shops, taverns, and brothels in the city to close. However, in this backward world without electricity and where lighting costs were exorbitant, most shops, apart from taverns and brothels, were not accustomed to operating at night. Pedestrians and vehicles were also prohibited from traveling on the city streets at night, with violators to be prosecuted as spies.

The city's residents lost all interest in going out for leisure, instead huddling anxiously indoors, awaiting their fate with boundless fear.

Meanwhile, on the walls of the fortress city of Yelantil, the city was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

The mercenaries who were originally stationed in the city, the militia temporarily conscripted, and the adventurers were all running around in a chaotic manner, carrying arrows, oil, and stones up to the city walls.

To guard against enemy night attacks, bonfires and torches were lit all over the city walls, along with magic lamps blessed with [Eternal Light]. The city gates were also blocked with rubble, making them completely sealed off.

At first glance, it seems to be heavily guarded.

Nevertheless, in the dark of night, a woman dressed in a cloak and hood moved with effortless ease across the city walls, as if gliding.

Although the city walls were bustling with people and seemed impossible to hide from, the woman was incredibly agile. She nimbly avoided the lights and soldiers on the walls, like a drifting ghost, and finally arrived at a secluded corner that was not illuminated by any lights.

Then she stopped and slowly revealed her radiant blonde hair, beautiful face, and cruel smile from under her hood.

She is Clementine, a female assassin who has already stepped into the realm of legendary heroes and a traitor to the Slane Theocracy, with her flowing blonde hair.

This morning, taking advantage of the city's chaos, she sneaked into the city's adventurers' guild and stole four magical items that the four members of the [Black Sword] adventure team had brought back from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

As a professional assassin who wasn't particularly skilled in magic other than mental charm, Clementine initially thought these were just some fancy but useless luxury items. However, after handing these stolen goods over to her temporary partner in the city, the necromancer Kajit, for a careful examination, she discovered that one of them was a powerful magical artifact that could replace the [Sage's Crown], activate the necromantic calamity, and hold a "Rite of Death."

So the necromancer Kajit immediately began setting up a magic circle, preparing to sacrifice the fortress city of Ye Lantier to the god of death.

Clementine, feeling disheartened, had no interest in continuing to help Kajit, with whom she had only a limited relationship, nor did she intend to stay in this city that was about to become a battlefield or a dead zone. Therefore, she simply chose to leave without saying goodbye and, under the cover of night, prepared to escape by climbing over the wall.

She first peeked out from the top of the city wall, estimated its height, then took out a rope and grappling hook from her backpack, secured them to the battlements, and then nimbly climbed the rope and tumbled over the wall. After a few leaps and bounds, she landed steadily on the ground outside the city on the other side of the moat.

"...Goodbye, little Kaji. Go ahead and do whatever big things you want to do! But I'm not going to keep you company!"

After landing easily, Clementine discarded the rope and turned gracefully to throw a kiss at the dark city wall. Then he looked up and gazed at the scattered campfires and tents in the open field not far away, lost in thought for a moment.

"...Is this the 'Tomb King'...or the Sorcerer King's army? I remember that boy Enfield who could use all magical artifacts, it seems he was the one holding him captive? Will he bring Enfield to the battlefield with him now?"

Touching the "Wise Man's Crown" hidden in his pouch, Clementine's expression suddenly became conflicted—although infiltrating the enemy camp at night sounded exciting, it was also very dangerous.

While she possesses absolute confidence in one-on-one combat, she would still be defeated if surrounded by numerous powerful individuals.

On the other hand, if she couldn't catch the boy, the treasure she had risked so much to steal would become a completely useless piece of junk because no suitable person could wear it... This made Clementine feel extremely unwilling just thinking about it.

"...Well, since we've already come this far, let's try to infiltrate! If it doesn't work out, we can always retreat!"

Confident in his abilities, which had already placed him in the realm of legendary heroes, Clementine made the most reckless decision of all.

—This incredibly reckless decision, which allowed her to cleverly escape tonight, has suddenly turned into foolishly handing herself over to someone…

Chapter 158, The Hilarious Sister Who Delivers Meat to Your Door (Part 1)

In the deep darkness of night, around the edge of a flickering campfire, a slender, agile figure moved silently. It was Clementine, who, after abandoning her partner and fleeing the fortress city of Ye-Lantir, was attempting to raid the military camp before leaving.

However, the female assassin soon discovered that it was simply an impossible mission to infiltrate the "Magic King's" central army camp silently.

The death knights and undead hounds patrolling the perimeter of the camp were already difficult to deal with, as their destructive power was comparable to that of a mobile scourge. However, Clementine, relying on his skill, daring, and extensive assassination experience, was still able to find a gap in their ranks and break into the interior of the camp.

The problem was that the indescribable and terrifying aura that permeated behind the fence of the Sorcerer King's residence made even a top-tier powerhouse like her, who had already stepped into the realm of legendary heroes, tremble with fear and hesitate to go in. In the end, she had no choice but to give up her plan to sneak in and spy.

"...What the hell is going on behind that fence? Does this Sorcerer King keep a herd of dragons around him?"

However, at the same time, she discovered another easier target: the chaotic player camp outside the fence.

Of course, in Clementine's eyes, they were probably a ragtag army cobbled together by the vassals under the Sorcerer King.

In this world resembling the feudal Middle Ages, the first order given by noble lords when war breaks out is to summon the private armies of their vassals.

Although Clementine couldn't understand how an "ancient king" who crawled out of his grave could have living vassals in this world, that didn't stop her from adhering to the principle of "never leaving empty-handed" and looking for suitable targets to make a quick buck...

So she quickly chose the largest and most luxurious tent and, under the cover of night, quietly made her way there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the edge of the player camp, inside a round tent that resembled a deluxe version of a giant Mongolian yurt, several muscular and burly men sat on the ground, roasting meat and drinking around a fire pit, laughing and talking loudly, reminiscing about their past, filling the tent with a joyful atmosphere.

"...Speaking of which, Mr. Pochett, it's been so many years since we last met! It feels like almost ten years, doesn't it?"

A "young man" with muscles as strong as a boxer, yet strangely dressed in a magician's robe, raised a wine glass and laughed loudly.

"...It's been fourteen years since we last met! Titus, you haven't come to see me even once since I retired and returned to my hometown!"

Pochetti, the retired prime minister of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, who was playing the game "OVERLORD" with a "macho" account, let out a grumbling sound feigning dissatisfaction: "...Sigh, ever since my legs became paralyzed, I rarely even leave my house once a month. Life has been incredibly boring. My only hope is that some old friends will come over for a get-together. But over the years, all my other old friends have visited my manor several times, but you've never come even once! Titus, is this how you behave? My Blackrock Town is only a day's journey from the royal capital, Thousand Sails City!"

"...Hey, Pochettino, you former prime minister have both legs paralyzed, and I, a retired court mage, am not much better off!"

The retired court magician, known as Titus, put down his wine glass with a wry smile and explained, "...As you probably know, during the battle to conquer the Mermaid Islands, I was cursed, and I've never been able to completely remove it. When I was young, I could withstand it, but now that I'm older, my health is declining day by day, and the curse is becoming increasingly severe. It's reached the point where I cough up blood frequently, making long-distance travel impossible..."

"You, the old prime minister, are trapped in Blackrock Town by paralysis, while I, the old mage, haven't left Thousand Sails City for many years."

"...Yes, this era no longer belongs to us! We're all old now! Our bodies aren't up to the task anymore!"

A burly man in leather armor echoed with a sigh, a hint of tears welling in his eyes, "...Even getting together is such a hassle...I remember when I was leading troops into battle, I rode a wild horse across the western wilderness for three days and three nights without sleep. My thighs were chafed raw by the saddle, but even when we reached enemy territory, I was still full of energy, wielding my sword and cutting people down."

But now, all I do is ride a gentle mare to the countryside for a stroll, and my children and grandchildren are on tenterhooks, constantly urging me to switch to a carriage or sedan chair… In a few years, I, the former Royal Knight Commander, will probably be too weak to even walk!”

The muscular men by the fire pit inside the tent all nodded in agreement, sharing the same sentiment.

—Although in the “game world” of OVERLORD, they all appear as strong and muscular men in their prime, in the “real world”, they are actually retired ministers, retired generals, and retired court mages of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, or in other words, “outdated big shots.”

In a bygone era, they were all high-ranking and powerful, wielding immense influence over countless lives, even leading armies and commanding vast territories with unparalleled might. But now, they are all old and frail, relics of a bygone age…

Unlike the muscular, burly game characters here, the real people lying in the Temple of the Sleeping God are all riddled with injuries and illnesses, and could be blown away by the wind. Various hidden ailments that they didn't take seriously when they were young have become intractable diseases that cause them unbearable pain when they are old and frail.

No matter how powerful or prestigious one's official position, it ultimately cannot withstand the passage of time...

—For these elderly people whose youth has faded and whose glory days are over, the real world is truly a terrible game.

"...Sigh! Sir Dexter, it's a rare opportunity for us all to get together, why are you saying such discouraging things?"

Another burly, red-haired man, also clad in leather armor, laughed and raised a ceramic jar filled with wine, saying to the crowd, "...Mortals are all destined to die, and no one can escape the end of fate, but that doesn't stop us from trying to live as comfortably as possible while we're alive. Since being diagnosed with chronic gastritis, I haven't drunk a drop of alcohol for five whole years, as instructed by the doctor and the priest. Now I'm going to drink to my heart's content!"

"...That's right. Now that we're here and have a healthy body—even if it's only temporary—we should seize the moment, have a good fight, eat, drink, and be merry, and have some women to our hearts' content. Why say such discouraging things?"

A hairy orc, or perhaps an elderly player with an orc account, patted his belly and chuckled in a slightly lewd manner.

The topic of women came up, and the group of "macho men" seated inside the tent immediately perked up—the saying goes, "The most important things in life are killing and sex," and even high-ranking officials and nobles are no exception, at most they try to be a little more refined. Or rather, it's precisely because they once had power and influence, and were never short of money, that they had the right to linger among women and become lustful fiends, instead of being forced to hide in a corner and masturbate miserably...

"...Ah, esteemed gentlemen, would you like to bring some women over now to relax and have some fun?"

—Piri, who was sitting in the corner in the form of a cat-person, had been worried about not being able to get a word in edgewise. Now that she finally had a chance to speak, she quickly came over with a fawning expression and said, "...Although the environment in the military camp is a bit simple, we can still try our best to make arrangements for you. Whether it's the native girls of this world or the prostitute players from our side, we have them all here!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hmm? A prostitute player?

Wait a minute, speaking of which, the game *Overlord* has only been online for a few days now, and the idea of ​​recruiting retired elderly prostitutes to open an "online brothel" in the *Overlord* world was only recently proposed. How come there are already prostitute players operating in the military camps?

The logic is simple: it seems the game's operators have never stipulated that professional prostitutes can't play the game!

In fact, these days, if we disregard the threat of sexually transmitted diseases, compared to many other, far worse professions, prostitution not only offers relatively high income but also doesn't actually involve high work intensity. While farm women are busy toiling away, prostitutes can live quite leisurely lives.

Especially the few days each month when they are menstruating and cannot receive clients are a regular holiday for many prostitutes to relax and unwind.

—Unless some prostitutes are so lowly that, in addition to dancing and sleeping with clients, they also have to do odd jobs like tending the fire.

(Although drugs to stop or quickly end menstruation in women have existed for a long time, they are rarely used due to their price and side effects.)

Therefore, after the release of the game "OVERLORD", fashionable prostitutes began to come to play in Thousand Sails, Totoro Town and other towns.

Then, even in the game, a prostitute is still a prostitute. Although they come to the game to relax and have fun, if they encounter a customer in the game and the customer is willing to pay, most of these prostitute players would not mind doing their old job in the game and serving customers.

Therefore, among the large army of players who followed Ainz Ooal Gown and boasted of their superiority, there were accompanying military prostitutes from the very beginning.

Moreover, perhaps it was because there were too many clients and too few prostitutes in this army of "sexually enthusiastic" players, resulting in a serious imbalance between supply and demand in the market; or perhaps it was because the older players had been limp for too long, and therefore "the closer they were to death, the more generous they became"... In any case, these prostitute players soon discovered that business in the world of OVERLORD was quite profitable, giving them a feeling of "foolish people with lots of money, come quickly".

Some of these female players simply recruited village girls on the spot in this world, became madams themselves, and opened mobile brothels accompanying the army.

As a result, when the cat-like Phil, whose mind wasn't dirty enough, finally thought of this and asked the fake dragon boss Ernest to recruit cheap old prostitutes to create beautiful female characters in the game to serve those old players who longed for women, he received a message that left him dumbfounded.

In just under ten days, not only have prostitute players started operating in the game OVERLORD, but there are also informal "prostitute guilds" (without a fixed location, so they are not considered formal guilds), as well as native village girls recruited by prostitute players to sell themselves to serve player customers. However, the number of prostitutes is still relatively small and far from enough to satisfy so many thirsty older players.

It is believed that after conquering the fortress city of Ye Lantier and conscripting the city's prostitutes, this situation of too many wolves and too few meat will be greatly improved...