Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 19 - Chapter 6.5

Interlude: The Village of the Overlord

Northern Legendaria, Sheepkin Settlement AKA Sloth Village

There was a small settlement hidden in the Legendarian woodlands near its border with the Kingdom of Altar.

Mithril Thralls roamed around it, protecting it from monsters and other uninvited guests. They were set to be semi-autonomous, letting them patrol the area even when ZZZ wasn’t logged in.

And in the heart of the settlement that was surrounded by these servants of the Overlord, there was a mansion that looked a bit too humble for someone with such a lofty title.

It was the largest building in the village, but it was smaller than the residences of Altean nobility, even the provincial ones.

“Zzz...” ZZZ was sleeping in the bedroom of this mansion’s second floor. His bed was fluffy, and his sleep was deep and calm. In reality, he was dressed in the same tapir costume he wore in the dream, and though it made for a good sleeping bag by itself, there was still a blanket over him.

There was a group of people watching him through the door, not saying a word or making noise. They were all sheepkin servants who lived in this mansion, and their eyes as they looked at him were filled with relief and unmistakable reverence.

It felt like they were looking at a messiah rather than an Overlord.

That was only natural.

After all, for the sheepkin, Overlord Acedia was nothing short of a savior.

◇◆

The sheepkin were people who had curved horns on their heads and grew woollike hairs on their limbs and backs.

They had settled in northern Legendaria, but that was not where they had originated—it was merely where they’d arrived after fleeing the heart of the country.

Sheepkin hair—especially the fluff of young women—was treasured as a high-grade material for clothing and bedding. Even though they were a humanoid species, this had led to them being targeted by the other races as if they were monsters that dropped rare items. In fact, unlike monsters, they were actually guaranteed to provide the material, making their situation arguably even worse.

They hated being treated like cattle, so they chose to secretly move to the edge of Legendaria and live there in hiding.

Centuries had passed since then.

They did not participate in the Legendarian parliament and lived their lives as a forgotten minor tribe. The country had countless different peoples in it, but their situation was perhaps among the most pitiable.

However, it wasn’t all bad for them.

The location they’d chosen to live couldn’t have been more perfect, for it was right outside the area dominated by the Divine Disks. Because their settlement wasn’t part of its domain, the UBM never asked them for sacrifices, but at the same time it was close enough that other monsters were scared to approach them. This had allowed the sheepkin to live in peace for the centuries they’d spent here.

However, time had eventually brought change.

The Divine Disks were defeated, and the local habitats changed, allowing monsters in the area to become more bold and start to approach the settlement. The sheepkin had no means to defend themselves against them—the tribe as a whole had a low affinity for combat jobs. They only excelled at crafting roles focused on attire—as well as the Sacrifice job, which was thoroughly useless to tians.

Despite that, the monsters that lived in this area were strong enough for it to be recognized as a leveling zone for Masters level 300 and up.

If they didn’t find anyone to protect them, the entire settlement would eventually be consumed by the local fauna.

However, though it was near the buffer zone, it was still part of Legendaria, so it had never been annexed by Altar and did not receive their protection. Since they’d lived in hiding for so long, though, Legendaria itself didn’t even know the sheepkin existed, let alone had any understanding of their circumstances.

And if they were to reveal themselves, they would only be hunted and sheared once again.

Their choice was between death and becoming cattle again—and, after a lot of thought, they’d chosen the former.

Or, to be more precise, monsters had come into their settlement before they could truly make a decision. They hadn’t even had the chance to consider whether or not a life as livestock would have been preferable.

Just as the sheepkin were about to meet death in the jaws of some wolfish beasts, though...suddenly, a group of odd and misshapen monsters came out of nowhere and began mowing down the wolves. These “Thralls” routed the beasts, despite their numbers.

For some reason, one of them was carrying what first looked like a large stuffed toy shaped like a tapir, but it then turned around, revealing that it was actually a person in a tapir costume.

“...I’m not hungry anymoooore...” Ignoring the tapir’s sleep talking, the Thralls continued to exterminate the wolves.

And when it was done, the strange monsters stopped in place.

The sheepkin focused on the one carrying the person wearing the costume.

The tapir was a strange creature, but the lack of name hovering above it made it clear that it was no monster.

What was it, then?

Most would conclude that it was a Master, but the sheepkin, who’d been living in seclusion for centuries, had no means of knowing about the recent influx. To them, Masters were something that only existed in legend, effectively synonymous with The Lynx, Schrödinger Cat, who’d lived during The Era of the Peerless Three—when they went into seclusion.

“...G h e.” Upon noticing the people looking at the tapir, the Thralls spent a moment thinking how to handle them. However, they were unable to come upon an answer and decided to wake him up.

“Mmnghh...we found people yet?” Upon awakening, the tapir looked around, saw that he was in a village and...

“I’m ZZZ. Overlord Acedia. Nice to meetchaaa.”

...introduced himself in that manner. The sheepkin were shocked, for the title he’d presented was yet another thing straight from legend. “I’m almost outta food. Gotta stock up. Huuungry. Uhh, that kinda makes me feel like Dis. Oh—I got money if you need it. How muuuch?”

He spoke like he wasn’t fully awake, but none of what he said triggered Truth Discernment. None of it was a lie—not even the claim that he was an Overlord.

Overlords were nearly mythological figures who had conquered a created dungeon—entities that enjoyed power and fortune far beyond what the sheepkin had ever known.

It was said that those who had acquired these titles had caused a lot of mayhem in the world. But Overlord or not, this one was the sheepkin’s savior.

Not saying a word, the villagers looked at each other. They remembered how they’d regretted their decision when the wolves attacked them.

That was why they resolved to make the right choice this time.

“Please...! Take us as your retainers! We are ready to give you everything we have, save only our very lives!”

“Suuure, why not?”

The response to their desperate plea was quick and casual. It was hard to tell if the Overlord even knew what he was replying to.

At least, he certainly did not know their circumstances.

“Gimme clothes, food, and shelter, please. I’ll just get some shut-eye. Sleepy.” And with that, ZZZ went to sleep once again.

Thus, the hidden village of the sheepkin became Overlord Acedia’s domain.

◇◆

Because of these circumstances, ZZZ was their savior.

Even after becoming their ruler, he never asked for anything but food and a place to sleep. His Thralls even assisted with security and farming for the villagers, making life there noticeably easier.

The sheepkin could not have asked for a better ruler.

But that also raised a particular question—a question one of the sheepkin maids attending to ZZZ’s needs couldn’t help but ask. How could someone as unselfish and gentle as him become wanted...and an Overlord?

His response to the former question was “Why am I wanted, huuuh? It’s my bad, really. The skill Dreamland got when it evooolved to seventh form had a bigger range than I thought and it kinda fried a city’s infrastructure for a biiit...and it’s like yeah, I can’t blame them for blaming meee. Wanteeed.”

While in response to the latter, he said, “Overlooord? Well, uh...I actually have a few buddies: Benetnasch, Dis, and Omega. Friendooos. They all had Superior Jobs, sooo...well, it’s not like I was jealous or anything, but I got all sad ’cuz I felt like they were leaving me behiiind. I guess it’s like ‘Sorry ZZZ. This SJ stuff is just for three.’ SJs are one each, though. Solooo. Anyway, that’s why I went and took Overlord Acediaaa. It looked like it was gonna be easiest for me since I’m unbeatable when I sleeeeep. Star Mariooo. Here we gooo.”

Basically, there was no strong reason or desire behind either of those things.

So the maid then asked, “Why do you want to sleep?”

It was a question referring to his usual nature...

“...’Cuz I can’t.”

...and it was met with a casual, but contradictory response.

“I can’t sleep in real life ’cuz this here doesn’t work riiight,” he said, tapping his head with his finger. “That’s why I just wanna sleeeep here. And if I’m dreaming, I don’t even care if I’m lucid or having a nightmaaare. Sweet dreams.”

His tone was indifferent, but a profound sorrow could be sensed behind his words. That was why the sheepkin understood that nothing would give him more joy than many hours of peaceful sleep.