I inspected the new kitchen. It was located a level below the throne room, and once I entered—well, it was a bit hard to describe. It looked a lot like the canteen from Monster Hunter: World, only everything was black. The fire wasn't a typical flame but a swirling pool of molten magma, glowing ominously beneath heavy iron grates. Instead of fluffy and cute Palicos bustling about, everything was cooked by the minions.
I was expecting chaos—food flying everywhere, minions yelling and bumping into each other—but instead, everything was surprisingly neat and orderly. The minions were cooking with precision and finesse, each one working with a rare look of seriousness I hadn't seen before.
The most shocking thing of all was a red minion walking around the kitchen wearing a chef's coat and hat, tasting different dishes and giving clear, concise instructions to the others. His movements were elegant, deliberate—almost refined.
Just then, Gnarl stepped in quietly and said, "Oh, sire, I see you came to inspect the kitchen. I was surprised when we got one, but I'm very happy we did."
I raised an eyebrow. "Gnarl, who's that red minion?"
Gnarl's eyes brightened with a hint of fondness. "Oh, that is Flambe. He's had a passion for cooking since he spawned. It was a little unusual, but he's a skilled cook, so nobody ever said anything. Once we got the kitchen, I assigned him to be the head chef."
I frowned slightly. "Gnarl, why did we not have a kitchen before?"
Gnarl responded, his tone respectful but straightforward, "Well, until now, we cooked everything over the magma pit. Honestly, I didn't see the need. But now, I definitely do. The quality of our meals has gone up tremendously, and morale is higher than ever."
I nodded slowly. "Very well. Then tell Flambe I like my steak medium rare and my soup spicy."
I looked up and caught Flambe giving me a thumbs-up. "Wonderful choices, sire. Flambe will make your meals personally."
I smiled faintly and asked, "Do you have everything you need to run this place smoothly?"
Flambe responded politely, bowing slightly, "Flambe would not say no to a few more helpers, sire."
Gnarl nodded. "I will make the arrangements."
The two of us exited the kitchen and returned to the throne room. As we walked, Gnarl suddenly asked, "By the way, sire, what is your name? We've known each other for months, and I still don't know it."
I paused, caught off guard. Shit, I forgot to name myself. With everything going on, I hadn't noticed that all the minions just called me Lord or Sire, and the Shadow Khan don't speak, so they don't call me anything at all. I facepalmed quietly. "This was an oversight."
Turning to Gnarl, I said with a small, deliberate smile, "You may call me Nihil."
Gnarl's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Why that name, Lord?"
I met his gaze evenly. "It is to honor the god that brought us here. His champions go by the name 'Blank,' and Nihil means 'nothing'—or it can mean to declare the end. That's what I want my presence to be to our enemies: a declaration that their end is here."
Gnarl chuckled softly, a low rumble in his throat. "In that case, it is a fitting name."
Once we reached the throne room, I sat down heavily and said, "Status report, Gnarl."
Gnarl cleared his throat and began, "Progress on the underground kingdom is well underway. Grubby has already begun flattening the terrain and will be ready to start building soon. Giblet has made plenty of armor and weapons for the Browns out of durium, and plenty of armor for the Blues using those ebony ingots you provided. They're great stuff—much stronger than iron or steel."
He gave a brief nod of approval. "It was wise to give it to the Blues. They are the weakest of us minions, but their healing abilities are invaluable."
I nodded firmly. "My thoughts exactly. Though they remain on the back lines, they still have to collect fallen minions from the front."
Then Gnarl decided to address the elephant in the room. He cleared his throat and said, "Sure. I think it's time you used those summoning tickets. After hearing your reasons for avoiding it, I understand your hesitation. But you are the Overlord—you should not be afraid of your servants."
I sighed, nodding slowly. "I know you're correct, Gnarl. But there are many heroic spirits with difficult personalities. Keeping them under control will be hard."
Gnarl's tone remained steady, almost matter-of-fact. "Worst case, you can just point them in the enemies' direction and wash your hands of it."
I let out a long breath and said, resigned but determined, "Alright… guess we're doing this."
I pulled out one of the golden summoning tickets, the edges shimmering faintly in the dim light. Channeling my mana into it, I set the ticket carefully on the ground. The familiar summoning circle from Grand Order appeared, glowing with arcane symbols. Then several orbs of light materialized above the circle and began spinning—so rapidly that they blurred into a single, luminous line.
Suddenly, all at once, that singular line split into three distinct lines, weaving and twisting like ribbons of energy. A towering column of light erupted upward, blinding in its intensity. When the radiance finally receded, standing at the very center of the summoning circle was a small girl in a white dress.
The dress was elegantly parted to fully reveal one of her legs. Both legs were adorned with delicate silver chain jewelry that caught the light as she moved. She wore white high-heeled sandals, and the hem of her dress was trimmed in black, accented with neat black ribbons.
A black headband sat atop her long violet hair, tied neatly in twin tails that framed her youthful face. Three pristine white roses were pinned to the headband, a stark contrast against her hair. Her arms were decorated with more silver chain jewelry, adding to her refined yet dangerous aura.
Her violet eyes locked onto me, shining with a captivating, confident smile—charming but unmistakably powerful. There was an undeniable grace in her posture and the way she carried herself—Euryale, the Gorgon, stood before me, the embodiment of both beauty and deadly allure.
Then she confidently walked over to me, her heels clicking softly against the stone floor. With her arms tucked neatly behind her back and her chin slightly tilted up, she observed me with a playful, scrutinizing gaze.
"Well, well," she said with a teasing smile, her voice sweet but laced with mischief, "what an interesting Master…"
Her violet eyes sparkled with amusement as she slowly circled me. "You're dark, regal, and powerful. As I was being summoned, I fully expected to find some third-rate, useless mage who looked like they'd be killed by a stiff breeze." She giggled, delicate fingers brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"I had planned to just use my charm magic to turn them into my puppet," she continued with a mischievous glint, "but this is so much better."
She leaned in slightly, her expression now one of genuine curiosity. "Tell me, my Master… what is your purpose? I won't forgive you if it's boring."
Then I said, standing tall and meeting her gaze head-on, "We're going to conquer this land while fighting and killing another Overlord like myself."
Euryale blinked in surprise, her lashes fluttering. "Wow… that's actually fairly exciting," she said with a light laugh, placing a hand to her lips. "And far preferable to fighting a bunch of meatheads for a fancy cup."
With a grin, she ran up the steps and, in one graceful motion, hopped onto the arm of my throne. Her legs crossed as she lounged casually beside me, like she belonged there.
"Very well, Master," she purred, resting her cheek against her hand. "I see this working out just fine. Take care of me going forward."
Then I said with a small nod, "A pleasure to be working with you."
But on the inside, I was thinking, Fuck… she was in the top 20 of Servants I wanted to avoid. Well, at least she seems to approve of me.
I'm not actually sure if I'm immune to charm magic… Why the fuck didn't I do the daily magic draw before I did the summoning!?
Then I said, "Alright… now for the next summoning."
I placed the second golden ticket on the ground, its surface shimmering with magical energy. As the ritual began and the summoning circle ignited once more, unnoticed by anyone, Euryale casually plucked a single strand of her violet hair. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she blew it gently into the circle.
The strand was instantly absorbed by the ritual.
Then, the familiar orbs of light appeared—but this time, they turned gold. My eyes lit up with a bit of excitement.
Gold orbs meant a four-star or above Servant.
As the summoning circle spun faster, radiant energy built up, and then—like before—a blinding eruption of light burst forth. When the light finally receded, I stared in shock.
Before me stood another girl.
She was a little taller than Euryale, her posture graceful and composed, with an air of nobility and quiet arrogance. She wore a flowing white and purple dress, the front parted slightly to reveal her long legs. Like Euryale, she wore ornate chain-like jewelry—armlets, bracelets, leglets, and anklets—but hers gleamed with golden luster.
On her left arm specifically were multiple gold bracelets that extended down into a golden handguard, each finger adorned with silver rings, all connected by elegant silver chains. This wasn't just decorative—it was her weapon. Her Divinity in physical form.
Like her sister, she wore a headband nestled atop her long violet hair, though hers was white with black accents. Her hair was styled identically—long twin tails that cascaded over her shoulders and back with perfect symmetry.
And like Euryale, her eyes were a deep, striking violet.
Internally, I was screaming: Fuuuuuuuuuuck… it's Stheno! She's even higher on the list than Euryale—and now I've got both of them.
Then Stheno approached, her expression calm but laced with subtle amusement. A mischievous smirk played across her lips as her violet eyes narrowed slightly with playful intent. Her movements were graceful, almost gliding as she closed the distance.
Without a sound, she quietly hopped onto the other arm of the throne, sitting down with the poise of a queen claiming her rightful place.
"I was planning to give you a hard time…" she said, her voice soft and melodic, like a purring cat that knew it had you wrapped around its finger, "but since Euryale has already accepted you, then I won't bother."
She rested her chin in her hand, legs crossed elegantly, her gaze locked onto mine with a teasing glint.
"Let's have fun together, Master~"