Imperial Army

**Imperial Army** (帝国軍) is the main military force of the Baharuth Empire.

## Background

The Imperial Army is divided into eight legions and every legion’s commanding officer is bestowed the title of “general.” The general of the First Legion is known as the Field Marshal, and he is the commander-in-chief of the entire Imperial Army.

Five years ago, a squad of knights from the Imperial Army was deployed to subjugate an unusual undead that appeared in the Katze Plains. However, they proved to be ineffective and many of the Imperial soldiers ended up being killed by it.

## Chronology

### The Invaders of the Large Tomb Arc

*Main article: The Invaders of the Large Tomb Arc*
Nazami Enec led the Royal Guard to confront the intruders in the Imperial Garden which resulted in them being slaughtered by Mare's spell that cracked the earth.

### The Magic Caster of Destroy Arc

*Main article: The Magic Caster of Destroy Arc*
The Imperial Army mobilized troops to escort the Emperor and the Imperial delegation to and from the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

At Katze Plains, the Baharuth Empire assembled six legions of the Imperial Army to confront the Royal Army of the Re-Estize Kingdom at the Imperial Castrum. Rather than committing a small skirmish as the Empire usually did, the Imperial Army's prime mission was to overtake the enemy and offer E-Rantel as a gift to the allied nation of Nazarick. To do this, Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown would cast his most powerful spell to breach in the enemy lines.

The spell casted by the Sorcerer King was beyond the expectations and imaginations of the knights which resulted in the instant deaths of the 70,000 at the left-wing of the Royal Army and the ensuing massacre of the remaining troops at the hooves of the summoned Dark Young. Unable to cope with the horrible deaths and the terrifying monsters unleashed in the battlefield, the Imperial Army lost all discipline and morale with the majority fleeing in terror at the sight of an approaching Dark Young. The mass hysteria resulted in casualties by those knights trying to escape.

### The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc

*Main article: The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc*
After the massacre at Katze Plains, it was revealed that among the casualties, there were about 143 soldiers of the Imperial Army who died from the mass stampede by the Dark Young. In addition, 3,788 people had expressed their desire to leave the Imperial Army upon their return to the Imperial Capital. In other words, over 6% of the 60,000 men of the Imperial Army had lost their courage and will to fight as disciplined soldiers for their nation.

And then, there were thousands of people who bore witness to that massacre also complained of uneasiness and night terrors. According to the reports, there were at least 200 mentally unstable people as well. Upper echelons of the Imperial Army's command structure later sent a petition to their Emperor, pleading him to avoid warfare with the Sorcerer Kingdom. The reason why the Imperial Army had tendered such a petition was that they had lost their faith and trust in Jircniv, their Emperor.

### The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc

*Main article: The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc*
While the annexation of the Baharuth Empire went underway, Albedo instructed Emperor Jircniv to supplement the Empire's army with the Sorcerer Kingdom's armies. Jircniv believed that this was part of the program to complete the vassalization process, and so he obeyed it. After many of the army's knights were mentally exhausted from that massacre at Katze Plains, planned to let some of the knights retire and disbanded two of the Empire’s eight legions.

Though a logical course of action, now that the undead were replacing the missing legions, there was some disgruntlement about the lack of seats which could be taken and were a concern for their loss of privileges as the Empire's military force. The legions wanted the emperor to address these issues and wrote him a formal response. However, Jircniv was less impressive and more annoyed at their waste of paper, as he had already prepared seats for advancement for the remaining knights. Rather than respond, the emperor redirected their question to the Sorcerer King, which he knew would quash all dissenting voices.

## Strength

The Imperial Army is a formidable force, composed of eight separate legions, each ten thousand strong. The ranking order among the legions go by numbers; the smaller the number, the higher the level of martial strength that the legion possesses. The majority of the army consists of cavalry.

The Empire organized its legions by appointing a general over each one, under whom served division commanders, brigade commanders, and other officers, all in strict regimentation. As for administration, there is a clear rank of succession. If the Field Marshal of the First Legion is not present, the general of the next available legion would assume his position as the overall commanding officer.

In the Web Novel it is also suggested that each legion is divided in separate divisions and tasked with specific duties. For example, the First Legion's Third Division was composed of seven were normal knights, one was a knighted magic caster, another was a knighted priest, two were knighted rogues, two were heavy-armor knights, and finally, their commanding officer. They were a group of knights that one could see regularly patrol the Imperial Territories.

## Known Members

* Natel Inyem Dale Carvain
* Ray (*Web Novel*)
* Beliblad (*Web Novel*)
* Gregan (*Web Novel*)
* Bebene Bison (*Web Novel*)

## Trivia

* By Jircniv's estimation, the Imperial Army's strength is equal to Fluder Paradyne's magic might.
* The Imperial Army is similar to the Gendarmes, as they are not only part of the Empire's military force but also the police force.
* Despite the fact that the Empire's soldiers are called "knights" they aren't actually from the nobility, they are more like professional men at arms, who come from the common people.
* Not everyone can be made into a knight because it requires determination to become one. The eight legions of the empire are comprised of volunteers.

## References

1. ↑ *Overlord Volume 07 Chapter 2: Butterfly Entangled in a Spider's Web*
2. ↑ *Overlord Volume 07 Chapter 4: A Handful of Hope*
3. ↑ *Overlord Volume 09 Chapter 1: A War of Words*
4. ↑ *Overlord Volume 09 Chapter 2: Preparations for the Battle*
5. ↑ *Overlord Volume 09 Chapter 4: Massacre*
6. ↑ *Overlord Volume 10 Chapter 3: The Baharuth Empire*
7. ↑ *Overlord Volume 13 Intermission*
8. ↑ *Overlord Second Half Chapter 27: The Academy Part 7*
9. ↑ *Overlord Volume 05 Chapter 2: Blue Roses*