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1Chapter 4: A Craftsman and Negotiation
2Part 1
3The two summoned Death Knights vanished from the other side of the gates. They roared in anticipation of joyful slaughter, while the cries of the dying rang out. Once the gates slowly closed, the thickness of the double doors meant that the sounds of carnage on the other side did little more than tickle the eardrums.
4“Things should be alright for now.”
5There was a time limit on Death Knights that were not made with corpses. Even so, if the estimates of Quagoa combat power from their captives was accurate, they should be able to defeat a sizable portion of the attackers even without knowing their opponents’ numbers. If the enemy was not incompetent, they would surely pull back to regroup after taking sufficient losses.
6I hope they don’t retreat just yet. If they build a camp, it’ll mean the danger is still clear and present. That way, the Dwarven nation will have to work with us. I should order the Death Knights to hold back for now… it’s quite troublesome when you can’t win by too large a margin.
7As Ainz contemplated these details in silence, he glanced to the commander-in-chief, who was looking at him with a twitching smile on his face. Ainz had no idea why he had that smile born of terror on his face — and in that moment an imaginary light bulb shone above Ainz’ head.
8He should have become used to my appearance by now, so it’s probably because of the Quagoa screaming outside. Well, it’s true that the wails of the dying can be somewhat disturbing.
9That said, Ainz felt that he should not mind the screaming of the enemy so much. Still, he would not be human — or a Dwarf, rather — if he did not think that way.
10But how can someone like that be a commander of warriors? This is somewhat worrying.
11He knew he was thinking too much about this, but Ainz continued looking at the commander-in-chief. At this moment, Gondo approached him.
12“Then, Your Majesty. I shall be returning home for a bit.”
13“Ahh. Then, will you help me settle things on your end?”
14“Of course. I will arrange for it and send it out. It’s alright if the time or whatever isn’t adjusted, right? I can count on your spells if something happens, right?”
15Ainz extended a fist and bumped it against Gondo’s. They had talked about many things before coming here, and it would seem it had been effective.
16Gondo really does talk a lot...
17He tended to monopolize the conversation, and he spoke at such lengths that it seemed never ending. This must have been the result of being obsessed about the almost lost-art of runesmithing and then being ostracized. That was why he kept babbling about the topic to Ainz — who had an interest in the topic — like a burst dam.
18Ainz could understand how he felt, because there were times when Ainz had also wanted to talk to people who shared his interests. However, Ainz was not going along with this long monologue out of the kindness of his heart.
19Gondo lightly tapped his magic rucksack and began walking away.
20The commander-in-chief seemed to have something to say to the retreating Gondo, but he did not call out to him.
21“Then, what should we do now? Should we wait a while before opening the gate and inspecting the results of the battle?”
22The commander-in-chief must have anticipated Ainz’s question. He replied instantly, as though he had already prepared the answer beforehand.
23“It is deeply disrespectful to have the sovereign of a nation waiting here. I feel we should proceed to the Council Chamber and present your suggestion to everyone.”
24“Why not take a look at the aftermath?”
25“I think Your Majesty’s introduction is more important. I sent a message to the Council while the Quagoa were attacking. They are probably still fumbling for some way to deal with the situation now. I feel that we should present them with new information before they panic and give bad orders.”
26“I see. In that case, I have no objections. Please, lead on.”
27“Understood. However, Your Majesty’s magical beasts will surely terrify the common folk. It shames me to ask, but could you have them stand by here? We will take care of them to the best of our ability if you inform us of the key points…”
28Ainz looked towards Aura, who nodded.
29“I see. Then they shall wait here.”
30Ainz indicated to a corner of the garrison with a bony finger, and the commander nodded in agreement.
31“Also, there is no need to care for them. We will take care of that. I will have three of my followers accompany me.”
32Ainz selected Shalltear, Aura and Zenberu. He ordered the others to wait here.
33The commander-in-chief looked somewhat relieved. It would seem he did not want to have the undead strutting through the streets.
34“Then, shall we go?”
35“Ah, please do.”
36Ainz and company walked proudly through the Dwarven city, led by the commander-in-chief. An almost painful amount of curious stares focused on him, while Dwarven mothers who saw Ainz hid their children indoors. That made him somewhat disappointed.
37Of course, he could have been less obvious if he wished.
38If he had put on a mask, much fewer people would have stared at him. That said, there was a reason why he did not choose to cover his face.
39It was because he wanted to announce his arrival in the city of the Dwarves. It was not very likely that there would be a player in the Dwarven nations if it had to seek external help against an invasion like this. However, there might be low-level players here, or items they had left behind.
40Like that spell-sealing crystal.
41In order to avoid being attacked by such items, he would have to manufacture proof of his visit in an aboveboard manner. In this way, they would not be able to settle things clandestinely.
42In addition, while he had not yet decided what sort of ambassadorial party he would send, it was quite likely that he might end up using undead beings for that purpose. Therefore, he wanted to let them get used to it.
43“Still, nobody seems worried, despite the extent of the Quagoa invasion.”
44Ainz asked the commander-in-chief that question after seeing two red-faced Dwarves stagger out of a tavern, arms around each other’s shoulders.
45The unmistakeable scent of alcohol surrounded them.
46“That is because the people do not know the Quagoa have attacked.”
47“And… why is that?”
48Their sense of self-preservation appeared to be terminally defective.
49The commander-in-chief seemed to have read Ainz’s mind, and he replied:
50“The Quagoa advanced too quickly, so the information did not spread. Depending on the Council’s decision, it ought to start spreading within an hour.”
51“Hm. Well, I did order my subordinates to retake the bridge, so once they do so, the city will be safe for the time being, no? This is quite an important factor for when we begin trade with this country.”
52“That is hard to say. Given the size of the enemy force, we don’t know when the opposition will begin their advance in earnest. Once we take the bridge back, we’ll need to solidify our defenses, investigate their flanking route, and plan a strategy against them.”
53Ainz smiled evilly within his heart.
54It looked like there would be many chances to sell this country favors in the future. That being the case, it might be best not to change his Death Knights’ orders to retake the bridge.
55“—What?!”
56Ainz’s voice set the commander-in-chief’s shoulders trembling.
57“Aiiiee! What, what is it, Your Majesty?!”
58“No, it’s nothing. Something on my end. There’s no need to worry. There’s no need to ask further,” Ainz emphasised those words in iron tones to shut down the other man’s questions.
59This reaction — which was quite unlike Ainz — was because he had lost his composure.
60There was no response from the two Death Knights he had made, which should have been in the vicinity of Feoh GÄ“r.
61There was only one conclusion he could draw from this shocking conclusion.
62—The Death Knights had been defeated.
63Hoh!
64Death Knights were fairly weak to Ainz. However, by the standards of this world, they were formidable opponents even for the most powerful members of a nation. Anyone who could defeat two fearsome knights like that must be very powerful.
65In addition, their responses had vanished at almost the same time.
66Had they been simultaneously destroyed as part of a carefully laid plan?
67Had someone finished them off with an area-effect spell?
68Had a powerful individual simply obliterated them in one stroke?
69Whatever the answer was, there was certainly another mighty being present, apart from the bizarre masked magic caster he had encountered in the Royal Capital.
70Someone who could defeat the defense-oriented Death Knights by themselves would probably be over level 45.
71“Does that mean I’ve been found out?”
72The commander-in-chief looked at Ainz in response to his mumblings, but Ainz had no time to worry about him.
73An unknown, powerful being was most likely to be a player. If an enemy of Ainz’s level had come to this world, a measly two Death Knights would be child’s play to deal with.
74If there’s a player-related entity here who’s not connected to the Dwarves, does that mean they’re on the side of the Quagoa? Then, are they related to the people who brainwashed Shalltear?
75Searing fire blazed up in his chest.
76Hitherto smoldering embers flared into a raging inferno, as though someone had poured gasoline on them. However, they were swiftly suppressed.
77“No, it’s not possible. If they were related, the Dwarven city would have fallen long ago. It’s more likely that it’s a mighty individual from this world. However, I can’t conclude that there’s no connection. That being the case, I will need to alter my plans.”
78Ainz had originally hoped that the war between the Quagoa and the Dwarves would go on.
79With the obvious enemy of the Quagoa before them, the Dwarves might well choose to flock to Ainz’s banner. However, leaving the Quagoa alone — giving them too much time — would be very dangerous.
80If they were a race that habitually spawned powerful individuals, then while they might only have slain Death Knights now, who knew what else they would destroy in the future? Right now — while he could still deal with them — the best thing to would be to either enslave them or annihilate them completely.
81The latter might well be the better course of action.
82Ideally, I would be able to subjugate the Quagoa and have them threaten the Dwarves from the shadows, but… A single misstep might lead to a fatal error. It would be safer not to do that.
83“Your Majesty, the Council Chamber is in sight.”
84As he turned to look in the direction where the commander-in-chief was pointing, a large building — certainly big for a Dwarf, but sizable even by Ainz’s standards — came into view.
85The commander spoke briefly with the guards at the door, and they let Ainz and the others pass without inspection.
86The reason why they waived the inspection for Ainz and company while still staring unabashedly at the undead Ainz was surely because the commander had exercised his authority.
87“Then, Your Majesty, I shall make a full report to the Council. May I trouble you to wait here for a while?”
88There was no reason to object. More to the point, it might be troublesome if he did not explain Ainz’s contribution to this nation.
89“Where shall we wait, then?”
90The commander-in-chief glanced to one of the Dwarf guards, and the man stepped forward.
91“The, the waiting room is that way. Permit me to escort you there.”
92“Really now. I’ll leave that to you, then.”
93The Dwarf — who trembled in both body and voice — brought them to a somewhat cramped room. Then again, it would probably not have been cramped for a Dwarf. It was just the right size for Aura and Shalltear. However, they had Zenberu there, who was large of stature. Just waiting in the room felt very claustrophobic for him.
94Given that the soldier had taken a look at Zenberu before bringing him here, this must have been the largest and the most luxurious VIP room in this building. Sure enough, the ornaments around them were all exquisitely crafted and looked as though they might actually move.
95Ainz had once made Avatara of his past companions, and he deeply appreciated the difficulty of making such intricate statuary. It was possible for something to look beautiful in profile but ugly when viewed head-on.
96Ainz picked up a statuette — a Dwarf riding on the back of a lizard.
97It’s plainly obvious that the Dwarves have outstanding craftsmanship. Mm, I’d like to have such skills… I wonder if I could remake the Avataras? If I could, would I be able to make something better after practicing? — alright.
98Ainz decided to address Zenberu, who seemed distinctly out of place here.
99“Zenberu, continue with us for a bit longer.”
100“Ah, Your Majesty, I’d like to stay here instead, if it pleases you. Frankly speaking, it gives me a headache to talk with those great people.”
101A strange turn of phrase. It was different from how he had been during the trip here. Perhaps he had changed the way he spoke because he had come to the Dwarven Kingdom.
102“...You are the overseer of a tribe, am I correct?”
103“Shalltear-sama, one can be good or bad at various things. Also, I would feel bad if I inconvenienced His Majesty.”
104Ainz understood Zenberu’s meaning, but he shook his head nonetheless.
105“No, I will take you along. If something happens, I won’t be able to protect you if you’re too far away. I don’t think there’ll actually be any danger, but carelessness is for fools. For all we know, we might be within the palm of the enemy. Remember that at all times.”
106“Yes! I have seared it into my heart!”
107Even though Ainz did not feel that the Dwarves would harm someone who had saved their country, he repeated for safety’s sake.
108What’s this? Shalltear’s responding pretty well today. Did something happen?
109“Ah, then, Your Majesty… What should I do?”
110“Hm? Frankly speaking, just listen to us, Zenberu. No matter what happens, do not take part in any fighting.”
111Ainz nodded as Zenberu indicated his understanding.
112“Very good. Now then — Aura, Shalltear, can you inspect my clothes and see if they’re messed up?”
113The Dwarven soldier sent to show them the way arrived just after the two of them finished inspecting their attire.
114***
115Ainz was led to a room where the Dwarves waited.
116Resplendent in his full panoply, Ainz strode forth with chest upthrust. His back was ramrod straight, his head was held high, and his bearing was that of a king. The obsidian radiance from the aura behind him glowed softly, as a substitute for cologne. Surely nobody would look down on him after all these preparations.
117He kept the wand — which substituted for a royal scepter — at his waist. It was infused with a 1st-tier spell, but since he had no intention of activating it, it should not pose any problems.
118After looking at himself up and down, he felt that this getup was somewhat at odds with the objective of seeking friendly relations, but Aura and Shalltear strongly approved of it.
119The problem was that both of them thought too highly of Ainz, so he felt uneasy about relying on their opinion.
120Thus, he asked Zenberu for his view on the matter.
121After some fidgeting — from being asked about something which lay outside his field of expertise — Zenberu finally said something along the lines of “Your attire would surely inspire awe in anyone who sees it”. Ainz took his word for it, and came here.
122However, the Dwarves he encountered turned pale, their postures shot through with nervousness. Of course, that too was an appropriate reaction to a king.
123“Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, the Sorcerer King!”
124He could hear the Dwarf announcer from the other side of the door.
125When the door opened, Ainz entered the chamber.
126It looked like a meeting room, and there were eight Dwarves there.
127Incidentally, he had learned their names, their posts, their looks and features from the commander-in-chief.
128There was the High Priest of Earth, who governed everything to do with magic. He held sway over divine magic casters and even arcane magic casters.
129There was the Forgemaster, who controlled all production which derived from the forges.
130There was the commander-in-chief who had brought them here. He was responsible for all security and military matters. Once, he had commanded many Dwarven soldiers, but the fact that he only had less than a hundred men now made the title a joke.
131There was the Director of Food Production, who managed food production and other industries which did not concern the forges.
132There was the Cabinet Secretary, who was in charge of everything which fell outside the jurisdiction of the other leaders here.
133There was the Brewmaster, who was on this Council because there had to be a leadership position for the Dwarven people’s favorite pastime of alcohol.
134There was the Master of Caves and Mines, who had a lot of power in this city due to his influence over the sphere of mining and resource extraction.
135Once, there had been an organization called the Merchant’s Guild, but due to the lack of traders and trade in general, the title of Merchant’s Guildmaster was now a hollow position in charge of foreign affairs.
136Those were the eight of them.
137Ainz slowly swept his gaze across everyone. Seven of them stared at him. The last one — the commander-in-chief — had a look of fatigue on his face instead, and his eyes met Ainz’s.
138Ainz was pretending to be the picture of calm, but his heart was in chaos.
139Oi! I can’t even tell them apart! Maybe some of them have shorter beards than the others, but aren’t they all pretty much the same length? Was he lying to me? No, that must have been how he saw it. What should I do?
140Zenberu’s memories had depicted them all with identical faces, and at first Ainz thought it was simply because the Lizardman saw all Dwarves as the same. He had even felt that Zenberu’s ability to recognize faces needed improvement. However, that was not the case.
141I’m sorry I doubted you, Zenberu. You were telling me the truth all along.
142In this world, there was no practice of exchanging business cards upon a meeting, a fact which he had long lamented. Ainz felt the same way today, and then he gathered his strength into his belly.
143Next would come a presentation which he had already made several times. Of note was the fact that he had two Guardians behind him and a subordinate of his subordinate. He could not allow them to see him make a fool of himself.
144...If only I hadn’t brought the three of them...
145However, his regrets were immaterial. The die had been cast, after all.
146(TL Note: Alea iacta est)
147Still — while he had psyched himself for it, there was not a single trace of the dialogue starting. The silence remained unbroken for a full minute after his arrival.
148What’s going on? Standard practice for a company would be to start by the host introducing their staff, right? Shouldn’t the commander-in-chief introduce us? ...Or should I make the first move? I’m not too well-versed in courtly etiquette and I don’t want to appear boorish.
149According to courtly etiquette, inferiors could not address the king directly. Direct interaction required a permission of some sort. In other words, the king was an untouchable being. Therefore, if Ainz initiated the dialogue, would the Dwarves look down upon him?
150After looking at the Dwarves, was the answer yes or no?
151That said, I doubt anyone will slight me, given the country’s situation and the actions I took. If that really happens, then I might as well say that I won’t negotiate with a pack of buffoons like them.
152Having made up his mind, Ainz decided to make his pitch.
153“I am the ruler of the Sorcerous Kingdom, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown.”
154The Dwarves sprang into motion, as though they were reconnected to a power supply.
155“We, we bid you welcome, sovereign of the Sorcerous Kingdom, Your Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown. May we offer you a seat? There are seats for your esteemed followers over there.”
156Ainz nodded, and then he was ushered to what he called the birthday boy’s place. He sat down with regal aplomb, using movements he had practiced over and over. Shalltear, Aura and Zenberu sat behind Ainz.
157“Then, we shall introduce ourselves. Firstly, I am this country’s—”
158And so, the Dwarves gave their names.
159The opening seemed to have gone without a hitch, but Ainz could not contain his worries.
160Just keeping their eight names in mind was already difficult. Having to associate each of those names and titles with a face was proving to be quite the challenge.
161Names were easy enough to remember, but adding a title onto that made him uneasy. Things like whether it was Master of Caves and Mines or Master of Mines and Caves only made things worse.
162That said, Ainz managed to remember them. He would not have been able to do it had he not inquired about them with the commander-in-chief earlier.
163“Please allow us to thank you on behalf of this country. Without Your Majesty, this country would have been destroyed.”
164Those words were spoken by the Master of Caves and Mines. All the Dwarves present nodded in response.
165The members of the Council apparently took turns leading it, so the leader this time around was the Master of Caves and Mines.
166“Pay it no heed. Saving someone in trouble is common sense.”
167“Your Majesty is a truly magnanimous person. We will surely aid you to the best of our ability if any trouble besets you. That said, I fear we cannot do much to aid your august person, who commands the troops that saved our nation from extinction with but two of their number.”
168“It’s nothing like that. My country is indeed powerful in a military sense. However, there are some inadequacies when it comes to other fields. I would be very grateful if you could provide help to me in those aspects.”
169“I see. We would be glad to be of service to Your Majesty — to the Sorcerous Kingdom. However, before that, we pray Your Majesty will tell us the reason for your visit to our country, if it is convenient. The commander-in-chief has already told us, but we would like to hear it directly from you.”
170The Master of Caves and Mines narrowed his eyes slightly.
171We’ll see through any lies. His unyielding determination was palpable.
172I can’t expect them all to feel goodwill towards me… Well, given the difference in power between our nations, anyone would be cautious.
173The same applied to Ainz. If the top-ranked guild in YGGDRASIL — Seraphim — offered a World-Class Item and asked to negotiate, Ainz would also suspect some kind of a trap.
174Therefore, he was not displeased with the Dwarves’ reaction.
175“Firstly, I would like to initiate friendly relations between our nations. Then, I would like to engage in trade.”
176“—Is that so.”
177“I have heard from one of your countrymen that your staple foods are mushrooms and meat, am I wrong? I recall something about farms at the feet of the mountain which raise fresh vegetables, but apparently they are few in number and their variety is quite poor. My nation can supply fresh vegetables and — do the alcoholic spirits of human kingdoms and the Sorcerous Kingdom hold any interest for you?”
178The topic of alcohol made the Dwarves’ eyes light up. That was a very frank reaction.
179“I also hear that this country trades with the human nation to the east, but not to any great degree.”
180“Indeed. Our traffic is merely twenty dwarves’ worth of merchandise. Currently, we are developing magic items which can hold an unlimited supply of goods.”
181The Merchant’s Guildmaster gave that reply.
182“I see. Is it true that there are few Dwarven trade caravans due to the dangerous mountain roads?”
183“That is indeed the case.”
184Another Dwarf supplied that answer.
185“We cannot carry too many goods due to the steepness and danger of the mountain paths. In addition, moving in groups draws the monsters’ attention. There are many monsters which will attack regardless of the numbers of their prey. In particular, aerial ambushes are hard to deal with.”
186It was true that conventional trading methods would require great effort. The Empire only engaged in limited trade with the Dwarves due to the lack of profit in doing so. However, it was precisely that reason which made them a very lucrative trading partner for the Sorcerous Kingdom.
187Unfortunately, the only notable export which the Sorcerous Kingdom could boast was their undead. However, to the Dwarven nation, even regular food would sell well.
188What a marvellous trading partner.
189Ainz smiled evilly in his heart as he asked his question.
190“If that is the case, then I must further recommend national relations with me — with the Sorcerous Kingdom, so we can export foodstuffs.”
191“...We have not yet inquired of the precise location of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Can we transport our trade goods there by ourselves?”
192“Having your country’s people move cargo by themselves would still be quite dangerous. I feel that my nation should take the lead in establishing a proper trade route so your nation’s people can safely transport their wares. When that happens, wagons and carriages will be able to move smoothly. Of course, they will not be pulled by anything as fragile as horses, but by other beasts of burden.”
193“Could those be… the undead?”
194One of the Dwarves, his face filled with disgust, asked that question.
195Ainz recalled that he was apparently the Forgemaster.
196“Precisely. I propose the use of undead-pulled cargo wagons, which possess the power to defend themselves and will never tire. They will surely make for excellent transportation tools. In truth, our nation has already made use of them, and the response from the citizens is very good. In addition, there are other advantages to using the undead—”
197Just as Ainz was about to launch into an enthusiastic presentation, the Forgemaster interrupted him.
198“—Is it not true that the undead will attack the living?”
199Ainz pouted internally, but he responded with supreme confidence.
200“It is true that many people would think that way about an average undead being. And to be fair, it is true. The undead are beings which hate and attack the living. However!”
201Ainz placed particular emphasis on that word.
202“Under my absolute authority, the undead of the Sorcerous Kingdom will not pose any problems for you. You may rest easy knowing that.”
203The Forgemaster’s mouth pursed into a へ shape. He did not seem to believe Ainz at all.
204He must have had a bad experience where the undead slew his family, or something. As Ainz contemplated that possibility, he played one of his trump cards.
205“In addition, my nation can supply labor.”
206“Labor?”
207“During my journey, I spoke with one of your countrymen whom I saved from the Quagoa—”
208Ainz had not done so on purpose, but it was not a complete accident, so he decided to phrase it as doing them a favor.
209“—And I heard of the work that goes on in your country’s mines. While it is work for Dwarven miners, the undead can handle it for you.”
210“What? Can they really do that?”
211The eyes of the Master of Caves and Mines went wide, having taken the bait.
212“Of course. I have conducted this experiment in human nations, and it was successful. In fact, the owner of the mines who rented them even requested for additional undead miners.”
213He had heard about this from Albedo when he had sent her a worried [Message], so it was not a lie.
214“So you’ve done that sort of thing in human nations…”
215The Master of Mines and Caves muttered as though in awe.
216“It would seem your country is familiar with the special characteristics of the undead…”
217“Mm, well, we know about their more common traits...”
218Ainz raised his voice to address the High Priest of Earth.
219“Then, I trust I need not elaborate on how the undead make for excellent laborers?
220The Dwarves exchanged looks, and then began speaking one after the other.
221“Your Majesty’s words are understandable. If we could safely control the undead…”
222“Being able to reallocate the manpower assigned to mining is a very attractive proposal.”
223“However…”
224That “however” would probably be followed by doubts about whether they could really trust the undead. It was natural they would feel conflicted about a method that was different from how they had done things until now.
225Ultimately, this was merely publicity for his firm’s products, and not a serious attempt to close a sale. Of course, if they could accept undead labor, it would certainly delight him.
226“Well, I merely meant to say that I could provide such laborers. I understand your unease towards the undead—”
227“—Your Majesty, I would like to ask a question about the undead before that. Could we purchase them as a defensive force?”
228The commander-in-chief’s question sent ructions through the Dwarves.
229“Commander-in-chief, it is too risky to rely on the military power of other nations to keep the peace!”
230“I know that. However, the undead of the Sorcerous Kingdom are extremely powerful. With them, around, we have no need to fear any Quagoa attack. There are many benefits to purchasing them as a final defensive line. The most important thing, the thing we must all consider, is the safety of our nation. Now that we have lost our fortress, we need power, more than anything else.”
231“Even so, don’t you think it’s more dangerous to have the hands of another nation around our throats?!”
232“I told you, now isn’t the time to talk about that sort of thing!”
233The Forgemaster and the commander-in-chief glared at each other.
234“...We’ll leave it as that. Those words will be saved for when it’s only us. This is not something we should be saying in front of His Majesty, who came all the way here from his kingdom. Forgive this gaffe, Your Majesty. This conflict was caused by the attractive nature of Your Majesty’s proposals, and we would be very grateful if you could permit it to pass unnoticed. —Then, may I know what Your Majesty desires from this country? I feel that we have practically nothing to offer.”
235“Certainly not. First, I desire ores. My country’s stockpiles are limited.”
236“—I see,” the Merchant’s Guildmaster smiled. “So that’s why you suggested undead labor. If we could excavate minerals in large quantities, then there would be an ample surplus. In other words, you want to keep the price of ores low. Is that it?”
237Ainz had not thought that far ahead, but Ainz nodded and pretended that it was the case.
238“Indeed it is so. You have seen through me.”
239No wonder, the Dwarves thought as understanding dawned on them.
240“Also, I would like the weapons and armor crafted by the forges of your nation. I hear that Dwarven battle equipment is of exemplary quality.”
241All the people Ainz had asked about this topic agreed that this was an unassailable fact.
242However, processed weapons and armor were more expensive. If they bought from the Dwarves, then there would be fewer armorsmiths and weaponsmiths in the Sorcerous Kingdom. If there was a clear technological difference between the two countries, it would be better to improve the technology of one’s own nation rather than take the foolish action of buying large quantities of superior arms and armor.
243However, if there was no competition, the smiths within the Sorcerous Kingdom would not hone their skills. The weapons and armor purchased from the Dwarves might serve as a positive stimulus for that.
244Of course, there were many ways to handle this, such as by collecting tariffs and the like. One had to ensure that he could make a profit off the Dwarves and not constantly import from them, among other headaches.
245The simple answer would be to hand all this to Albedo and Demiurge. However, Ainz had his own considerations as well.
246His plan was to limit sales to the newly-founded Adventurer’s Guild, or rent them to adventurers.
247Low prices were very attractive to adventurers, and keeping them alive would also benefit the Sorcerous Kingdom. If they could sell old goods at low prices, they might be able to increase the survival rates of adventurers at the same time.
248“While we have not thanked Your Majesty for sharing all this with us, these are questions which cannot be answered immediately, in particular on the matter of wargear. Could you give us some time to discuss this?”
249“Of course. Discuss until you reach a conclusion. I will not be upset even if we cannot begin trade immediately. My own subordinates are already equipped with high-end gear. I merely wish to acquire arms and armor for my people.”
250All right, Ainz thought.
251This was the crucial moment. It was time to complete his objective for coming to this city.
252“Shall we discuss the matter of the Quagoa?”
253Tension immediately filled the air.
254“The response to the Quagoa invasion was merely a personal decision. Is that correct, commander-in-chief?”
255“Indeed.”
256“However, what would have happened if I was not around?”
257“If Your Majesty had not been around, we would have had to rely on a single gate to block the enemy advance. Once the gate was breached, we would have needed to mobilize the citizens to engage in a decisive battle within the city in order to buy time for the children to flee. I imagine that would have been the case.”
258The Dwarves all had bitter expressions on their faces.
259Perhaps it was due to the commander-in-chief’s earlier report, but the utter absence of objections or counter-arguments spoke of the excellence of everyone here.
260There was nobody present who was driven by idealism, emotion or personal gain. If there was anyone like that here, particularly if they possessed authority or influence, they would waste time pointlessly before even the basics were completed, chattering away until the meeting was concluded. The fact that there was nobody like that here was worthy of praise.
261“Then, please explain to me in more detail. What would this decisive battle entail?”
262“It is difficult to answer because we do not know the enemy’s full battle strength. However — assuming there were 1,000 Quagoa — we would be in dire straits. Repelling them would be very difficult, and all we would accomplish would be to weaken our nation due to the loss of resources and manpower.”
263Why did it end up this way, the commander-in-chief muttered.
264It was probably because the fortress at the Great Rift was too strong. The Dwarves had grown arrogant, believing “it’ll be okay as long as we have it”.
265Ainz felt this way as well.
266He had tasted the bitter fruit of carelessness in the form of Shalltear.
267“If we have only one ace in the hole, when it is defeated, then we are undone. Thus, I feel we need another trump card, in the form of Your Majesty’s power.”
268Ainz raised his hand to silence the Dwarves, who seemed about to speak. The commander-in-chief might have seized the reins of the conversation, but Ainz was not done speaking yet.
269“The Quagoa have been repulsed for the time being, but Feoh Gēr is not yet at peace. That is my opinion.”
270The expressions on the Dwarves’ faces were universally sour.
271After making sure that everyone was fully aware of his prior point, Ainz decided to seize the moment and speak.
272“Without me, it will be very difficult to repulse the next Quagoa invasion. Even for someone like me, the destruction of a nation which I am about to begin trade with would be quite troublesome. What do you think? Will you not make use of my strength? Given the power of my nation, I can guarantee that your nation will not be attacked for a time. ...Yes. For instance I could help in taking back that Quagoa nest, the former Dwarven capital, I believe.”
273The air seemed to shudder.
274This was an entirely new reaction.
275The Master of Caves and Mines licked his lips.
276“Your Majesty, do you mean that such a thing would be possible?”
277“If I prepare for it, of course.”
278The Forgemaster folded his arms before him and glared at Ainz.
279“...That seems far too idealistic. Why are you giving us so much help? What do you want from us?”
280“Oi, you’ve said too much.”
281The Forgemaster snorted at his colleague’s words.
282“It’s like waving a bottle of fine wine in front of a stranger. Do you really think there are no strings attached?”
283“Ngg!”
284“A reasonable question. Then let me be frank with you. One of the reasons is because I believe it is better to establish diplomatic relations with your country than the Quagoa. I believe that you gentlemen of this fine country understand the concepts of common sense and indebtedness, and that you owe me a certain debt of gratitude. Now — consider a side which is about to win, and a side which is about to lose. Who will be more grateful if I lend them my strength?”
285“Mm. That is the case.”
286“In addition, I would like this debt to be paid not in words, but in a material fashion. This leads to another reason.”
287“I see, so it’s about payment. Then, do you want gold, or rare metals, or exotic ores? Or do you want mining rights as well?”
288Of course. Ainz wanted to say that, but he swallowed those words and resisted the urge to speak them.
289“No, I want something different. I want to recruit the runesmiths of this country to my nation.”
290The Dwarves blinked as one.
291“What? Is that so hard to understand?”
292「为啥？这话又有些难以理解了哦？」
293The Forgemaster frowned more deeply than the others.
294“...It is because runic arms and armor are very rare in the nations surrounding the Sorcerous Kingdom. I find them to be very valuable articles. In other words, they are very valuable. Therefore, I thought of recruiting runesmiths and having them produce runecrafted wargear in my nation.”
295“Will you take them as slaves?”
296Ainz sighed with exaggerated loudness at the Forgemaster.
297“I will do nothing of the sort. Did you not hear me speak? I said I wanted to open international ties and begin trade, did I not? Do you actually think I would take the people of such a partner nation as slaves? ...Frankly speaking, I’m a little disappointed. All I had in mind was recruiting runesmiths and having them make runic equipment in my country.”
298“In that case, what if we gave you top priority on the sales of runecrafted gear?”
299“...No. It would not be worth the investment. If you wish to use my strength, then you must let the runesmiths work in the Sorcerous Kingdom and allow us to form a monopoly on the sale of their products. That is what my nation wants and it is the price of taking back your former capital. When can you give me an answer?”
300The Dwarves looked at each other.
301“I see. Perhaps tomorrow—”
302“That might be a little troublesome,” interjected the commander-in-chief. “Don’t forget this city is still in danger of being attacked by the Quagoa. Even if His Majesty accepts the task of defeating the Quagoa, it will take time for him to gather his troops. With that point in mind, we cannot wait until tomorrow. We should give him an answer right away.”
303Ainz looked over the Dwarves.
304“It is not my place to speak here. However, if you are truly in such dire straits, then having me fulfil my earlier promises will also be quite troublesome. If the situation becomes very bad, then I will have to add several more conditions. After all, one must expect to pay more for last-minute work.”
305“Mm. The commander-in-chief is right, and Your Majesty’s words are also very sensible. Then, Your Majesty, while we apologize for the imposition, can you wait for us in the room from just now? We would like to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible.”
306“I have no objections to that. I shall wait there, then.”
307With that, Ainz rose, and left the room in the company of his subordinates.
308***
309The room was still veiled in silence even after the departure of the Sorcerer King. Shortly after, somebody exhaled, and that dispersed the tension that hung in the air.
310“What, what the hell was that?!”
311“That was an unbelievable monster! Commander-in-chief, that monster made my hair stand on end. There’s no doubt about the fear he commands.”
312“I almost thought I was going to piss myself!”
313The Dwarves all began shouting. They poured out all the things their strained nerves had been holding in check.
314“What should we do? He’s evil incarnate. If even a single thing of what he said is true, it would scare the hell out of me.”
315“How could anyone radiating such an evil light be benevolent? Look at him, how many of the living do you think he’s murdered up till now?”
316“Mmm. He must have taken so many lives he can’t even remember them all. And to think that spine-chilling face could actually utter such normal-sounding words.”
317“He must be gathering equipment for some great invasion. For his army of darkness!”
318“Also, I hate how he’s so easy to understand and agree with. He feels just like those devils who steal souls with contracts.”
319They were unanimous in rejecting the Sorcerer King’s proposal. Many of them agreed that the words of the undead could not be trusted.
320“However, His Majesty’s proposal is very attractive to our country. In the first place, our country will be destroyed if we don’t do something about the Quagoa. In addition, the Sorcerer King is the only person who can save us.”
321The commander-in-chief was the sole voice of opposition.
322His words made the other Dwarves look like they had chewed a bitter worm.
323“Let me make sure again. Is there no way we can deal with the Quagoa with our strength alone?”
324“There’s no way. With the help of the Sorcerer King we might be able to take the fortress back, but there are far too many things we need to do. Right now, all we can hope for is to take the fortress back. Had His Majesty not come here, the Quagoa might be flooding into the city by now.”
325“If the Sorcerer King spoke the truth, then there were sightings of Quagoa in Feoh Raiđō as well.”
326The Dwarves clutched their heads.
327“...What if we just borrowed the Sorcerer King’s power and then pretended that we knew nothing about it?”
328“That would only aggravate that monster. Even I would be unhappy in his position. After all, we’d be the people who only cared about borrowing military power for our own gain and whatnot.”
329“Still, the timing for this is just too much of a coincidence. Could the Sorcerer King be pulling the strings behind the scenes?”
330“It’s quite likely, but we have no proof. All we can do is guess.”
331“The important thing here is that the Sorcerer King chose us and not the Quagoa. If we displease him, we’ll be putting a noose around our own necks. Trying to investigate him would also be very dangerous.”
332“...Does the Sorcerer King drink?”
333“Do you think he can? ...I guess you can’t trust a guy who doesn’t drink, after all.”
334“Still…”
335Here the hitherto silent Merchant’s Guildmaster spoke up.
336
337“I believe we can all accept what the Sorcerer King is saying. It makes perfect sense. I’d do the same in his position, picking the Dwarves over the Quagoa.”
338If he commanded an army which could easily annihilate the Quagoa, then helping the Quagoa kill the Dwarves would not offer him a lot of benefits.
339“He said he wanted to lend undead workers to us. Wouldn’t taking the mines for his own be more profitable?”
340“Well, there would be no point in taking us as slaves. ...Besides, we know the mountain, don’t we?”
341“I see. That’s very likely. He feels that exploring the mines by himself would be very troublesome, so he’ll let us excavate the ores. So he’ll give us a pretty collar to please us, then?”
342“...Still, after talking to the Sorcerer King, I get the feeling that everything will be alright as long as we trade with him. In other words, he doesn’t intend to exploit us with uneven trade deals?”
343“In that case, I can understand why he’s offering such generous terms. Still, wouldn’t it be alright to agree to his proposal?”
344“Why do you say that?”
345“Because we can help each other. As long as the Sorcerer King wants ores, he will protect us. We can think of the Sorcerer King as a mercenary with a huge appetite for wine, in that sense.”
346The general opinion had shifted from “dealing with him is dangerous” to “we’ll be safe as long as we have value”. However, during the course of this change, one Dwarf spoke coldly.
347“...Do you all intend to be the minions of that undead creature?”
348All eyes turned to the man who had been staunchly opposed to Ainz since the beginning — the Forgemaster.
349“It’s not a question of good or evil. Right now, our country is in a crisis of survival. If we don’t do something about the Quagoa, we’ll be destroyed for sure.”
350“...And our strength alone cannot defeat the Quagoa.”
351“Then, how about asking the Empire for help? We’ve had dealings with them for many years. Wouldn’t that be safer? We don’t know anything about the Sorcerous Kingdom, you know.”
352“Even if we ask the Empire for help, they’d have no chance against the Quagoa. They’re very tough foes for anyone who uses a weapon. The most important thing is that humans can’t see in the dark and they’re not suitable for underground combat. While they might have a chance if we could lure them to the surface, we have no way of doing so.”
353“Then it seems dealing with the Sorcerous Kingdom is our only option. In any case, we’ll start by asking for help, and leave the trade deals for after we’ve seen the Sorcerous Kingdom. What do you think?”
354“That might be the safest way of doing it. Still, we’re doing business with them to defeat the Quagoa, right? Then, if we don’t make a deal with them, we’ll need to pay for services rendered, won’t we? ...I don’t even want to think about what kind of price one can put on saving a country.”
355The Dwarves were all sour-faced.
356“I guess the only way to save the country is to accept his proposal. That means we’ll have to rely on the Sorcerer King’s strength for the next few decades.”
357Amidst the murmurs of agreement, the Master of Caves and Mines muttered something along the lines of, “Using undead labor means that they can keep going for all those decades,” but nobody paid too much attention to him. That was because there was another pronouncement which seized their ears.
358“You seem to have forgotten something important. I oppose this. I will never let our people go and be his slaves!”
359“Slaves?”
360“The runesmiths!”
361“The Sorcerer King already said they would not be slaves, no?”
362“Really?! Do you really believe what he says?!”
363Thus rebuked, the Dwarf who asked lowered his head.
364“Oi, look. We can’t rule that out.”
365Even if everything the Sorcerer King stated was fact, anyone who knew the undead hated the living would not be able to believe it.
366“Hostages, then?”
367“No. There’d be no need for him to specify runesmiths, in that case. He could just as easily have stated demands for our family members instead.”
368“Then, can we refuse the matter of the runesmiths but ask if anything else would serve as payment?”
369“...Are there any treasures which might change his mind?”
370“No. Although, if we take back the capital and if the treasury is intact, we might be able to pay him with its contents.”
371“No, he won’t accept that. We’ll need his strength to take back the Royal Capital, right? If we give it to him under that, what will we say when he asks us, ‘Did you take these treasures from the vaults of the city I took back for you?’ Do you think it would be a good deal if you were in his shoes?’”
372“...Frankly speaking, I think it would be fine if we just accepted all his terms.”
373The Forgemaster glared at the Merchant’s Guildmaster.
374“—Slaves!!”
375“That’s just your opinion! The Sorcerer King has already said he won’t take them as slaves! All we need to do is send people over to make sure of that, right? And most importantly… While this might seem a bit much… Runecraft is an outdated technology. Considering it might vanish at any moment, I don’t think it’ll be a problem to hand it over. Pretty cheap for what we’re getting, right?”
376“But we’ll lose that entire branch of our craft, don’t you think?”
377“Still, now’s the best time to sell it, right?”
378“I oppose it!!”
379Bubbles formed at the edge of the Forgemaster’s mouth as he shouted.
380“Is that the result of logic, and not emotions? Doesn’t look that way to me.”
381“I have no idea why you all have so much trust in the Sorcerer King!!”
382At this point, the commander-in-chief spoke in cold tones. Having faced the Quagoa in battle, he knew the situation of this city better than anyone else. Therefore, he did not wish to waste words in useless conversation and had stood aside as an observer, but he had finally reached his limit.
383“Trust aside, this city will assuredly be destroyed if we do not borrow the strength of the Sorcerer King. What you’re doing is casting aside the single lifeline that we have.”
384“What did you say, you whippersnapper?!”
385“I’m in charge of this city’s military. And I say that the only way we can protect the city is with His Majesty’s power! Do you want to destroy this city? Otherwise, give me a way to beat the Quagoa without using his strength! You old relic!”
386“You! You’ve been calling that monster His Majesty ever since you stepped into this room! Have you betrayed this country?!”
387The Forgemaster grabbed the commander-in-chief by the lapels.
388“What bullshit is that, you addled old fool? You want a fight?! It’s only natural to refer to someone with such power with terms of respect! You’re the ones who can’t be trusted! He could easily annihilate this country, you know! If you say I betrayed this nation, then you lot are jeopardizing the safety of the people!”
389The commander-in-chief seized the Forgemaster by the collar as well, and their foreheads collided.
390“Oi! It’s one thing to disagree, but don’t fight!”
391The other Dwarves hurriedly rose to separate the pair.
392However, the two of them still glared at each other, as though they were getting ready for round two.
393“In any case, let’s take a vote. If anyone disagrees, we’ll discuss it later. It’ll be more constructive than a fistfight.”
394“What’s the vote about?”
395“First, whether we will let the runesmiths go to the Sorcerous Kingdom in order to make use of the Sorcerer King’s power. All in favor, raise your hand.”
396Everyone except the Forgemaster raised their hands.
397“Mm. Then, the next item. Do we want to forge relations with the Sorcerous Kingdom and begin trade? All in favor, raise your hand.”
398The outcome was the same as before.
399“I see. Then, the vote concerning the Sorcerer King — His Majesty is decided. Sorry, commander-in-chief, but you can call His Majesty back now.”
400Part 2
401Ainz and company were once more invited to the Council Chamber. After entering, they saw a single disgruntled Dwarf while the others were brimming with positivity. The commander-in-chief also seemed quite at ease.
402In other words, everything had developed as he had hoped for. Ainz smiled inside.
403“Please accept our sincere apologies for making you come and go constantly. After our discussions, we have decided to proceed as Your Majesty wishes. To begin with, we will throw ourselves upon Your Majesty’s compassion with regards to the matter of stationing of the forces. After that, we shall open diplomatic relations and begin trade with Your Majesty’s nation. That said, the nature of the trade goods and the methods of the transaction will require further negotiation to work out the minute details.”
404“Naturally. In any event, I shall promptly furnish you with the fighting strength needed to retake the fortress and hinder any further Quagoa invasion. I shall send a representative over to handle the finer points of international relationships in a few days, whereupon you may discuss the matter at length.”
405Ainz breathed a sigh of relief.
406He had to hand tasks like this — which required relevant knowledge — to Albedo. Fortunately, they had not insisted on hashing things out here.
407“Then, there is the matter of Your Majesty’s price for the recovery of the Royal Capital; the dispatch of our runesmiths to the Sorcerous Kingdom. We shall pledge that to you. However, we would like to send a group of inspectors to the Sorcerous Kingdom to see how our brethren are being treated, and to ensure their welfare. May we have your permission to do so?”
408“Of course. The Sorcerous Kingdom will accept interviews from these inspectors.”
409The Dwarves looked much more relieved now.
410Did they intend to conduct a workplace inspection? Rather, it seemed more likely that they wanted to see if the Sorcerous Kingdom was adhering to its side of the labor agreement between the two nations.
411Typically, labor contracts are never honored. However, I swear I won’t let anyone end up like Herohero-san. I’ll need to draw up a contract with terms which the Dwarves will respect, let the runesmiths focus on development and the like, among other things.
412Ainz nodded to the Dwarves and their concern for their colleagues.
413No, all this is thanks to the Quagoa. This situation came about because they conquered the fortress. If they had not picked this time to attack the Dwarven nation, events would not have unfolded so smoothly. Putting on recruitment shows for the runesmith would have taken a lot of time and resources. I almost feel sorry about exterminating the Quagoa now...
414One good turn deserved another, after all.
415“Then, when does Your Majesty intend to begin the recapture of the Dwarven Kingdom?”
416“Umu… As soon as possible.”
417While it was not likely that the Quagoa who had defeated the Death Knights was a player, he could not rule out a connection entirely. He had to verify this as soon as possible.
418“Then, we will place ourselves in your capable hands. To us Dwarves, being able to take back Feoh Berkanan is like a dream come true. I am certain the people will rejoice at Your Majesty’s matchless might. It might sound forced, but they do come from the heart.”
419In other words, if I don’t take back the capital, international relations will be very tricky. It’s not like they’re trying to impose on me, but it does sound very selfish.
420“I see. Then, I shall hasten to prepare,” Ainz nodded. Then, he thought of something.
421“Oh yes, I have a request. I don’t know if you’ll mind.”
422“What, what sort of request is that, Your Majesty?”
423The Dwarves asked that question nervously. Ainz was confused by their fearful attitude. He had not said anything which should have frightened them. Still worried about whether he had done something strange, he asked:
424“I intend to present a gift to a certain Lizardman, and I wish to draw upon the exceptional workmanship of the Dwarves to present him with a suitable set of armor.”
425There was a sharp intake of breath from behind him.
426“That’s right, Zenberu,” Ainz turned to look behind him, to the Lizardman who was holding his breath. “It is for Zaryusu. Call it a present to celebrate the birth of his child.”
427Ainz had spoken of this because he intended to preserve Zaryusu’s life. He would surely father many rare Lizardmen in the future. Thus, presenting him with such excellent armor only made sense.
428The Dwarves’ attention turned to the Forgemaster.
429He folded his arms in front of him, still frowning at Ainz. He did not seem to approve at all.
430“How about it? Can you do it?”
431After being questioned again and prodded by the people beside him, the Forgemaster finally nodded, unwillingness written all over his face.
432“What are the measurements? We can pay for it.”
433“Magical armor ought to resize itself to fit its wearer. Can you enchant it here?”
434“I have no confidence in magical matters. You’ll have to ask the High Priest about that.”
435“If you’re alright with a low-levelled enchantment, there shouldn’t be any problem. Do you not mind, Your Majesty? I believe you should have better enchanters within your domain…”
436In truth, there were few skilled enchanters within the Sorcerous Kingdom. Enchanters were essentially specialized magic casters, and they were originally affiliated with the Magician’s Guild. However, the Sorcerous Kingdom’s Magician’s Guild was essentially disbanded.
437In addition, Nazarick used a different enchantment process, that of data crystals. He wanted to preserve them as much as possible, given that he could not obtain data crystals in this world. Naturally, nobody in Nazarick could perform the enchantments of this world.
438In other words, the Sorcerous Kingdom had no ability to enchant magic items. That said, there was no need to let them know about it.
439“If the need arises, all I have to do is reinforce the existing enchantment. In any event, I would like a suit of armor from this city. It will also serve as publicity for Dwarven armorsmithing.”
440“Ho,” The Forgemaster’s eyes narrowed. “It should be ready within a week.”
441“Really now. That would be wonderful. Until then, I shall be engaged in taking back the capital. Well, if the battle ends before it’s complete, I might end up waiting around for it in this city.”
442“Hmph. Then I’ll work on it faster.”
443It was quite clear that he did not mean “it would be a shame to keep you waiting”. It was more like “I’ll finish it up quick so you don’t take too long hanging around in this city.”
444Why does he hate me so much? I should be a hero to this country, right? Or the liberator who reclaimed their Royal Capital, right? I don’t recall doing anything to deserve such resentment… is that it? Is he really just a stubborn old fool?
445“Regarding the payment—”
446“Like I said just now, there’s no charge.”
447“That settles the price of that particular article. When I talk about payment, I’m referring to the fact that it is both a finished product and a sample. I need you to tell me how much it costs so I can estimate how much it takes to produce this sort of thing.”
448“...I don’t decide the prices. Oi, Merchant’s Guildmaster, you’re in charge of that.”
449“...To begin with, we’d have to consider the material of which the armor is made. That would certainly affect the price range…”
450“Ah, so it’s like that,” Ainz replied, trying not to let it show in his attitude. “...So tell me, what’s the highest-grade metal in this city?”
451If the names of one of the prismatic ores came up, Ainz might well abandon his present negotiations and subjugate the Dwarves by force.
452However, his worries were ill-founded.
453The metal of which they spoke was adamantite.
454“Adamantite, hm? Is there nothing harder than that here? No, even a slightly softer metal would do if it was a rarity in this mountain range.”
455They could not answer that question either.
456There was a possibility that this was classified information and they could not speak openly of it to Ainz. However, direct questioning would not help. Using charm magic to make them talk would leave the memories of being controlled, so if he could not eliminate them afterwards, it was not an option. Sadly, he had no other way to inquire further.
457Since Gondo did not know either, he could only pin his hopes on the more senior runemiths.
458As Ainz concealed his disappointment, he produced an ingot from beneath his robes.
459“Then, we shall supply the metal. Just tell me the processing fee.”
460This was a level 45 metal. It was not particularly strong, but it was much stronger than adamantite.
461Zaryusu’s defensive abilities would soar if he wore a suit of armor made from this material. It would be enough to protect him from the vast majority of foes in this world.
462“And this is…”
463Judging by the expression on the Forgemaster’s face as he examined the ingot, Ainz was sure that this ore could not be excavated anywhere near here.
464“A wo…”
465Ainz shut his mouth just before he could say “worthless”. After all, this was the raw material for a suit of armor he was giving to Zaryusu. He could not say this sort of thing in front of the armorsmith who would be taking on the task.
466“It’s a serviceable metal. I have some weapons made of the same material. One moment, please.”
467Ainz rose and left the room before looking through his inventory.
468After some searching, he withdrew a strange — one of the weapons in YGGDRASIL which had been designed for form over function — shortsword. Then he returned to the room. Frightened by the fact that Ainz was holding a shortsword, the Dwarves shifted uneasily in their seats. Ainz placed the shortsword on the table and slid it over.
469Fortunately, it stopped in front of the Forgemaster.
470He did not pick up the short sword that slid before him, but instead studied it with a scary look on his face. It must have bothered him in some way.
471“This one. Since it’s a short sword, I don’t know if you can use it as a reference for armor… How about it? Can you make it?”
472For some reason, those words caused the Forgemaster to flush red.
473“I’ll do it and show you!”
474Sensing the powerful determination in the Forgemaster’s voice, Ainz nodded.
475“Umu. Then, please take care of that. I’d like a suit of chainmail armor, if possible. I’ll lend you the shortsword too; if you need anything else, feel free to let me know. Zenberu, you should be more familiar with Zaryusu. Answer him about his body size, shape and whatnot.”
476“I understand, Your Majesty.”
477“Then… that’s all for my request. If it’s fine with you, I will excuse myself.”
478“Your Majesty, may I ask where you are going?”
479“Ahh, commander-in-chief. There was a Dwarf from the southern city whom I rescued, no? I was invited to his home, and I will be a guest there today. ...Let’s leave the welcome reception for later.”
480Or rather, Ainz did not want to embarrass himself, so he wanted to avoid such a ceremony. Of course, he did not actually say that.
481The commander-in-chief looked a little uneasy.
482“I understand Your Majesty’s wishes. However, it would be somewhat distressing if word got out that the savior of our nation had to personally procure accommodations. We have already prepared a high-end room for yourself; would you consider resting there for the day?”
483Ainz considered the proposal. The commander-in-chief’s words were acceptable, and there was no reason to refuse.
484“Then let us do that. I shall go visit Gondo — the Dwarf who brought me here — and apologize for standing him up.”
485I trust you won’t try to hinder me any further. It would seem the commander-in-chief and the others had no objections either.
486Part 3
487Another Dwarf came in. He was a runesmith. There were very few people in this city who called themselves runesmiths now, and he was one of them.
488The Sorcerer King had given something to Gondo, which he had in turn passed on to all the runesmiths he knew. The results were excellent. Even before the appointed time, nine-tenths of the runesmiths he had approached were already at his atelier cum research lab. There was no doubt that the rest would also arrive early.
489“Over here!”
490“Oh! Gondo! I’m coming!”
491Anticipation was written all over the face of the Dwarf who walked over.
492“All right, now give it to me as agreed!”
493How many times had those words been repeated up till now? While Gondo found it irritating, he rationalized it away as a form of work, and he gave that Dwarf the same answer he had given all the others:
494“The Sorcerer King has something to tell everyone. You’ll get it after that.”
495“What?”
496“I told you, didn’t I? Before I gave you that small bottle. His Majesty has something to say, and after you listen to the end, you’ll get the large bottle.”
497“Hm, well, that does sound kind of familiar…”
498“Alright, if you understand, then sit down over there.”
499“Umu… Also, ah, Gondo. About that…”
500Gondo knew what was coming even without hearing it. Every single smith who had come had said the same thing.
501“Nobody else but His Majesty has such wine. Do you understand? Do you understand that such a wine can only be found in his country?”
502“Mm, mhm. That’s true. That taste, like joy spreading through your mouth… It glides down the throat, but burns in the gut…”
503“Mhm. Alright, if you get it, then sit down over there.”
504Gondo pushed the smith — who was imagining delights unseen — in the appropriate direction.
505“Come on, don’t be like that. You’ve tasted it before, haven’t you? You understand how I feel, right?”
506“I’ve never touched it. I’m not a fan of drinking.”
507“Oh, what a waste! Gondo, you’ve missed out on four-fifths of life!”
508“Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and sit down. Look, those guys have all drunk it, you should go discuss it with them.”
509“Ohhh! Really?!”
510The excited smith began running and then suddenly stopped. Then, he turned to look at Gondo. Many of the smiths here had done that too.
511“I say, Gondo.”
512“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.”
513“Really? But…”
514“It’s fine. That’s why…”
515“...I understand. However, there’s one thing you must remember. You can come to me for help at any time.”
516After saying that, the smith moved to sit with the others. Then, he joined their enthusiastic discussion on the joys of alcohol.
517Gondo sighed, his heart aching faintly.
518The Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown had given Gondo a certain item in order to gather the runesmiths.
519That item was wine.
520Gondo did not drink, but no Dwarf could resist the taste of delicious wine. Thus, by whetting their appetites with a small sample of exotic alcohol and promising them a large bottle of it later, they should be able to gather about half the smiths. That was what the Sorcerer King had said. However—
521Every seat here looked to be filled up.
522Gondo sighed again. Personally speaking, he did not want to gather them with such cheap tricks. Instead, he wanted to inflame their pride as craftsmen and have them rally round.
523Or rather — that was just Gondo’s selfish wish.
524The Sorcerer King had used the quickest and most effective method to gather the smiths. Relying on their pride to bring them together would have wasted a lot of valuable time.
525The runesmiths were in dire straits. They had lost the proof that they and their ancestors had existed, while all that lay ahead was darkness. Mired in negativity, it was no wonder that many of them had given up on themselves. Very few Dwarves still called themselves runesmiths and practiced their craft. Most of them had taken down the shingles on their workshops and merely lived day by day of a hopeless, dreamless existence.
526Could he have relit the fire in hearts like theirs?
527Gondo eagerly looked forward to Ainz and what would happen next.
528At the appointed time, Gondo checked the number of Dwarves which had shown up. Every single one was present.
529“Well? Ainz-sama asked if he could begin.”
530The girl who ran up to Gondo was one of the Sorcerer King’s trusted aides, Aura.
531“Oh, can you tell His Majesty that everyone has gathered?”
532“Got it~”
533The girl ran off. As he watched her leave, Gondo tilted his head.
534He was not quite sure what exactly that girl was. Why did that nigh-omnipotent undead lord place so much trust in her? Was she the proof of his friendship with the Dark Elves?
535As Gondo pondered this, Ainz Ooal Gown stepped forward on a raised platform. Beside him was the other female who served as his aide.
536“Ohhhhhhh!”
537“It’s the undead!”
538“An enemy?!”
539The Dwarves were thrown into chaos. That was only to be expected. The undead were the enemies of all that lived.
540“That—”
541“—Silence.”
542The female — Shalltear Bloodfallen — raised the bottle in her hand.
543Everyone’s eyes could pick out the amber radiance within. They were an intensely practical lot, so their attention went to the bottle instead of Ainz’s undead face, and they fell silent.
544“Ainz-sama, what is your will?”
545“No, there’s nothing. Thank you for your hard work, Shalltear. ...Alright, thank you for coming, everyone. There’s enough wine for everyone, so after this, just take one bottle as you go. Until then, I hope you will keep quiet and listen to me. Of course, if you feel that the words of the undead are not worth listening to, you are free to leave on the spot. Of course, you will not get a bottle of this wine.”
546The Sorcerer King swept his gaze across the Dwarves.
547Every fiber of his being — from his attitude to his diction and many other things — was certain proof of his overwhelming power. Then there was his haughty, regal bearing which made them instinctively cower before him. It was as though every single joint of his fingers was infused with power.
548“Then… I trust there are no objections if I begin speaking?”
549The Dwarves nodded in silence.
550“Firstly, I am the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. The domain to the south of this mountain range, beyond the Great Forest of Tob, belongs to me. Being able to meet you esteemed runesmiths delights me from the bottom of my heart. Alright: my words are a very simple proposal, as well as a request. Come to my country. I want to use your runecraft to begin a revolution in magic item enchantment.”
551As he heard the Sorcerer King’s words, a spike of pain — born of disappointment and despair — pierced Gondo’s heart.
552Gondo shook his head.
553He cast away the matter of his father and his grandfather, and looked at the faces of the smiths from the side. They all had bitter expressions on their faces. Their response did not look like it would be positive.
554“Forgive me, but I have a question I wish to ask.”
555The Dwarf who raised his hand glanced at Gondo.
556“Why do you want our craft? Frankly speaking, it’s practically a dying art in this country too.”
557The Dwarf who spoke was one of the older smiths present.
558“...Simple. I want you to rediscover the lost secrets of your art.”
559“Lost?”
560Under the runesmiths’ eyes, the Sorcerer King produced a sword from his pocket dimension.
561The Dwarves gasped in unison.
562It was shock, born of seeing a sword being pulled out of thin air. There was also terror at the sight of the skeletal king, wreathed in unholy light, holding up a blade.
563But the reason why Gondo exclaimed despite himself was the same awe which filled every other person here.
564It was a black-bladed sword of extraordinary quality. The unbelievably fine edge practically shone with magical radiance.
565“Such an… An amazing sword…”
566“Incredible… I’ve never seen anything like it in my life…”
567“Is this the sword from Dwarven mythology?”
568“Ohhh! What, what a beautiful sight this is...”
569The Sorcerer King raised the sword, as though to show it to the Dwarves. Gondo’s eyes instinctively followed its glow as well.
570“Alright, gentlemen, please pay attention to the body of the sword.”
571Gondo followed where the Sorcerer King was pointing, and cried out. So did the other smiths.
572There were 20 purple runes carved upon it.
573However, only Gondo noticed that one of the runes on the sword was the same as the one which the Sorcerer King had described during their encounter in the tunnel.
574I see. So that’s why he knew so much about runes.
575He must have gained that knowledge from careful study of that sword.
576“Then, I wish to ask you gentlemen. There are 20 runes on this sword; is such a thing possible?”
577The answer went without saying — it was impossible. Nobody here could do it, no matter how hard they tried. And then, there was this sword, which seemed to exist only to mock their inability to do so.
578The smiths rose from their seats, each with a raging inferno in their eyes. There was a passion in them which had not been there when they were talking about drinks. Then, the crowd surged forward like a horde of zombies pouncing on the living, to the feet of the Sorcerer King.
579“Let me see!”
580“Please! Let me touch it!”
581“I might learn something! I beg you!”
582“Insolence!”
583The silver-haired girl glared at the encroaching dwarves with a frightening look in her eyes. The Dwarves froze for an instant, as though impaled by a fear which cut like icy blades. And then —
584“—You’re being too noisy. Quiet down.”
585There was no doubt that they stood in the presence of a true ruler.
586His aura was one of a leader that was utterly confident of his position. Then again, it might have been because he was a peerless master of death.
587Gondo had known this ever since he had met Ainz in that tunnel, but Ainz had not revealed that side of himself back then. It must have been an act to keep Gondo from shrinking away in fear. This must be the true nature of the Sorcerer King.
588I can’t tell his expression, but he seems pleased. It must be because everyone’s moving as he planned.
589“A moment, good smiths. Please hear me out to the end. After that, you may touch it directly. I will not continue until you are seated, and neither will you be able to obtain this sword.”
590Dejected — cowed by his air of sovereign power — the smiths returned to their places.
591“Thank you. Then, I shall pick up from where I left off. My question still stands — is a sword with 20 runes carved upon it within your abilities?”
592Everyone looked to the oldest and most experienced of the smiths. He shook his head powerlessly and replied:
593“It is not. To the best of my knowledge, I have only ever heard of six.”
594A torrent of questions erupted.
595“What? Six? I’ve only ever heard of five!”
596“...Is that so. It seems few know of this, but 200 years ago, the hammer which the king bore had six runes carved upon it. That was the secret treasure of the runesmith’s art.”
597Gondo recalled his grandfather.
598He thought of the face of a runesmith from 200 years ago, a man who was a veteran of weapon-forging.
599“Ohhhh! Is that the warhammer which could shake the earth? I think I heard of it in a song once…”
600“Correct. Even the runesmiths — hailed as geniuses and prodigies — of that time could not produce a weapon with 20 runes on it…”
601“I see. So this must be a weapon made with lost techniques, then.”
602“Hm? Do you not know either, Your Majesty?”
603“I am not sure how this sword was made. In all honesty, it is merely my possession. And… its creators are no longer in this world.”
604“By that you mean… More valuable techniques were lost, then?”
605Pain filled the faces of the smiths. Gondo felt the same way as well.
606“Because of that—”
607Everyone looked up at the Sorcerer King’s words.
608“Because of that, I want to revive those techniques. Thus, I need your strength. I want you to make something like this sword, no matter the cost.”
609Silence descended.
610Needless to say, it was because they were all aware of how close to impossible this task was.
611Even the most skilled of the runesmiths present had strained themselves to carve four runes at once. The Sorcerer King was asking for five times that amount. However, none of them said “it’s impossible”. They had their pride as craftsmen, and after seeing the masterpieces of a prior artisan, they could not bring themselves to deny it.
612That sword is like a challenge from the smiths of old to the smiths of today, Gondo thought.
613“I want to make it.”
614Someone whispered those words.
615Soon, that voice was not alone.
616“Me too.”
617“I want to try it.”
618“Mm, I want to show the world what a real legend looks like.”
619“No, I’ll be the one who’ll be hailed as a legend.”
620“What nonsense is that. I’m the one who will bear that heavy burden.”
621The sound of a applause rang through the air. Its source was the Sorcerer King upon his stage. Although they did not know how he had done it with his bony hands, it was said that all things were possible for a magic caster.
622“Marvellous. However, can you do so by yourselves? Can you raise your voices and speak your challenge to a legend? It might be possible. It might not. Thus, I hope you will come to my country and devote your lives to creating new techniques.”
623Silence descended once more.
624Gondo was very aware of their feelings.
625The Sorcerer King was offering these people — who were keenly aware that their art was practically extinct in the Dwarven nation — a shining opportunity within the palm of his outstretched hand.
626Should they not bet their lives on this challenge?
627“All right then, I will entrust this sword to you.”
628The Sorcerer King stepped off the stage, presenting its hilt to one of the aged smiths. Perhaps it was coincidence, or perhaps he had researched it beforehand, but the man to whom he presented it was considered a genius second only to Gondo’s own late father, and his voice carried much weight among the runesmiths.
629He did not reach out for it.
630It was only natural to be confused when presented with such a mighty blade.
631“Is, is it alright? Is it alright to hand such a powerful — a weapon which I may never see again in all my life to someone like me?”
632“Right now, you are not Dwarves tempted by wine, but runesmiths who wish to take up a challenge. I can place my trust in that. In addition, I will be leaving this city for a while. Thus, I am simply lending it to you.”
633The Dwarf straightened himself up.
634“...I see. Then, please permit me to borrow it, Your Majesty.”
635He bowed deeply, and received the sword with the utmost respect.
636“Still, I have to say that I do not quite understand the techniques of runecraft. Is it possible to carve runes upon a blade and then further enchant it with magic?”
637“It doesn’t work that way, Your Majesty. Runes are characters imbued with mana. Thus, carved runes and enchantments are mutually repulsive. If a powerful magic caster tries an enchantment, the runes will distort.”
638“Is that so…”
639“Incidentally, when you say you will be leaving Feoh Gēr, where will you be heading?”
640“Ah, I will be going to your former Royal Capital.”
641The Dwarves groaned all at once.
642He could hear them say things like “That ruined—” “To such a dangerous place—” “Where the Quagoa still rule”
643Gondo knew that much, but there was a message within them which he could not overlook.
644“They say there are three trials awaiting those who wish to go there from this place. Will it be alright?”
645“The three hazards, said to be impassable. Even if you make it past the first of them… the Maze of Death is impenetrable.”
646All the speakers were elder Dwarves. As expected of those who were old and full of years, it would seem they knew things even Gondo did not. It might be best to ask them about it and inform the Sorcerer King.
647The runesmith who had straightened himself up gave his counsel to the Sorcerer King.
648“Your Majesty, that place should be the lair of a gigantic Dragon. That lord of the Frost Dragons, the White Dragon Lord, might be in residence. He was the reason for the destruction of Feoh Tiwaz. I know Your Majesty is possessed of great power, but in my humble opinion, that Dragon Lord is equally powerful. I pray you will take care of yourself.”
649“...A Dragon, then. Indeed, it would make for a very interesting opponent. Then I shall proceed with the greatest of caution and deal with it carefully.”
650After that, there were several more simple questions, and the meeting was dissolved. This was because everyone realized that the sooner it ended, the more time the Sorcerer King would have to take back their capital. They couldn’t bear to get in the way of that, Gondo thought.
651Or perhaps, they wanted to inspect the sword they had received.
652Gondo did not know which answer was correct, but given the inferno in the eyes of the Dwarven artisans, it was probably the latter.
653***
654The desire to shout “Yahoo!” filled Ainz.
655He had felt that way ever since he had finished his presentation. It was no different from when he had been Suzuki Satoru. Whether he had succeeded or failed, he wanted to cry out as he basked in the feeling of liberation and relief.
656“That was amazing, Ainz-sama! You really got that lot all fired up!”
657“That was truly incredible. The only person in Nazarick who could do that is you, Ainz-sama!”
658Ainz resisted the urge to go, “Ah, no~” in embarrassment as Aura and Shalltear praised him. Perhaps if they were Demiurge or Albedo, he might peek at them while wondering if they were mocking him. But since it was Aura and Shalltear, he could take their words at face value. Perhaps if he was Suzuki Satoru, he might even say, “I’m beat, want to grab a drink?” and head toward a vending machine, but the man who ruled Nazarick and the Sorcerous Kingdom could not say such things.
659“—Hm, well, it was nothing much. I’m sure Demiurge or Albedo could do a better job.”
660“Certainly not!”
661“Yup yup! Even those two couldn’t play those Dwarves that well!”
662Ainz did not feel that way, but he had not expected the situation to develop this well. And then, the creeping feeling of guilt over whether this success was a good thing began creeping up on him.
663Naturally, the sword he had shown the Dwarves was an item from YGGDRASIL.
664YGGDRASIL did not have a rune system. Then again, it might have existed within the game’s data, but it had not been discovered by anyone until the very end. Therefore, the runes carved on that sword were merely cosmetic — for decoration.
665At first, he had thought, maybe they might get interested if they saw this sword. But he had been caught completely off guard by the intensity of their reaction, to the point where he kind of regretted saying that he wanted them to make a sword like that.
666However, Ainz tamped down that feeling.
667He had to strengthen the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Since a foe with a World-Class Item might appear in the future, and there might be hidden players out there fighting him, he had to increase their combat strength.
668Ainz looked at Shalltear.
669She was a Vampire girl who seemed to be blushing in embarrassment — which was actually quite surprising when he thought about it. She was a seed Peroroncino had left behind. And she was the first NPC he had no choice but to kill with his own two hands.
670His emotion suppression cancelled out the surge of hatred that followed, but even so, he could not forget it. He could not forget the shadow of the holder of the World-Class Item that had made him do such a thing.
671In order to reach his goal, even making people miserable with lies was hardly worthy of consideration. The most important thing in this world was the residents of Nazarick. All other lives were two or three rungs below them.
672Equality of lives was nothing more than a madman’s ravings.
673If all life was equal, then he would like to put a man who tortured people to death in one electric chair and a champion of said equality in another, and then make the latter decide which of them should die. Anyone who could actually say that they could entrust their fate to a roll of the dice was a true believer.
674However, Ainz would kill the former without hesitation. This was because Ainz knew that lives were not equal. There was no comparing the lives of the NPCs within Nazarick to the lives of the people outside it.
675“That’s Ainz-sama for you!”
676“You’re right!”
677Before he could finish his train of thoughts, the praise of Aura and Shalltear stabbed at his heart. In any case—
678“Don’t say they were ‘played’. I merely told them the truth.”
679He had said that to them for the sake of Gondo, who should have been behind him.
680However, when there was no response from behind, a somewhat puzzled Ainz turned around.
681Gondo padded closer, prepared to send Ainz off.
682“...What is it, Gondo?”
683Upon being addressed, Gondo raised his head.
684“...Your Majesty. Since you said all that to them, am I to take it that the Council approved of sending over the runesmiths?”
685“Indeed. They did say they would also send an inspection team in the future to see if they were being treated as slaves, but fundamentally, they agreed to do so.”
686“Is that so… So did those great people really feel that runecraft was no longer necessary?”
687Gondo’s tears flowed down his cheeks
688Ainz was shocked, Outside of childhood, a man’s tears were a rare thing.
689Those tears must have been shed because he had learned that the art which he admired and which he took such pride in had been judged worthless and abandoned by his country.
690But was that really the case, Ainz thought. Given the Dwarven nation’s circumstances, it would be very hard for them to refuse the request of a nation who had pledged to send them reinforcements.
691The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. That was a truth among nations.
692Even Ainz would kill hundreds of millions of people for Nazarick.
693Still, there was no need to tell Gondo any of this.
694“Indeed, Gondo. This country seems to view its runesmiths as disposable. They handed them over with hardly any resistance when I asked for them.”
695Gondo, as well as the runesmiths who might hear of this from him, had to abandon their country to some extent. While it was very difficult to completely forsake the land of one’s birth, it was still a necessary step to have them devote their utmost loyalty to the Sorcerous Kingdom.
696Ainz gently patted Gondo’s shoulder.
697“However, the same is not true of me. I sense potential from the runesmiths.”
698Even if Gondo’s dreams could not be realized, monopolizing these skilled people and using their research might allow him to develop a countermeasure against enemies with runic weapons.
699Knowledge was power.
700“...Even if you’re discarded by one country, it’s not over as long as another one needs you, don’t you think?”
701Ainz patted Gondo’s shoulder several times. Gondo wiped his face clumsily.
702“...Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Please allow me to meet your expectations with all my strength.”
703“Umu, umu. I shall look forward to it.”
704Ainz smiled — although his face did not move — as though to say, “I trust you.”
705Then again, Ainz had been thinking.
706It would be good if he could learn about the Dwarven Capital. He would probably need to have Gondo do some legwork to obtain more information. And then, he had to speak to the commander-in-chief.
707Dragons in YGGDRASIL could live forever. It would not be strange for them to be individuals of unimaginable power. So in all likelihood there’ll be a Frost Dragon waiting for me...
708Suddenly, the face of a young man — no, a young woman appeared from within his memories.
709“Come to think of it, she did say she wanted to help me learn more about them… What a shame.”
710 
711Chapter 5: Frost Dragon Lord
712Part 1
713It was the next morning. Ainz had decided to set out early to take back the former Dwarven Capital, Feoh Berkanan, but just as he was about to leave, a familiar face appeared at the door.
714It was Gondo.
715Ainz tilted his head. He had no idea why he might be here.
716“—Are you here to send me off?”
717“No, I have come to lead the way.”
718Ainz blinked. Granted, he had mentioned that he would need a Dwarf to show him the way. Judging by how the Council had immediately complied with the request, Ainz surmised that this Dwarf’s mission would be to keep an eye on him, so he thought that they might select an unrelated Dwarf.
719“After parting ways with you yesterday, I heard many things from the other runesmiths. I feel that I know the route to the Royal Capital better than any other Dwarf.”
720“Then, can you find an alternate route if the tunnel to the Capital collapses? You may need to adapt to changes in the situation as they come up. Is that alright?”
721“I’ve studied up as much about them as I could. Please allow me to guide you.”
722“Umu.”
723Ainz began to think.
724In truth, bringing Gondo along carried more demerits than merits. However, if the Council had approved, then if Ainz was the only one who disapproved and requested a change, the chances of him getting someone else as a guide would be very low.
725“...Are you a warrior, or do you have some way to fight?”
726“No, I don’t. I have no confidence in my skills pertaining to that field. However, I am prepared to face any danger, and nobody will blame you if I perish. In addition, I have my father’s cloak. That was also a reason why they chose me.”
727The cloak of invisibility lent a lot of weight to his argument.
728While Ainz had planned to protect his guide anyway, he felt uneasy about bringing along a Dwarf with no combat ability. And while he could still resurrect him with magic even if he died (provided he had sufficient levels), Gondo might have the mindset of “it’s all over” if he died.
729“Do you need to verify if I’ve chased all the Quagoa out of the Royal Capital? If you die along the way, it’ll make things very difficult for me… and then there’s the matter of the runesmiths. I’d much rather you stayed here.”
730Gondo slowly approached Ainz and quietly said:
731“The Royal Capital has a vast treasury. If it hasn’t been plundered yet, then it will contain many Dwarven treasures. There should also be some of my father’s weapons and technical manuscripts from the royal family in there. Who knows, there might even be secret manuals left behind by runesmiths of the past.”
732“Hoh…”
733With that response, Ainz indicated that Gondo should continue.
734“I wish to secretly obtain them. ...While it seems rude to ask this of Your Majesty, may I please ask you to turn a blind eye to this when you retake the Capital?”
735“...Before that, do you have any way to open the Treasury?”
736“No. However… I believe Your Majesty should be able to do something about that, right?”
737Does he really think I can do anything?
738“So you want me to become an accomplice to a petty thief?”
739“I believe the correct explanation of what would happen is that Your Majesty wished to see if the Treasury had been burgled, and thus opened it to check. Then, you were briefly distracted, for just long enough. I would be that petty thief, bearing no relation to Your Majesty.”
740“...The line of Dwarven royalty has been severed. Is that correct? Is there a ledger recording the treasures that should be within the vaults?”
741“I am afraid there is none.”
742“It is very important to make sure of that. It would be very dangerous if there was a record, you know? I cannot approve of this. ...More importantly, does that treasure not belong to your country? Does it not shame you to steal it?”
743Gondo laughed scornfully.
744“Well, those manuals don’t mean anything to a country that gave us and runecraft up, don’t you think?”
745It’s treason, then? Though that thought passed through Ainz’s head, the truth was that it did him no harm. On the contrary, letting these books languish in the Dwarven nation would be a waste.
746More to the point, Gondo’s theft would completely break his ties to the Dwarven Kingdom. The Dwarven Kingdom would not tolerate a criminal who had looted their treasury. This matter could be used as a form of blackmail, and it would become a shackle that would render Gondo completely incapable of betraying the Sorcerous Kingdom.
747However, it could also be used against Ainz in a similar manner.
748“...Indeed. There’s no point in letting people who don’t need it have it either. Indeed, it might be that my eyes might fail me at that time. Still, like I mentioned earlier, you need to search out any catalogues of the treasures. I’d like to avoid any future disputes.”
749“Understood. I shall do as Your Majesty commands.”
750“Then, we’ll leave matters at that.”
751While they had walked some distance away to discuss this, someone with keen hearing might be eavesdropping on them.
752“Then, let’s change the topic. Tell me about the hazards we might face before reaching the Dwarven Capital. A basic outline is fine.”
753“A good question. All who wish to reach the Dwarven Capital must pass three trials.”
754“Trials? Interesting. Summarize them.”
755“Mm, the first trial is the Great Rift. There is a slope ahead of the gate that leads to the fortress. After the fortress is the Great Rift that splits the earth. Now that the suspension bridge has been strung, it hardly qualifies as a trial. However, when crossing it, one must prepare oneself to receive concentrated attacks from the enemy.”
756“Do the Quagoa use ranged weapons?”
757“Umu, I haven’t heard of that before. However, it might be dangerous to assume they don’t, right?”
758It made a lot of sense. The possibility also existed that they could use the magic weapons from the fortress.
759“Then, the next trial is an area of flowing lava. Even the heated air alone can be fatal. One must cross it via a narrow path of trimmed rock. There have also been sightings of a huge monster there from time to time.”
760“A monster, you say?”
761The form of Guren, Area Guardian of the 7th Floor, came to mind.
762If the monster was similar to it, things would be very troublesome indeed.
763...Come to think of it, Slimes and human society are quite closely linked. Is it the case in this country as well? If they have rare slimes here, I’d like to bring them home.
764Just as Ainz thought of the slimes that lived near the sewer filters, Gondo moved on to the last trial.
765“The final trial is the Maze of Death. It is a cave with countless branches, filled with poisonous vapors. If one inhales those vapors, their limbs will be paralyzed and their hearts will stop beating.”
766Gondo looked towards Aura and Shalltear.
767That gesture seemed to be saying that Ainz might be fine, but those two would be in trouble.
768They’ll be fine… Well, I guess I can tell him when we get there.
769“And what is the right path through the caves?”
770“Regretfully, I do not know. I looked through all my connections, but even the elders did not know. Neither did the members of the Council. Perhaps it might be recorded in an archive...:”
771“But you didn’t find it either, did you? Well, I doubt you’d be able to easily locate a document that was so critical to national security. We’ll gather information when the time comes and adapt to the situation.”
772Ainz committed the information about these trials to memory, and gestured to the others.
773“Let’s go, then.”
774Ainz, Shalltear and Aura took the lead. Gondo lined up with ten or so soldiers and their commander on their way to retake the fortress, and then the gates slowly opened. The stench of death filtered through the gap, so they had an idea what to expect, but then a gruesome scene revealed itself to all present.
775The gentle tunnel which sloped down was broad and it had been levelled for easier passage. However, the walls and floor were covered in blood, guts and chunks of meat. Quagoa corpses littered the ground.
776“Urk!”
777The stench of gore, offal death filled the room. It was too much for Gondo, who had no experience as a warrior, and he began retching. The Dwarven soldiers’ faces had turned green, and not because of any trick of the light.
778Ainz’s body had no concept of nausea, so it did not cause him any problems. However, he did not enjoy this smell.
779A squelching noise came from underfoot. It would seem he had stepped on the innards which had fallen out of a bisected Quagoa.
780Ainz sighed and then cast [Mass Fly], allowing everyone to take flight.
781It would seem the Death Knights had revelled in their carnage here. Anyone who slipped and fell in this tunnel of blood would surely lose their strength to the filth and the stench. More importantly, the sight of someone lurching around beside them while covered in blood was a gruesome one.
782The group descended the sloping passage, unblemished due to the flight spell.
783Thanks to the dimly glowing rocks embedded along the way, there was still some light to see by. However, the space between each rock was filled with darkness. Of course, Ainz possessed darkvision, and it posed no problems to him.
784After going down the slope — a distance of about 100 meters — they could see the entrance to the fortress before them. No, it would be more accurate to say that it was the fortress’ back door.
785Once they passed through the opened doors into the fortress, they could go beyond the fortress and cross the suspension bridge ahead. After travelling west from there for several days, they should be able to see the former Dwarven Capital.
786The Fortress’ entrance was littered with Quagoa corpses. Some of them looked like they had not been killed by the Death Knights, but gnawed. Those must have been the victims of the Death Knights’ zombies.
787Ainz’s undead detection did not pick up any contacts. It was probably because the zombies had reverted to regular corpses after the Death Knights were destroyed.
788Ainz looked around. There were no undead reactions now, but if he left them like this, things might become dangerous, given the characteristics of this world’s undead.
789“It is commonly accepted that leaving corpses untended will result in undead spawning. What do you plan to do?” Ainz asked the soldiers who had been following them.
790“Yes, sir. We will clean them up,” the commander answered. “Well, we say clean, but it’s more like dumping them into the Great Rift in a place where it won’t matter even if we attract a monster.”
791“And after that, you’ll need to repair the fortress, and then find out how the Quagoa attacked? It seems you have a lot of work ahead of you.”
792They would part ways here. The only people who would be taking part in the reclamation of the Dwarven Capital were Ainz, Aura, Shalltear and Gondo. Well, the Hanzos were around as well, but they did not need to know that.
793The Dwarves smiled bitterly. While it was true that the investigations were risky — they ran the risk of encountering Quagoa, after all — it was nothing compared to Ainz’s task of attacking the Quagoa main camp. That was probably what they meant.
794“Then, we’ll enter the fortress. We will go in first to ensure it is safe, so wait outside until then. To be on the safe side, could you protect Gondo?”
795After the commander replied in the affirmative, Ainz stepped through the open door.
796As he stood at the center of the tragedy, Ainz asked Aura (who was standing behind him) a question.
797“Aura, can you sense anyone using a stealth ability to hide here?”
798“Nope. There’s nothing alive in this fortress.”
799Aura put her hand on a long ear, and made a listening gesture as she answered. If Aura the ranger said so, then there would be nothing living within this fortress.
800Still, they could not lower their guard.
801The person who had defeated Ainz’s Death Knights should have passed through here. If that person had taken a lot of stealth-specialized classes, they might be able to deceive Aura’s perceptive abilities.
802Still, anyone like that would generally have poor attack power, and they would be easy to deal with even if they launched an ambush.
803There were many corpses within the fortress, but unlike the sloping passage from earlier, there were Dwarven corpses everywhere.
804Ainz passed through the fortress and towards the gate which was opposite the one through which they had entered. After opening the gate, he saw the Great Rift yawning before him, and not even Ainz’s vision could see its bottom.
805Since there were no Quagoa beyond, it would seem they had retreated without setting up a base of operations here..
806“This should be the Great Rift…”
807Ainz turned to look from left to right.
808“But there doesn’t seem to be anything like a suspension bridge here… no, is that a bridge stump? If that’s there, then that means…”
809“It might be that the the enemy destroyed the bridge during their retreat,” Shalltear said from the side.
810“Hm…”
811If their enemy was a powerful being who could easily defeat a Death Knight, was there a need to destroy the bridge? If this was meant to block their attack, that meant that they were not confident in their strength — No.
812Ainz shook his head.
813Death Knights were rare in this world. Thus, the enemy must have surmised there was a powerful entity controlling the two Death Knights. That being the case, losing the bridge would not be a big loss.
814“Not bad… Tell the Dwarves that the path is safe.”
815“Understood!”
816As he watched Shalltear head towards the Dwarves, he saw Aura squatting down. He wanted to ask what she was doing, but given her diligent expression, it would be best not to interrupt her focus.
817Ainz turned to look at the Great Rift, then picked up a stone and threw it in. There was no particular meaning to it; he had done so on a whim. Still, he could not hear the stone striking the bottom.
818“Its depth is unknown, Your Majesty,” said the commander whom Shalltear had brought back with her. He must have seen what Ainz was doing. “We’ve sent two expeditions to investigate, but neither of them came back.”
819“I see. There were probably monsters there. ...Have those things ever come out?”
820“Sir, there hasn’t been anything like that to date. Therefore, we decided not to send in expeditions. Probing too deep would be unwise.”
821“Well, that’s right.”
822Ainz could make incorporeal undead like ghosts, and by using magic to share their senses, he would be able to mount a full investigation. However, now was not the time for that sort of thing.
823Given the present circumstances, investigating the Great Rift was a low priority. Still, it had to be done. In YGGDRASIL, places like this often concealed valuable items or dungeons.
824If the shitty devs had their way, they’d hide a tunnel at the bottom of the Great Rift, and there’d be rare ores inside that tunnel. No, they’d definitely do that. In fact, it’s happened before.
825“—Then, we shall cross to the other side, pursue the fleeing Quagoa, and press them back into the Royal Capital, then.”
826The flight spell was still in effect, so that was not a problem in itself. However, what worried Ainz was whether or not something would crawl out of the darkness.
827It was an incident from YGGDRASIL, but Ainz could not help but recall the time when he had been crossing a lake and spotted a giant serpent-like monster swimming below. It was not a pleasant memory, but that experience had been put to use in the creation of the 5th Floor—
828After bidding the commander farewell, the four of them took flight, with Shalltear and Aura looking out below them. His worries from just now were ill-founded, and they reached the other side without seeing anything else below.
829That said, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief when his feet were once again firmly planted on terra firma. Granted, he had to keep it secret from the others.
830Ainz surveyed his surroundings.
831There were only four enemy corpses here, which meant that the Death Knights had been defeated in this place.
832“Shalltear, there are a few things I need to tell you now.”
833After calling Shalltear to him, Ainz glanced at Aura, and saw her inspecting the ground.
834Perhaps it would be better to call Aura over as well. He thought that, but then he mused that he wanted to have Shalltear take the lead this time round. He could explain a simplified version to Aura afterwards.
835“Hang on a bit, Ainz-sama!”
836Shalltear took out a notebook and flipped it open.
837“Please, go on.”
838“Oh. Umu. A notebook, huh… Very attentive of you. Ahem! Er— we are now about to enter a very dangerous area. As for why it is dangerous, that’s because there is a being who can defeat two of my Death Knights. While comparing Death Knights to you is something of an insult—”
839“—It’s nothing of the sort, Ainz-sama. I will use my full strength to do battle with any powerful being who could defeat the Death Knights you created.”
840“No, you must not use your full strength.”
841“Why, why is that? If the enemy is strong, shouldn’t I attack in earnest — forgive me for asking such a question of you, Ainz-sama!”
842“Not at all. Your question is very sensible.”
843Ainz put his hands behind his back, and then told her how to deal with an unknown enemy.
844“That said, you must be aware of how the opposition expects us to act. What the enemy wants most is information — our fighting ability, in other words. They might use expendable ambush troops and the like to gauge our combat strength. In other words, they will verify our abilities and when they feel they can achieve victory, they will attack us in such a way that they cannot lose and we cannot flee.”
845“To think they would actually do that…”
846“Granted, we don’t know if the enemy will go that far—”
847“Ah... Ainz-sama...”
848Aura called to him in a nervous tone, something which was very unusual for her. Under normal circumstances, he would stop his explanation to Shalltear and listen to Aura.
849However, he was in a very good mood since this was a chance to speak at length about one of his specialties.
850Therefore, Ainz turned to Aura and put his index finger to his mouth.
851“Ah, yes!”
852Understanding dawned on Aura. Ainz was giving an earnest lecture, so he wanted her to be quiet. She understood what Ainz was trying to say.
853“Like I was saying, Shalltear. I would do the same thing if I were fighting a strong foe. No, my friends would do the same as well.”
854“The Supreme Beings would do that too? But, comparing this enemy to the Supreme Beings is a little…”
855“Really? You should assume that the enemy can do everything I can do. Only a fool thinks that they are special and gets full of themselves. Remain ever-cautious. In any case, I do not wish to let the enemy see our full fighting strength.”
856Keeping the Hanzos in hiding was also to disrupt the schemes of the enemy.
857“Therefore, Shalltear, I will lay several restrictions on you when you are travelling with me to the Dwarven Capital — before we reach the enemy’s headquarters.”
858“Yes! What sort of restrictions are these?”
859“Umu. Concerning magic… while I permit you to use spells of up to the 10th tier, you are not to use too many different spells. At the very most, limit yourself to one or two of them.”
860“...I see, this is to deceive the enemy and make them overconfident, and then defeat him with a counterattack. That being the case… why not limit me to 5th-tier magic or lower?”
861“No, the enemy will not be lulled into a false sense of confidence that way. In the moment that the enemy thinks they have the measure of our true strength and seeks to utterly destroy us, we have a chance to strike a fatal blow to the enemy. In my case, if I saw the enemy attack me with just a few techniques and no spells beyond the 5th tier, I would immediately conclude that the enemy was trying to keep their abilities a secret.”
862“In that kind of situation, what would you do against that sort of enemy?”
863“I’d think of how to learn more about them. For instance, I’d briefly abandon an expendable base. Then, I’d slowly gather intelligence. Once the enemy gains a base, they’ll feel the desire to hang on to it. That sort of attitude will limit the enemy’s actions, and they’ll invariably reveal their true colors.”
864“Is there a need to be that cautious?”
865In a game, one could still recover from a loss. However, in this world, there was the chance that they would not be able to bounce back. This was especially true when it came to Ainz, who had not yet finished his experiments on player deaths.
866“All these are things you do in response to the circumstances. Shalltear, you need to think, no?”
867In any event, he should leave things at that. Ainz turned towards Aura.
868“Then, Aura, what is it?”
869“No, it’s nothing.”
870Aura’s eyes were sparkling.
871He had no idea what had brought that on, but perhaps she had felt impressed by the tactics he had explained to Shalltear.
872Hm~ it might be the absolute basics, but I guess I should give Aura some guidance too, no? Should I lend out that book of PK tactics? But that’s the only thing I have which gives me a leg up on the NPCs… What should I do. Also, letting information spread too widely isn’t good, someone told me that before...
873Just as Ainz fell into thought, Gondo spoke up.
874“Ah, I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re discussing strategy, but shouldn’t we move forward? If the path collapses, we’ll have to find another route.”
875“That’s true… Shall we travel by magical beast?”
876“It might be better not to. We might encounter small passages along the way, and if we’re mounted, we’ll have to leave the beasts there.”
877He had thought of using a ridable undead creature like a Soul Eater. He could simply re-create one if there were any problems. However, it would be wiser to listen to the words of his guide.
878“I understand. Let’s go, then.”
879***
880“His Majesty has set out!”
881As they heard this, six of the Dwarven Councillors — the High Priest of Earth, the Director of Food Production, the Cabinet Secretary, the Brewmaster, the Master of Caves and Mines, and the Merchant’s Guildmaster — shivered in delight.
882It was true that the Sorcerer King had not done anything so far. Still, they could not rest at ease when an undead being — one who hated the living — of such power walked the streets.
883The people here were gathered to ensure the safety of the city and its people. Thus, they had to consider the worst possible scenarios that might result before committing to a course of action. For instance, the Sorcerer King might have suddenly turned violent and begun massacring children. These worries plagued them all day, and they considered various countermeasures and useful proposals.
884Now that the object of their whispered discussion was no longer here, what was wrong in savoring the sweet release from their burdens?
885“Bring the wine! Bring the wine!”
886Just as the parched earth craved the rain, alcohol was essential for exhausted hearts to heal.
887Nobody could possibly object to that.
888“Still, he’ll be back, right?”
889The air turned stagnant all of a sudden, and a gloom settled across all of them.
890Their pumped fists sank powerlessly down.
891“Should we run?”
892“Where can we go? If we flee after signing that pact with him… Also, we asked him to reclaim the Royal Capital for us, right? If we were in his place, wouldn’t we be angry at this?”
893“Well, he might get angry… but I wouldn’t have the confidence to take a hardline stance against a being like that.”
894“Ah. Yes, I understand how you feel.”
895“...Is that really alright? What happened to your pride, Merchant’s Guildmaster?”
896“Ah, it’s not as though we could make a fair deal with such a thing, right? Generally speaking, deals can only be made between two equal parties in equal circumstances, right? Therefore, it’s de facto impossible to make a proper deal with someone who’s far more powerful than you.”
897The Dwarves sighed as one.
898Nobody here felt that the Sorcerer King would fail to reclaim the Royal Capital. That much was obvious just by glancing at the magical beasts he left behind. And then, he was a person who had the luxury of leaving behind monsters like that when he knew there was a Dragon waiting for him.
899“Then, let’s change the subject. Can anyone estimate when he’ll return?”
900“How would we know? It’s not as though we can ask the man himself. If he chuckled and said ‘Right now’, I’m pretty sure I’d piss myself.”
901Those were shameful words, but none of the Dwarves laughed at them.
902“...It can’t be helped. If he did that to me, I’d piss myself too.”
903“Same here. I might even shit my pants.”
904They looked at each other as they uttered those crudities.
905“Have we learned anything new? Do we know anything about that Gondo?”
906“Nothing at all, only that he gathered the runesmiths.”
907“The runesmiths? Was it about going to the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
908“Who knows? Why don’t we summon one of them and ask him about it?”
909“That’s a good idea, but it’ll tip our hand to His Majesty, no? It’s too dangerous to act rashly. Only an idiot would touch a heated crucible, after all.”
910“If that’s the case, then we’ll have to tell the runesmiths that we want them to go to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Then we can casually ask them about it. How about that?”
911“...I’m not confident in my ability to do so.”
912The Dwarves murmured, “Me too” in response.
913“Alright, then let’s forget about asking them. It would be foolish to dig needless holes and end up falling to our deaths.”
914Everyone here agreed with that. If they angered Ainz by prying too deeply, many lives might be lost.
915“Then, let’s inform the two of us who aren’t here about tomorrow’s business and not to interfere with the smiths. I heard the commander-in-chief will be coming here afterwards, but what about the forgemaster?”
916“I’ll go, then,” said the Cabinet Secretary. “I’m interested in the sort of masterpiece he’ll produce. Also, I’m wondering what sort of metal the Sorcerer King gave him.”
917“He only said it was a rare metal, but you can’t get any rarer than adamantite, can you?”
918“So it would be more like orichalcum, then?”
919The Dwarves were an underground race. Even if their jobs had nothing to do with metallurgy, they would be very interested in a metal they had never seen before.
920“If only we could grab him and make him show us. He’s been very busy of late, right?”
921After receiving the metal from the Sorcerer King, the Forgemaster hurriedly returned to his workshop. Everyone knew the reason for his haste, and so they did not stop him.
922“Well, the smithing should be well under way, considering it’s him. Making a chain shirt ought to result in a few extra loops, so maybe we could borrow a few of those.”
923After a chorus of approvals, the Council session dissolved.
924After that, their tired bodies craved rest, but the Dwarves were a race which hosted drinking parties even as they spoke of taking a break.
925“Wine tastes especially good at the workplace,” they said as they downed special, Dwarf-only beverages with high alcohol content. Amidst all this, the Cabinet Secretary suddenly thought of something snuck out of the meeting room that was now a beerhall.
926Needless to say, he was going to meet the Forgemaster.
927The Forgemaster’s workshop was huge, as befitted a man who was responsible for the Dwarven nation’s blacksmithing. In all likelihood, it was one of the biggest buildings in Feoh Gēr. It employed many Dwarven artisans and its heat — which could melt adamantite — and the pounding of its hammers on anvils had never stopped before.
928However, it was silent today — an occurrence which made the Cabinet Secretary’s hairs stand on end.
929He was sure that the crucibles were lit.
930That was because the temperature went up as he neared them.
931In that case, what was the reason for this silence?
932The Cabinet Secretary quickened his pace, as though impelled by the unease flowing out of him.
933He had come here before, so there was no hesitation as he plunged in towards the crucible where the smiths should have been working.
934He saw the blacksmiths, all of whom were familiar faces.
935Unable to help himself, he sighed in relief. However, when he noticed the worried looks on the blacksmith’s faces and the direction where they were all looking, the unease which seized his heart seemed to come back to life.
936“What’s wrong?”
937As he called out, the eyes of the blacksmiths lit up, as though their savior had arrived.
938“He’s locked himself in there and refuses to come out.”
939Apart from its gigantic crucibles, this foundry also contained a workshop for the personal use of the Forgemaster, although it was closer to a miniature foundry in its own right. The Forgemaster was a dedicated worker, and when handling important projects, he would often lock himself inside and not emerge for several days.
940That was a fairly common occurrence. The Forgemaster’s disciples and the other blacksmiths should not have had that distressed look on their faces.
941“...It’s not strange, is it?”
942“It’s true that he locks himself up fairly often… but there’s no sound of hammering. And it’s been half a day — no, almost an entire day.”
943“...So maybe he’s just drawing up the plans for the design?”
944“That’s never happened before.”
945The Cabinet Secretary stroked his beard.
946He did not feel this was particularly surprising. However, if the forgemen all felt the same way, then it should probably be an emergency.
947“Then why don’t you open the door? Is it locked?”
948“No, it’s not locked. However, whenever the Forgemaster retreats to that room, he hates people opening that door.”
949“I see. ...So you want me to open it, am I right?”
950It would be difficult for the Forgemaster’s disciples. But someone of an equivalent rank might have a better chance of not incurring the Forgemaster’s wrath.
951I drew the short straw. Well, it can’t be helped.
952“I understand. Then, let me do it. You lot should go first. Just take it as though I insisted on going in myself and you won’t get involved.”
953After the smiths thanked him, the Cabinet Secretary stepped up and knocked on the door.
954However, there was no response, no matter how many times he knocked.
955Fearing the worst, he flung the door open with all his might.
956It was the same familiar room. Surprisingly, there was no heat, even though he was only a door removed from the huge crucible. That was due to magical air conditioning. When he shifted his gaze, he saw a crimson flame blazing within the depths of the crucible.
957And then, he saw someone facing the fire.
958What, he’s there, isn’t he? Just as the Cabinet Secretary was about to sigh in relief, he once again held his breath.
959That was because he could sense something strange and inexplicable in the air. Why was the Forgemaster silent? According to the smiths outside, he ought to have reacted immediately to the intrusion.
960“Oi.”
961Those words were little more than an exhaled breath, but the man should have heard it. Yet there was no response from the Forgemaster.
962“Oi!”
963The Cabinet was nervous now and he shouted, but as expected, the Forgemaster did not react.
964Panting heavily, he advanced to the Forgemaster’s side.
965“—Hey!”
966“What?”
967An answer at last. The Cabinet Secretary almost collapsed on account of the strength fleeing his limbs.
968“What? What? Don’t make me—”
969The Cabinet Secretary’s words trailed off.
970Why had the Forgemaster not turned around to look at him?
971Worried for his friend, the Cabinet Minister circled around to look at his face.
972He looked different from usual — as though he were a hunted animal. More important than that, he had a ghastly expression on his face, as though he was ready to massacre his own people.
973“...What happened?”
974The Forgemaster’s face finally moved in response to the words which had slipped out by themselves. No, only his eyeballs moved, turning to look at the Cabinet Secretary’s face.
975“What happened? What... happened? Hmph!”
976The Forgemaster’s hand moved. He picked up his tongs, plucked out the searing-hot metal ingot from the fires of the crucible, and then chucked it at the Cabinet Master.
977“Uwaaaaah!”
978The Cabinet Minister scrambled away desperately, and the ingot landed on the ground with a thud.
979“You bastard! Are you trying to kill me?!”
980He could not tolerate this, not even from a friend.
981However, the Forgemaster smiled coldly.
982“Kill you? Well, you’d think that.”
983Then, he reached out and grabbed the ingot. Blacksmiths typically wore heat-resistant gloves, but the shocking thing was that the Forgemaster did not. Neither was he wearing any magic items that bestowed such an effect.
984He had grabbed the heated metal ingot with his bare hand.
985So reckless and ridiculous was that move that the Secretary imagined he could smell and hear the Forgemaster’s flesh sizzling. The Forgemaster practically spat his words out at the wide-eyed Cabinet Secretary.
986“It didn’t heat up!”
987“What, what did you say?”
988“This damn thing won’t heat up at all!”
989Before he knew it, the Cabinet Secretary had caught the ingot tossed his way. For a moment, he imagined that it was emitting a searing heat, but t was not hot at all. In fact, it was surprisingly cold.
990“What, what is this?”
991That was a pointless question. In all the Cabinet Secretary’s knowledge, there was only one thing which corresponded to the description of a metal that did not get hot even when heated. Thus, the question was merely a formality.
992Indeed, the Forgemaster’s next words confirmed his suspicions.
993“It’s the ingot that damned undead gave me! I’ve heated it for an entire day and it won’t get hot! I’ve hammered it and it won’t change shape! I can’t even leave a mark on it! How the hell am I supposed to make armor with this?!”
994“You, you don’t think he gave you a metal even he couldn’t work with?”
995“I’d like to think so too. But look, there’s a shortsword made of the same metal! I can mark the ingot with it! The hell does ‘most experienced craftsman’ mean?! I’m nothing more than an idiot who can only stare dumbly at a hunk of unknown metal!”
996The Cabinet Secretary struggled to think of how to comfort the high-strung Forgemaster.
997“Then, then what if you asked that undead being how to work it—”
998“Those who ask when they don’t know are wiser than those who don’t ask when they don’t know? Something like that, right? That’s true. The dwarves of days past do have a point. But — what does my experience count for? Look at these hands.”
999He forcefully thrust them out. They were a pair of craftsman’s hands; thick, heavy and scarred from old burns. Any artisan could take pride in such hands.
1000“I’ve touched metal ever since I was a stupid disciple. I’ve done it longer than anyone else, until now. Because of that, it was only natural to be praised as the most outstanding artisan of my peers. And the reason for that is because I worked harder than anyone else!”
1001The Forgemaster’s face was twisted into knots.
1002“I’ve given my life to blacksmithing. I don’t think anything is impossible, and I’ve always believed that any metal can be shaped to any desired shape. —What a joke I am! Haha! What was I using to deceive myself? I was nothing more than a tiny frog in a well! And to think I dared call myself a genius. I was such a fool.”
1003“No, all you need to do now is start learning again, right?”
1004“That’s right. Yes, you’re right. Though it pains me to hear it…”
1005The Forgemaster tightly clutched the ingot in his hand.
1006The fact that the Forgemaster’s face had gone completely blank worried the Cabinet Secretary.
1007“It’s fine. You’re right. All I need to do is start learning again. Then, what are you doing here?”
1008“What am I… you… Ah, forget it. That undead king has left this city. We’ll be holding a Council meeting tomorrow, and I came to get you. Also, don’t interfere with the runesmiths.”
1009“Is that so… I understand. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
1010The Cabinet Secretary still felt uneasy, but he could not bring himself to show it.
1011Fatigue of the body translated to fatigue of the spirit. The Forgemaster would probably recover after a good night’s rest. After forcing himself to accept that explanation, the Cabinet Secretary returned home.
1012However, the next day, he learned that the Forgemaster had disappeared with the ingot.
1013Part 2
1014It was said that there were three trials along the way to the former Royal Capital of the Dwarves.
1015The first was the Great Rift.
1016Needless to say, one could not cross it on foot. Of course, one could also look for a way around it, but that increased the chances of encountering monsters. The monsters who lay in wait within such terrain were a fearsome threat to the Dwarves.
1017It was very difficult to evade an ambush launched by monsters who could sense the footsteps of their targets and attack from underground. One false move might lead to being swallowed and digested. In addition, there were monsters who could launch psychic attacks and deliver lethal blows while the minds of their victims were still confused.
1018In places like these, humanoids like humans, Dwarves and Elves were little more than prey animals.
1019While the safest way across would be to take the overland route which cut across the mountain range, that path was still dangerous even for surface-dwellers. One had to worry about being attacked from above by creatures like Perytons, Harpies, Itsumades, Gigant Eagles and other monsters, as well as large flying animals. Since humans had small cones of vision above and below them, a moment’s carelessness might lead to missing an ambush from above, which in turn contained the risk of being slain in one blow.
1020Thus, merely crossing the Great Rift was a trial in itself.
1021Because of that, the Dwarves had built a city nearby and raised a suspension bridge. Once the bridge had fallen, nobody would be able to cross, and the Great Rift would serve as an impassable barrier to protect the city.
1022Now that the suspension bridge had been cut by the Quagoa, the Great Rift was an imposing challenge.
1023However—
1024It did not bother Ainz and his company at all. After all, the use of the [Fly] spell rendered it a trivial obstacle.
1025Then, there was the second trial — the land of molten magma.
1026This sea of scorching heat shone with blinding radiance. It was an extremely dangerous region where inhaling a single lungful of searing air could char one’s lungs within the chest.
1027The reason why lava could flow uncounted kilometers beneath the earth was most likely because this world was a magical one. There were naturally-formed portals which were close to [Gates] in power, and they joined the magma flows of this region to those of a distant region.
1028Amidst this searing ocean lurked the reason why this place was considered a trial.
1029That would be the monster who swam lazily through the scorching sea.
1030It was a gigantic monster over 50 meters long, which resembled a fish. To be precise, it resembled an anglerfish. However, it did not have a lure on its head, but a tentacle which substituted for hands. It could seize a distant foe and deposit it into the monster’s oversized jaws.
1031Its skin was sturdy and tough, and it grew scales like a normal fish, but their toughness far surpassed that of even orichalcum.
1032Many monsters grew very powerful because they lived a long time. These individuals were famed as superior specimens, and in many cases they would be classified as a different kind of being from their parent race. This monster had completed a specialized form of evolution, and it had become a unique being, found nowhere else in the world.
1033And so, these were the three rulers of Mt. Rappaslea, as linked by the [Gate]—
1034The Phoinix Lord, who ruled the sky;
1035The Ancient Flame Dragon, who ruled the earth;
1036And the La-Angler Lava Lord, who ruled the underground sea of magma.
1037If ranked by the adventurers’ difficulty estimates, the master of the molten ocean would score around 140. In all likelihood, one would not survive combat with it.
1038Fortunately, it was poor at engaging terrestrial targets. One would not be attacked if one stayed out of the magma. However, the road to the Dwarven Royal Capital ran along a narrow, unsteady path that was only a little higher than the sea of molten rock below it.
1039Quite a number of Quagoa had fallen into the magma during their invasion. Unable to withstand the superheated air which blew up from below, their bodies trembled, which sent them plunging into the sea of molten rock.
1040However—
1041The crossing posed no problems for travellers prepared with fire immunity and flight magic. They flew through the air, far above the reach of the La-Angler Lava Lord, and neither party realised the presence of each other.
1042Thus did Ainz and his company cross the sea of magma.
1043The trials until now had been easily overcome with flight magic, so it was hard to consider them trials. However, the final trial was a challenge in the truest sense of the word, being a long, twisting and branching series of caves.
1044It certainly qualified for the title of ”labyrinth”.
1045Still, that alone would be too easy to count as a trial. There were no monsters in this area, so as long as one spent time on making a map, one could eventually overcome it. And if that were all that were to it, then it would only qualify as a trial to those who lacked food and water — or, in other words, those with limited time.
1046Yes — there was another reason why this place was considered a trial.
1047This area was filled with vents which spewed plumes of volcanic gases at regular intervals, and there were places where the gases collected. In other words, it was a hellish area of invisible, fatal poison, lashed by fierce winds.
1048There were several routes which led to the exit, but there was only one which did so and also avoided the gas. Even that route might end up being filled with gas if one did not traverse it quickly enough.
1049Even the use of the [Fly] spell — which had trumped every challenge thus far — would only allow them to scrape along the ceiling. The sprayed gas would fill even the air up there with poison as well. At most, all the spell would do was allow one to avoid the areas where the gas had settled and collected.
1050However—
1051Ainz and the Guardians had adequate countermeasures against gas-vector attacks, so it posed no problems to them. Rather, the only one who might be affected by gaseous attacks was Gondo. The undead had their immunities, and gases which did not inflict acid or fire damage would not harm them at all. Aura had a magic item which surrounded her in a bubble of fresh air, so mere gas counted for nothing against her.
1052In other words, as long as Gondo was protected by magic, he could walk safely through the billowing vapors of death.
1053And so, the three trials — terrain hazards which were deemed impassable to those without preparation or prior knowledge — were easily conquered by Ainz and his party.
1054Ainz’s spell — the [Bless of Titania], which told its userthe best way through a dungeon — slowly faded away. That was either a sign that its duration had expired, or that its purpose had ended.
1055“...Hm. It looks like there’s a fresh Quagoa corpse inside that cave. But we haven’t caught up with their unit yet. I guess a day makes a huge difference.”
1056“Still, we’ve closed the gap greatly. We’ve almost caught up with them now,” Aura said after inspecting the footprints on the ground.
1057“...Really now. Then, let’s discuss what we’ll do afterwards. ...Gondo, we’ll be reaching the Royal Capital soon, right?”
1058“Yes. I’ve only heard of it in legends, but if those caves were the legendary Maze of Death, then we ought to be there soon.”
1059A bitter expression came over Gondo’s face.
1060“Was that really a Maze of Death, though… The legends said that those who didn’t know the way would only find death at the end of their journey…”
1061Ainz could not answer that question. After all, it had been too simple a challenge. Perhaps it was only a ruse, designed to trick the opposition into thinking they had cleared it before the true trap was sprung. That was not entirely out of the question.
1062“...When that happens, all we need to do is break through any traps that await. That said, stepping into a preset snare is the height of foolishness. Let’s slow down and advance while staying alert.”
1063They had been moving at great speeds to catch up with the enemy. However, they had not caught up with them yet, even after coming all the way here. They should rethink their strategy while operating under the assumption that the enemy had already returned to their base.
1064“Then, we shall consider what we will do after reaching the enemy headquarters.”
1065After verifying that everyone had nodded, Ainz turned towards Gondo.
1066“To begin with, Gondo and I will take on the Royal Palace. I will handle the Dragon there.”
1067Neither the Guardians nor Gondo objected to this.
1068The highest-ranked Dragons were some of the strongest opponents in YGGDRASIL. It was very dangerous to move separately from the Guardians while they did not know the enemy’s strength. However, Ainz possessed a World-Class Item. It possessed many powers, and one of them was very effective against Dragons. Therefore, even in the worst-case scenario, he ought to be able to escape it.
1069In contrast, if he brought the Guardians with him and the enemy was more powerful than expected, then he would have to work harder in order to make his escape.
1070With Gondo around, the worst that could happen was that Ainz would have to abandon him. He could not abandon the lives of his friends’ children. Therefore, the best solution was to not have them with him in the first place.
1071Dragons, huh… I’m looking forward to this.
1072In YGGDRASIL, Dragons were mighty foes and also a bounty of riches.
1073They dropped good data crystals, and they had a higher chance of dropping artifacts than normal monsters. One could harvest their skin, meat, blood, fangs, claws, eyeballs, scales and other body parts for various uses.
1074One could say they were delicious enemies.
1075Knowing that he would soon encounter his first Dragon in this world filled his heart with a blend of unease, anticipation and desire. Ainz was so delighted that he was barely able to contain himself.
1076According to the Dwarves, the mighty Frost Dragon which had laid waste to the Western city might be there. If things went poorly, he might face another battle with questionable odds of victory, much like the one with Shalltear.
1077Could the Dragon have defeated the Death Knights? I can still manage if it was the same entity, but it’ll be troublesome if there was another one. Should I remain hidden and bring up everyone except the Hanzos — no, this ought to be the right choice.
1078“—Ainz-sama?”
1079“Hm? Ahh, Shalltear. Forgive me, I was lost in thought. Then, I shall give you two your orders as well. Aura and Shalltear, you are to face the Quagoa and have them submit to my rule. If they dare to refuse, then show them the power of Nazarick!”
1080The two Guardians replied with forceful affirmatives.
1081Ainz’s gaze shifted to Gondo. He did not look like he had anything to say. That attitude seemed to imply that he would go along with any decision Ainz made.
1082While Ainz had agreed to clear out the Quagoa, Ainz did not intend to completely exterminate them. He simply felt that the genocide of a race which did not exist in YGGDRASIL was a bit of a waste. Indeed, killing them all might eliminate this race from the world. No, even if that were not the case, they might end up being beneficial to Nazarick in the future.
1083Of course, they might also be harmful to Nazarick. However, extirpating them before verifying that was something of a waste.
1084Extermination is easy, but revival is difficult. Thus, there’s only one path I can take. And besides—
1085“If they are fools who will not swear their loyalty to me, then reduce their numbers to around 10’000 or so. Try and keep the strong ones alive. However, after considering future issues, do not select them purely based on strength. You must make sure an equal number of them are female. In addition, you must not let any of them escape, do you understand? Especially the one that is the equivalent to their king.”
1086“But… Ainz-sama…”
1087Ainz urged Aura — who looked depressed — to continue speaking.
1088“We don’t know exactly how large the Dwarven capital is, but it seems like quite a large area. It’ll be difficult for just the two of us to ensure that none of the Quagoa escape from such a broad space. What should we do?”.
1089“Hm. A reasonable question. Because of that — Aura, it’s time for you to shine. Use the World-Class item I gave you earlier.”
1090“Is, is that really alright?”
1091“Umu. This is when it should be put to use.”
1092“I, I understand!”
1093Tension was written all over their faces.
1094“While that there are no use limits on that World-Class item, if the enemy fulfils certain conditions and escapes, ownership of the Item will automatically shift to them. That is the worst-case scenario and must be avoided at all costs.”
1095Ainz recalled the incident where Ainz Ooal Gown had seized possession of it.
1096How many mails had the enemy sent, begging them to “give it back”?
1097Ainz snorted.
1098“If you didn’t want to lose it, shouldn’t have used it,” was the matter-of-fact reply. Nothing was more stupid than a guild which could not accept such a rational conclusion. If they did not want it to be taken, they should have stashed it in their treasury and never taken it out. Therefore, Ainz kept harping on it, even though he felt that there would be no problems with its use.
1099“Also, you must be cautious of foes you cannot suck into it, because such enemies possess World-Class Items as well.”
1100“That means you won’t be able to enter either, right, Ainz-sama?”
1101“Not when it opens up. However, there are ways to go in if you choose to do so. You need to pay attention to the time lag when that happens… Alright, let’s go, then.”
1102Led by Aura, the group set forth.
1103Perhaps they were near the former Dwarven Royal Capital, but even the naturally-formed caverns were easy to traverse. All the stalactites and stalagmites had been cut down, probably for convenience of passage. They walked on for a time, surrounded by the labor of the Dwarves.
1104Aura — who walked at their head — suddenly stopped. Then she cupped her hand to a long ear, listening intently.
1105Ainz and the others kept quiet, waiting for Aura to give the word.
1106“Ainz-sama, I can hear many living beings ahead, numbering in the hundreds. I can’t gauge the exact distance, but I think we’ll make contact with them within minutes.”
1107“Hoh… have we caught up to them?”
1108“No, they don’t sound like they’re moving. It feels like they’re waiting…”
1109“I see. Did they sense our pursuit? Are they ambush troops?”
1110If that were the case, they had probably used some sort of divination magic to spy on Ainz and the others.
1111Ainz smiled thinly.
1112Until now, he had not let the enemy observe their power. Because of that, they wanted to throw their unit against Ainz and observe their abilities.
1113From the enemy’s resolve and actions, he could sense their anxiety and willingness to sacrifice lives to learn about them. It made Ainz feel that he had won his battle of wits against his opponent.
1114“Ainz-sama, shall we capture them?”
1115“Hm, come to think of it, we haven’t shown too much of our abilities to the enemy yet. Therefore, let’s gather some information before we roll over their headquarters in one fell swoop.”
1116“Understood!”
1117In addition, even if they did learn about them, they could not devise a counter-strategy that easily.
1118There were two main types of characters in YGGDRASIL.
1119There were those who specialized in a certain field, and those whose abilities were evenly distributed.
1120In the former case, even if one learned about an enemy, they would have a hard time dealing with them if the information did not pertain to their specialty. In the latter case, they might be able to deal with them, but given the even spread of their foe’s abilities, said countermeasures against them would not be foolproof.
1121Of course, there might be people like Ainz who knew many spells and who possessed many items left behind by their comrades, and were thus able to adapt to many circumstances, or someone like Touch Me with very high overall stats, but those were the exception to the rule. Therefore, there was only one thing they had to worry about.
1122...The number of powerful entities. The fact that I don’t know that figure scares me a little. Given that I can’t fully verify that particular point, I should probably keep the idea of retreat in mind — hm. Well, in any case, we can’t proceed without punching them to see what the enemy has up their sleeve. —Ohh, the spirit of Yamaiko-san is possessing me...
1123“Shalltear. You are not to go berserk this time, alright?”
1124“Of course!”
1125Shalltear readied her Spuit Lance.
1126“Very good. Normally, we should avoid revealing the fact that we possess divine-class items to the enemy. However, they won’t be able to see through it without very good detection skills. Alright, go.”
1127“Understood!”
1128***
1129In Feoh Berkanan — the stately, magnificent former Royal Capital of the Dwarves, built during the flower of their civilization — the largest building besides the Royal Palace was the Merchant’s Guild, because it contained many rooms used during meetings and temporary vaults used to briefly store resources.
1130This building was used by many Dwarves, and it was larger than any other structure in the city. However, it was not the residence of the Lord of the Quagoa Clans, Pe Riyuro.
1131By the time Yozu returned, Riyuro was seated — almost sinking — into a large and soft cushion. His attitude was one which carried on as normal, without entertaining the possibility of anger or anxiety, even after hearing about Yozu’s failure.
1132Yozu bowed, and described what had happened.
1133While the important details had already been sent via messenger, he was here to explain the details. In particular, he needed to thoroughly elaborate on the Dwarven Kingdom’s trump card, the black suits of armor which he had seen with his own two eyes.
1134Riyuro listened in silence, and then he slowly moved his hand, reaching into a cage beside him. He withdrew a squeaking lizard; a fat, round and juicy lizard, a snack fit for a king.
1135Riyuro extended the hand holding the lizard toward Yozu.
1136“—Want a bite?”
1137“No, no thank you.”
1138“Really now,” Riyuro muttered. Then he crushed the lizard’s head with his jaws, and Yozu smelled the faint scent of blood and innards.
1139All 20 centimeters of the lizard disappeared into Riyuro’s mouth within three bites.
1140Riyuro wiped his bloodstained hands and mouth clean with a nearby towel.
1141“—And so you retreated. What of your pursuers?”
1142“We’re unsure of that. However—”
1143Since the suspension bridge had fallen, he did not think the enemy would continue their pursuit. And frankly speaking, they had the Dwarves by the throat. All the Dwarves could do was reinforce their defenses, find and seal off the flanking route, and then perhaps they might mount a counterattack on this place.
1144The reason why they had only committed those two suits of black armor was either because they were foolish enough to split their forces or because that was the sum of their military power.
1145That was Yozu’s opinion, which he shared with Riyuro.
1146“It wouldn’t be strange if there were one or two more of them.”
1147Riyuro seemed to have sensed Yozu’s unconscious display of surprise. He poked repeatedly at the lizards in the cage while lazily explaining his meaning.
1148The Dwarves were confident in their fortress’ defense. If it was brought down, they would feel that the chances of their city being conquered were very high. Therefore, it was not wrong to assume that the black suits of armor they had sent out were a significant portion of their total number.
1149However, since they did not know how exactly the fortress had been conquered, committing all their forces to the frontlines was a dangerous gamble. If there were multiple avenues of infiltration, then they might be lost.
1150While it was not a situation where they could dole their fighting strength out bit by bit, they did not have the information to commit their entire force to a counterattack either.
1151Therefore, even if there were more, there would only be one, maybe two more. This was what he had come up with.
1152Yozu felt that it was exactly as the Lord had said, and he was filled with awe at the wisdom of his Lord.
1153“Then, who do you think can defeat those Golems?”
1154“I am certain that you could defeat it, my Lord!”
1155Riyuro was the mightiest being among the eight clans of the Quagoa. Indeed, his fighting ability was exemplary.
1156He might well be able to fight the entire Quagoa race by himself and emerge victorious. There had never been anyone as powerful as him in the history of the Quagoa.
1157Yozu recalled the sight of Riyuro battling a monster in the past. He was absolutely confident that Riyuro’s might was superior to that of the Golems.
1158“Dispense with the pleasantries. Do you truly think so?”
1159“Yes! I do think so!”
1160Riyuro chuckled bitterly, but Yozu’s reply was earnest. He had no answer besides that.
1161“...Which Clan were you born in?”
1162A surprising question. After Yozu stated his birth clan, Riyuro fell into thought once more.
1163“I see… In that case, you must really think I can win, then?”
1164“What, what does that mean?”
1165“I simply suspected that you might consider this a chance to eliminate me. It is true that I am stronger than anyone else in the entire species. Because of that, you might seek to have me battle the Golems after underestimating their strength. Then, the Golems would kill me. Well, if you did that, then nobody would be able to defeat the Golems… but they would be damaged during their battle with me, and then you might be able to crush them with numbers.”
1166Although the Lord to which he had pledged his loyalty cast his suspicions upon him, Yozu’s heart was filled with nothing but respect.
1167If he were in Riyuro’s place, he might not have thought so deeply into the issue.
1168Yozu firmly believed that Riyuro was the true Lord of the Quagoa, and his loyalty deepened ever further.
1169Riyuro did not quite understand the man before him, and asked Yozu a question.
1170“...Why did you not immediately answer that you had no such intentions?”
1171“Yes! My, my deepest apologies! I was merely entranced your deep insights, my Lord! As you have said, I harbored no such intentions!”
1172Riyuro laughed loudly.
1173“What an interesting fellow you are! ...The men I granted you were lost for nothing, so there must be a punishment for that. But I will not inflict wounds upon you, which might affect your future development. In truth, you learned about the Golems and returned here after realizing that it was important information. In addition, your anticipation of enemy pursuit and the allocation of part of your troops to the defense of the city shows your keenness of thought.”
1174“Thank you very much!”
1175Yozu bowed deeply.
1176“Now, I have a question for an excellent leader like you. How shall we gather more information about those Golems?”
1177“By attacking the shorties’ nation.”
1178“That is one way to go about it. If you do so, we might be able to learn if there are truly Golems in reserve.”
1179“Yes! If there aren’t any more, then we must conquer the city as soon as possible no matter the losses we suffer.”
1180“Umu”, Riyuro nodded.
1181If it was a matter of lives, then much time would be needed to bear and raise them. However, Golems only needed to be built. Time was not on their side, but on the enemy’s.
1182“What other methods are there?”
1183“Forgive me, but I cannot think of any at the moment.”
1184Riyuro thrust his hand into the lizard-filled cage and withdrew another lizard.
1185“...Would you like one?”
1186Do I look that hungry?
1187It was true that he had fled back here with all his strength, and he had not even eaten or rested properly so far. However, he was not thirsty or hungry enough to beg from the king’s table.
1188“No, thank you.”
1189“Really now,” Riyuro replied. Then, he chewed off the lizard’s head like he had the previous one. After devouring it like before, Yozu asked Riyuro a question.
1190“Then, my Lord. Have you thought of any other methods?”
1191“Ah, yes. We can ask that fellow. His wisdom is far beyond mine… Although, the troubling thing is that the payment he demands will be equally high.”
1192“By payment you mean… could it be!”
1193Yozu immediately guessed it from those words.
1194“Correct. We must give the Dragons—”
1195Just as Riyuro was about to speak, there was a disturbance from outside, and then the doors swung open with a great crash.
1196“Clan Lord!”
1197It was one of the guards.
1198“Looks urgent, what happened?”
1199“Yes! There seems to be someone headed toward this city!”
1200“Where are they coming from?”
1201According to the guard, they had come from the flank where Yozu had positioned his troops. In other words, they had come from the Dwarven nation.
1202“So they’ve sent out pursuit troops… I underestimated the stunties.”
1203With that, Riyuro rose to his feet.
1204Yozu’s eyes seemed to ask him where he was going. Riyuro sensed this, and replied:
1205“It seems we’ve been saved a lot of decision-making. I will go meet the Dragons now.”
1206“Are you going to ask about the Golems?”
1207“No. I’m going to convince them to deal with the approaching stunties. Since they’re stunties, they’ll have their Golems in tow. Then, we should have them fight the Dragons and weaken both sides. ...Hmph. Might as well let them earn their keep.”
1208The Clan Lord was deeply furious about how the Dragons had taken the best spot in the city — the Royal Palace — for their own. This was something which only his most trusted confidants knew, in addition to how the Clan Lord had cleverly hidden those feelings and bowed to the Dragons.
1209There was an overwhelming difference between the power of Dragons and the Quagoa.
1210Therefore, they had to feign an air of servitude until they could pare down the Dragons’ strength. However, there were very few beings who could fight on even terms with the Dragons in the mountain range. With one notable exception aside, those would probably be the Frost Giants.
1211And now the chance had come, Riyuro said.
1212“Yozu, it’s not too likely, but just in case, begin moving toward the ruins district. I don’t want you to get involved in the battles of Dragons.”
1213One district of the Dwarven Royal Capital had been completely destroyed before the Quagoa had taken it over. The Quagoa had not rebuilt this area, in order to use it as a staging ground to gather a vast army. It would seem that it would finally be put to use.
1214“Understood.”
1215“Then… can you help me prepare some offerings for the meeting with the Dragons? They like jewels, so prepare some of them. I trust you also know that they’re very greedy and won’t agree to the initial payment right away. They’ll surely raise their price. With that in mind, prepare some lower-valued items as well.”
1216After nodding to Riyuro to show he understood, Yozu immediately began the preparations.
1217***
1218The mightiest species in this world were the Dragons. There were races which could adapt to the harsh lands where humanity could not reach. The Azellisia Mountain Range was no exception, and the Dragons ruled the roost here.
1219These Dragons were known as Frost Dragons.
1220Usually, Dragons had slender bodies. Those did not resemble the crawling forms of lizards so much as they did those of cats. Among them, Frost Dragons were even slimmer, like snakes.
1221Their scales were bluish-white, but as they grew older, they turned the white of snowfall. Having adapted to their environment, they possessed cold immunity, but in contrast, they were vulnerable to fire.
1222In addition, there was the trump card of the Draconic races. They possessed the fearsome power of freezing Dragon’s breath.
1223The Lord of these Frost Dragons, Olasird’arc=Haylilyal, coiled around his throne, looking down on the Quagoa who craved an audience with him.
1224“So, you have come. What is the matter?”
1225“Yes, I am deeply honored to be granted an audience with the mighty White Dragon Lord, Olasird’arc=Haylilyal—”
1226“—Dispense with the formalities. Get to the point.”
1227That said, Olasird’arc’s eyes narrowed slightly.
1228Being a Dragon Lord had a special significance among Dragons. It was a title only given to those who had reached the highest age category (Ancient) among the Dragons, or powerful Dragons who possessed special powers, or those Dragons who could use exotic magic. These outstanding Dragons were awarded the title of Lord.
1229Being addressed by such a glorious title was quite pleasing.
1230“Yes! Firstly, I wish to thank you for granting an audience.”
1231The Quagoa waiting behind the Quagoa Lord produced a beat-up old sack.
1232They opened it, and as expected, the glitter of gold spilled forth.
1233It was not enough to satisfy him, but that amount should have been all the Quagoa could manage, so he had to bear with it.
1234“Alright then, what do you want.”
1235“Yes! In truth, there are some uninvited guests with designs upon our homes, so I was wondering if we could call upon your matchless might, White Dragon Lord-sama.”
1236“Hm…”
1237To Olasird’arc, Quagoa were an inferior species. They were beings who should revere the mighty Dragons, and they were comparable to his possessions. It was somewhat aggravating to allow them to be killed at will. However, it was equally infuriating for him to have to take action on the behalf of such inferior lifeforms.
1238Olasird’arc’s gaze fell upon his glittering throne — a small mountain of gold and precious stones.
1239One habit which united all Dragons was the love of precious metals, jewels, magic items and related wealth. Olasird’arc was no exception in this regard.
1240However, while he might be able to dig tunnels and excavate precious metals or raw gemstones, he could not process them. In addition, the mighty should not be doing such things. That was what slaves were for.
1241Thus, it did not matter if he roused himself to labor on the behalf of his slaves. His heart surged with such generous feelings.
1242“And who are these people?”
1243“We are not sure. We have not grasped their true identity yet. However, they should be Dwarves.”
1244“Dwarves. ...Umu.”
1245Olasird’arc glanced at the great door behind him.
1246Behind that door was the Dwarven City’s former treasury.
1247No matter how many times Olasird’arc had attacked it, it had not opened or been destroyed. The protective magic worked on it by the Dwarven runesmiths had defended their treasures from all the attacks he had brought to bear on it.
1248His obsession with the contents of the vault had long faded, and that door was little more than a scratching post for his claws. However, when he heard about the Dwarves, the smoldering embers in his heart ignited once more.
1249If these Dwarves could make it here, perhaps they might have a way to open this vault.
1250Is it time to abandon the Quagoa? The Dwarves are more useful, in various ways.
1251As Olasird’arc contemplated these matters, he glared coldly at the Quagoa beneath him, and the Quagoa Lord’s pleas finally came to an end.
1252“I am sure that you will be able to defeat the Dwarves or whatnot with contemptuous ease, White Dragon Lord-sama. Please, lend your strength to us! Needless to say, when they are defeated we will offer up double the sum from just now, no more than that!”
1253His greed tickled by that last line, Olasird’arc’s face twitched.
1254“...I see. I shall consider it.”
1255“Please wait! White Dragon Lord-sama, the enemy is close! And the Dwarves seek to retake this city!”
1256Olasird’arc turned his keen gaze upon the Quagoa.
1257“What do you mean by that? Are you implying that these measly Dwarves can evict me from my nest?”
1258“I did not say that! But, there’s no telling what the Dwarves intend to do! For all we know, they might have a way to destroy this city!”
1259“Do you not think they would have done so already if that was the case?”
1260“It is very likely they intend to destroy the city from the inside!”
1261“Hm,” Olasird’arc thought. It seemed a little far-fetched, but it could not be entirely ruled out.
1262This place was absolutely necessary for the creation of a Draconic Empire.
1263After claiming the Dwarves’ Royal Palace, he had ordered his wives to lay their eggs here, and then raise his children as they grew.
1264In the past, they had randomly found a place to lay eggs and left them there, or kicked them out of the nest a year or two after they were born. That would not strengthen the Draconic race.
1265I must increase the number of my offspring, and then subjugate the Frost Giants. Then, I can completely dominate this mountain range, Olasird’arc had thought.
1266The Frost Giants and the Frost Dragons were the apex predators of this mountain range. Therefore, they had struggled for a long time to determine who was the top dog.
1267The Frost Giants were immune to cold, which meant that the Frost Dragons’ trump card of icy Dragon breath could not harm them. The power of the massive weapons which the Frost Giants wielded could not be overlooked, even by Dragons. If they came in numbers, the Dragons might well be defeated. Indeed, there were Frost Dragons who had lost to Frost Giants, and who were used as hounds by them.
1268Naturally, the Frost Dragons knew that too. If Olasird’arc were one of them, he would not miss the chance to destroy a powerful foe before their numbers could increase. If he had to abandon this territory, then the Frost Giant tribes would surely unite to attack them before he could seize a new seat of power.
1269Olasird’arc regarded his concubines, sprawled lazily around the room.
1270They were three female Dragons.
1271There was the youngest of them, with a single alabaster horn, Mianatalon=Fuviness.
1272The one who had fought with Olasird’arc for territory many times, Munuinia=Ilyslym.
1273And then there was the only Dragon in residence here who could use divine magic (albeit only of the 1st tier), Kilystran=Denshushua.
1274“What do you think?
1275“...Why not help them? After all, the miserable little Dwarves are hardly fearsome foes.”
1276“I agree too. Frankly speaking, I don’t care what they say. But if the Dwarves attack, knowing that we’re here, that would be equivalent to looking down on us. We ought to carve fear into the hearts of those cocky little creatures.”
1277He turned his gaze from Muninia — who was scratching at the floor with a sharp claw — and towards Kilystran.
1278“And what say you?”
1279After addressing Kilystran, she tilted her head.
1280“I oppose and approve of it. I oppose it because we cannot be sure that these attackers really are Dwarves. In addition, if they’re attacking while aware of our presence, they must have surely taken our power into consideration. However, while the very idea of destroying the city is absurd, a mechanism capable of doing so is not out of the reach of Dwarven technology. It would be foolish not to respond to that.”
1281Olasird’arc smiled bitterly. She had such a twisted personality. That was why he liked her.
1282“So, the ayes have it. —Well then. I shall accept your request, inferior Quagoa.”
1283“Yes! You have our deepest thanks!”
1284As Olasird’arc glared coldly at the Quagoa kowtowing before him, he made a pronouncement.
1285“However, you must offer ten times the previous amount of tribute.”
1286“Ten! Ten times?!”
1287Olasird’arc snorted at the Quagoa Lord, who had raised his head.
1288“You do not even know who is attacking. That much should be expected. ...Then, what will you do? If you cannot produce the requisite amount, then you can deal with it yourselves.”
1289“Please, please wait! We will offer the tribute! Please let us offer the tribute!”
1290Suddenly, Olasird’arc thought of something.
1291Could the Quagoa actually pay that much gold? Or was it because the Dwarves were unimaginably powerful foes, which was why they were trying their best to get him to commit no matter how much they had to pay?
1292Well, it doesn’t matter. If they can’t pay, then just as Munuinia said, I will carve an indelible terror into the hearts of those weaklings (Quagoa).
1293“Then, begone.”
1294“Yes! But… when can we expect your arrival?”
1295“Soon. Until then, wait.”
1296“Yes!”
1297As Olasird’arc watched the Quagoa leave, Mianatalon asked: “Will you be going in person?”
1298“As if. Of course not.”
1299Olasird’arc was the most powerful Dragon here. That being the case, it would be foolish for him to actually fight on the behalf of his slaves even if he was paid. Therefore—
1300“Who should I send over... Whose child would be best?”
1301They were all his children. Every Dragon here with the exception of his concubines was bound to Olasird’arc by blood.
1302“In that case, send my child.”
1303“Yours? Who?”
1304Kilystran had birthed four children for Olasird’arc, and each of them was a Dragon of over a century of age. They were far more powerful than the Quagoa.
1305“The eldest, of course.”
1306“Hejinmal, then?”
1307Olasird’arc frowned.
1308“That boy might look like that, but he has a good head on his shoulders and he will see the opposition for what they really are. If they turn out to be Dwarves, don’t you think he’ll bring about a most agreeable negotiation? You must be starting to tire of Quagoa slaves, no?”
1309“Can he do all that? Can the other children not do it?”
1310Olasird’arc agreed with what Munuinia said.
1311“Better than Toranjelit, at least.”
1312“...Kilystran. The most important thing for Dragons is the power of their bodies. One cannot defeat power and speed with one’s head. Olasird’arc beat me because his body was stronger than mine. Remember that. Toranjelit’s superior body is far better than that of Hejinmal’s!”
1313Toranjelit was one of Olasird’arc’s children by Munuinia. In terms of raw strength, he was the best among his offspring.
1314“But things will turn out poorly if you don’t think. If you send out your child — who might kill the Quagoa for no reason — who knows what they’ll end up doing?”
1315“That’s enough.”
1316Olasird’arc halted Munuinia, who was about to say something, and then looked at Mianatalon’s face. She seemed to find all this squabbling terribly boring.
1317“Let’s go with Kilystran’s idea and call Hejinmal over.”
1318“It’s no use. He won’t come.”
1319Olasird’arc sensed his plan falling apart right from the start.
1320Munuinia chuckled, a thin, unhappy sound. It would be troublesome if they argued again, and Olasird’arc raised his voice.
1321“Just break down the door or whatnot and drag him out.”
1322“Ara, I didn’t destroy your fortress because you asked me not to. Does that mean you’re giving me permission? Although, it may not just be the door that gets destroyed.”
1323Indeed, he remembered saying those words. While Dragons were skilful, they could not rebuild a door once destroyed, and they did not know magic which could do that. Therefore, if they destroyed something, they would leave it where it was.
1324As the White Dragon Lord, it would be a shame to live in a castle filled with holes. Therefore he had demanded his concubines and his offspring adhere to that rule.
1325Although his concubines would probably go if he ordered—
1326“It can’t be helped. I’ll go, then.”
1327“Please.”
1328Olasird’arc looked at Kilystran with an indescribable expression on his face.
1329The fact that he had to go in person despite being a Lord did not sit well with him. In response to that, should he allow a few Quagoa to live here and let them work for him?
1330However, Olasird’arc abandoned the many possibilities which appeared in his mind.
1331He could not bear the thought of having inferior lifeforms like the Quagoa running around his fortress. Someday, when he defeated the Giants, he would have them work for him as slaves.
1332Until then, he would have to bear with it.
1333***
1334When one considered the height of the Dwarves, their Royal Palace was of a staggering size. It was because it was so large that the Dragons could live here, and it was a long distance from one end to the other.
1335Olasird’arc climbed and climbed, until he reached the door on the highest level.
1336Then, he shouted:
1337“It’s me, open up.”
1338He waited for a while, but there was no movement from the other side of the door.
1339It was impossible that he was not in. The son who lived in this room was a hikkikomori. He had not recalled him ever leaving his room. Even his meals were sent to him by his siblings.
1340It was deeply aggravating that he would dare pretend he was not in, in front of his own father, a Dragon Lord.
1341“I’ll say it again. It’s me. Open up.”
1342Dragons had very keen senses. The way he was shouting, anyone inside should have heard it, and they would have woken up even if they were sleeping.
1343However — the door did not open.
1344The anger which blazed up turned into motion.
1345He lashed out at the door with his tail.
1346Struck by a tail that was the size of a log and sheathed with scales that were harder than steel, the door creaked as it twisted. The Dwarves who had built this door had probably not expected it to take a Dragon’s tail slap.
1347There were signs of movement inside, but this was not enough to quell Olasird’arc’s anger.
1348He slammed the door again, breaking it half down. Shattered and scattered stones flew inside like buckshot.
1349A distasteful “Hieeeeee” came from within.
1350“Get out of there, right now!”
1351In response to the angry shout, a Dragon sprang up.
1352Frost Dragons had slender bodies, but not this one. Simply put, it looked obese.
1353It had a pair of tiny glasses on its nose, and it regarded Olasird’arc from head to toe with a nervous look in its eyes.
1354This was his son, but this shameful display made Olasird’arc sigh.
1355Well, given that he was standing in front of a ruler like himself, cringing and twitching like this was unavoidable. Still, he had hoped to see some strength in his own son’s eyes.
1356And then there was that disgusting fat body of his. He was more like a swine than a Dragon.
1357In truth, having to send a child like this out to fight on his behalf might dmage his reputation.
1358As Olasird’arc contemplated this, his son — who seemed afraid of the way his father was staring right at him — ventured a question.
1359“F-father, what, what do you wish of me?”
1360That said, he might not be much of a Dragon, but he was still a Dragon. Dragons grew more powerful with age. With that in mind, perhaps even that flabby frame of his could still be of use.
1361“I have a job for you, Hejinmal.”
1362“A, a job?”
1363“Ahh. The Quagoa seem to have been invaded by the Dwarves or something. Repel them.”
1364“Hieee.”
1365“Hieee?”
1366“N-nothing. It’s nothing, Father. J-just, I, I’m, er, how shall I put this, I’m er, not very confident in my strength…”
1367“Then what are you confident in? Do you feel you can defeat the enemy with magic?”
1368Dragons slowly gained the ability to use arcane magic during their maturation, but those were little more than innate abilities. They could not be compared to magic casters at all. However, there were some Dragons who had learned to use actual magic.
1369For example, there was one of Olasird’arc’s own concubines, Kilystran=Denshushua. There was also one of the Republic’s Councillors, the “Blue Sky Dragon Lord” Suveria=Myronsilk, who had the powers of a druid and could use divine magic. It was also said that in the far east, there were Dragons who had attained the Paladin class and who could use magic from other systems.
1370“...Well, that’s one thing. I had to learn by myself because I had no mentor to teach me…”
1371“Then what the hell have you been doing in there all this while?”
1372There was a forceful gleam in Hejinmal’s eyes.
1373“Learning. I’ve been gathering knowledge.”
1374“...What? Knowledge? Weren’t you learning how to use arcane magic?”
1375“No, it’s not like that, Father. The knowledge I sought was not to use magic, but to further my studies, learn how this city was built, what sort of races live in this world and so on. I was learning about that sort of thing.”
1376“...I don’t understand at all. Does learning these things make you strong? None of that matters if you don’t become powerful.”
1377There was nothing more important in this world than becoming stronger. Since this was a world where only the strong survived, one needed to grow stronger to live. In contrast, one could say that not wanting to become strong was essentially rejecting life.
1378Just then, he spotted it. Hejinmal had tried to cover it up, but he saw that his son had done something, like a wordless gesture.
1379“What is it? Spit it out.”
1380His son remained silent. That disgraceful attitude of his made Olasird’arc flare up again.
1381Just as he was about to begin bellowing at him, he thought of why he had come here.
1382While he did not care what happened to the Quagoa, debts had to be paid.
1383“It doesn’t matter if you lock yourself up in your room until you lose your agility, but there’s no point losing yourself in books. If you want to acquire knowledge, leave this place and travel the world.”
1384Olasird’arc had already begun losing interest in Hejinmal. He had abandoned his body in exchanged for something utterly useless. There was nothing else he could say about this, and he had lost any semblance of concern for his own son.
1385“I, I was preparing for that. If I don’t know what sort of people there are in the world, I might die before I manage to see it.”
1386“Then why don’t you die? ─ You’re being too foolish. Why not seek strength from the beginning? Once you’re strong, you’ll be feared even when you leave this place, no? Like me.”
1387“But, Father. Knowing what sort of powerful beings there are in the world is very important too. It’s the same with you, isn’t it, Father? Aren’t the Frost Giants strong? If you went against them without knowing anything─”
1388“─I’m not afraid of those Frost Giants.”
1389“F-forgive me, Father.”
1390As he glared at Hejinmal, who had his head plastered to the ground, Olasird’arc rounded his shoulders powerlessly.
1391“That’s enough. I command you to complete your task. Then, I will kick you out after a month. You can live as you please from then on.”
1392 
1393Part 3
1394“Haa~”
1395Hejinmal was currently in a tunnel which led to the Royal Capital. He sighed, the way his father had.
1396“I’m not good at fighting…”
1397“Not being good” did not cover the whole of it. In all honesty, he was so weak that if he went up against his younger brothers, he might end up losing to them. Thus, he was uneasy, which resulted in him muttering to himself.
1398“The enemy… hopefully they’ll be scared of the way I look and run away.”
1399Hejinmal inhaled forcefully, sucking up his protruding gut. Then he splayed his claws and opened his maw. That way, he would look more like a proper Dragon.
1400“Oh, I almost forgot.”
1401Hejinmal gingerly removed the glasses on his nose. They were not a magic item, but if they broke, there would be no replacements for them. Thus, he had to treat them with care.
1402“Haaa… Dragonscale makes for strong armor… but all I can do is pray the Dwarves aren’t savages…”
1403But what if they were?
1404No, that was almost certain to be the case. That was because Dwarven libraries were the source of much information about Draconic materials.
1405Hejinmal forced himself to stop trembling.
1406He knew all the Quagoa in the Royal Capital were watching him. If possible, he would have preferred to fight in a deeper tunnel, where he would not have an audience. However, if that was the case, the Quagoa would not be able to see him do battle, so his father had forbidden it.
1407Father had told him to investigate the enemy to the best of his ability, and take them as servants if possible. But this was not a sign of friendship. Instead, it was an order to display his strength and dominate the weak as one of the strong.
1408Therefore, defeat equalled death. He would die if he was defeated in battle. Even if he survived a defeat, the Quagoa would lose their respect for Father. That would displease him, and then Hejinmal would be killed by his father anyway.
1409Then, how about fleeing right away? After all, he would be exiled in a month, no matter what he did.
1410It was a good idea, but he needed a month to prepare for it.
1411Hejinmal expelled his breath.
1412The supercooled suspire froze an entire wall into an expanse of solid white.
1413“Good! My breath is normal, and its power is consistent with my age.”
1414This was one of a Dragon’s trump cards ─ Dragon breath. Frost Dragons possessed freezing breath, and its power grew with age. Hejinmal’s breath was quite well developed, and it was more reliable than his own physical strength.
1415“...Still.”
1416Dragon breath was a frightening thing. Anyone who knew even a little about Dragons was aware of that. After all, this was a fundamental ability of all Dragons.
1417In fact, the Dwarven libraries had said just that. There was no way the Dwarves coming this way would not be prepared for it.
1418Hejinmal sank further into despair.
1419Although Father had already said so, if he could really use magic or whatnot, things would surely be different─
1420“I’m just a sacrificial pawn.”
1421His brothers faithfully obeyed his father in a very Draconic way. The fact that he had not given this task to them but to Hejinmal was a sign that he did not care if the hikkikomori of his family died off.
1422He did not resent his fate.
1423If he had not encountered books, if he had not known the satisfaction of seeking knowledge, he would not be what he was today. There was no point regretting that now.
1424Suddenly, Hejinmal’s nose twitched.
1425He turned his ear to listen, and picked up multiple footsteps approaching from within the tunnel.
1426Those were not the sounds of Quagoa feet, because they were clearly wearing shoes.
1427Are those Dwarves?! There’s only a few of them, which means… They’re very confident of victory with just those numbers? Or are they an advanced scouting party? So if I defeat them the job’s done and there’ll be no problem if I go back?
1428Strictly speaking, he would have fulfilled his orders even if he only defeated that scouting party. The question now was whether an excuse like that would be accepted.
1429Illuminated by glowing stones, four silhouettes ─ though he could not be sure as they were still far away ─ emerged from the cavern.
1430Are the smaller three Dwarves? Then what’s that larger one? Even the Dwarven subraces shouldn’t be that big. Then, did the Dwarves beg that bigger shape for help, much like the Quagoa did with Father?
1431Whether or not the Dwarves had requested its help, he had to be wary of the bigger shape.
1432Still, while it was a large silhouette, it was still much smaller than a Dragon.
1433Should I strike first with my breath? Hejinmal immediately discarded that notion.
1434No. I should ask them what they want and try to complete this task through negotiation.
1435Regular Dragons would immediately launch into a fight. However, Hejinmal had no confidence in himself and did not want this encounter to end in tragedy. Therefore, he sought a way to safely resolve the situation.
1436Finally, his keen Draconic vision ─ although Hejinmal’s was somewhat subpar for his kind ─ finally verified that the one walking at the head of the group was not a Dwarf.
1437Haven’t I read about them in a book before? Isn’t that one of the Dark Elves, who live in the depths of the forests?
1438It was impossible for one to be here.
1439However, that one’s far too short, compared to the Dark Elves in the books. Could it be a child between a Dark Elf and a Dwarf? Or is it just a Dark Elf child?
1440As Hejinmal pondered these things and many others, he shifted his gaze to the huge shadow behind the Dark Elf, and then his eyes went wide.
1441Haaah?! Isn’t that an Elder Lich?! What is it doing here? This is bad. They’re immune to freezing breath, and they can cast [Fireballs].
1442Fire was the weakness of Frost Dragons. In other words, his most powerful attack was useless against this Elder Lich, and his opponent could grievously wound him.
1443And… What’s that? It looks like a really expensive robe...
1444Dragons had a keen nose for treasure. They could roughly sniff out the value of any item, no matter how valuable. Right now, his nose was telling him that the Elder Lich before him was wearing an unimaginably expensive set of spellcaster’s robes.
1445...No, at a closer look, it’s the same way with the clothes of the Dark Elf walking ahead of them. I’ve never seen something as valuable as that before...
1446Hejinmal was a hikkikomori, so the only thing he could value was the Dwarven libraries. Thus, his nose for valuable treasure might have lost its keenness. It might have been a natural ability, but it would still atrophy if it was not used. However, he did not think that was the case.
1447And then, the shadow after that looks female… Isn’t that a Dwarf as well? It’s not a Dark Elf, and neither is it an Elder Lich. Then… an Elf? Or a human? I don’t get it. Still, she looks like she’s wearing very expensive clothing too. ...Hm, is my nose not sensitive any more? But if that’s not the case...
1448Finally, he saw the Dwarf at the rear of the group, and Hejinmal was relieved.
1449Just a regular Dwarf, and he’s not wearing anything valuable.
1450Then, Hejinmal shook his head.
1451That’s being too naive, right? The three people in front of him are anything but normal. Maybe this Dwarf is something special too. Carelessness is dangerous.
1452After that, the Dark Elf pointed towards him, as though to tell everyone that he was there.
1453Although he thought he might be suddenly attacked ─ by a [Fireball], in particular ─ the opposition merely paused to confer, and soon they were headed towards Hejinmal again.
1454...Should I prepare myself for the worst?
1455If they had attacked immediately, he would have gone on his guard. But that was not the case. What should he do now?
1456Nggg ─ my stomach aches. I hope that’s just a kind-hearted undead being who’s come to negotiate!
1457He could be killed. To Hejinmal ─ who had lived in safety all his life ─ the time until the group stopped was interminable torment.
1458The group finally reached Hejinmal’s vicinity.
1459Hejinmal took a deep breath, and then ─ careful not to seem too imposing ─ he spoke.
1460They were a group who had approached Hejinmal, a Dragon, without any hesitation. Therefore, Hejinmal sensed that trying to appear threatening would be very dangerous.
1461“The area from this place on belongs to the Quagoa and we Dragons. Why ─ ahem ─ may I ask you fine folks your reasons for coming here?”
1462The Dark Elf standing at the head of the group changed places with the Elder Lich. In that moment, he realised who was the leader of the group.
1463“Hm? We’re about to launch an attack and there’s only one Dragon here? The Dragons I know of grow stronger with age ─ in other words, their bodies get larger and more powerful. Given your size, you don’t seem particularly strong… What’s the meaning of this?”
1464What did he mean by “what’s the meaning of this”? Hejinmal had no idea. However, it would seem this Elder Lich was not at all wary of a Dragon like himself.
1465Ah, this… this is really bad. It’s so bad I can’t even describe it.
1466“In any case, I doubt they’d send just one Dragon to collect information on us… Is this a strategy on the enemy’s part, or am I being paranoid? Given the information we got from the Quagoa we captured, probably the latter.”
1467He had no idea what the Elder Lich was talking about from the beginning. It did not look like the Elder Lich wanted to enlighten Hejinmal either. In other words, he was probably talking to himself, but why did he feel so afraid, then?
1468“...Thinking too much about this is annoying. Let’s see what kind of Dragon you are.”
1469A thrill of terror shot through Hejinmal’s body.
1470He was far too relaxed. He was talking as though he had picked up a stone from the ground. It was a tone which demonstrated his confidence in being able to do what he spoke of.
1471And then, in the moment when he saw the Elder Lich raise his hand─
1472“[Grasp─”
1473“WAIT!!”
1474After his thunderous roar, Hejinmal pressed his head to the ground.
1475This was the greatest degree of respect a Dragon could show ─ the posture of servitude.
1476“─Heart], hang on, what?”
1477Hejinmal desperately pleaded with the Elder Lich, whose hand had stopped moving.
1478“Please wait! My name is Hejinmal! May I please inquire about your mighty name?”
1479Looking around, he saw the Dwarf’s jaw drop in shock. However, the Dark Elf and the Elf-like person did not seem surprised. In other words, this was a natural occurrence for them.
1480Hejinmal was certain his judgement was correct.
1481“...My name is Ainz Ooal Gown… what is the meaning of that pose of yours?”
1482“Yes!! I believe this is the proper form of address for when humans know each other’s names, Gown-sama! This posture is is the greatest sign of respect we Dragons can show!”
1483“Er… Then, why are you doing this?”
1484“Naturally, it is because I immediately realized that you are an extraordinary person, Gown-sama. Could I possibly take any other position before a mighty being like yourself? No, I could not!”
1485This was a huge gamble. He had bet everything on it.
1486The Dwarves used “heated steel” to describe the burning sensation when gambling, but what Hejinmal felt now was a chill that froze him to the core.
1487Time seemed to freeze over for several seconds, but finally, the Elder Lich said, “Umu. ...So, you intend to submit to me, then?”
1488“Yes! If you allow it, Gown-sama!”
1489He peeked again, and as expected, the Dark Elf and the Elf appeared to think all this was normal.
1490“...There are many uses for Dragon flesh, hide, teeth, scales and the like. Hm? You… raise your head.”
1491The Elder Lich’s attitude was one that was used to giving orders, so he must have found it natural that even someone like Hejinmal had submitted so readily to him. Clearly, the Elder Lich did not consider Hejinmal worthy of mention.
1492Dragons were the strongest species, but they were not an invincible species. Many beings could kill a Dragon. Frost Giants were a good example of that.
1493However, if one compared the two species, in the end, Dragons were probably still stronger.
1494The reason for that was their growth. Dragons continued growing as time passed, and they would someday grow into the strongest entities of all. They were a very long-lived species, and the fact that they could keep growing throughout it all was a form of strength in itself.
1495From that point of view, the undead might be even stronger than Dragons. High-level undead did not grow in bodily might, but they could accumulate knowledge and experience.
1496In addition, Hejinmal had read about legendary undead from his books.
1497Soul Eaters, which devoured the souls of the living. Wriggle Pestilences, which spread disease. Mage cabals which gathered many undead around a core of Elder Liches. Guphandera=Argoros, the undead dragon that lurked in a mountain of the dead and used psychic-type magic. Astral Rippers, masses of shadows which stalked the Valley of Shadows, and so on.
1498This Elder Lich must surely be a legendary undead creature whose name had gone down in the history books. However, it would seem the Dwarven libraries had not recorded it.
1499Hejinmal slowly rosey.
1500He felt like the Elder Lich was appraising his body. He was ashamed by his decidedly un-Draconic frame.
1501“I see. So Dragons that live in these frigid environments store fat under their skin. Although, I thought Frost Dragons were immune to the cold… Or could it be that you were storing up nourishment in case you couldn’t obtain food?”
1502“No, it’s not like that. I’m the only one who’s like this…”
1503“Hooh… That is to say, you’re a rare specimen, then? Is that what you mean?”
1504Hejinmal was not sure if he had any value for being rare, but there was nobody else in his family like him. Therefore, it was a correct statement.
1505“That might be so, Gown-sama.”
1506“Really now,” the Elder Lich said. Then he continued in a quieter tone.
1507“Killing you would be a waste, then.”
1508Hejinmal’s keen Draconic hearing picked up those words.
1509He struggled desperately to keep his breathing under control. It would seem he had made another correct choice, which would permit him to live.
1510“Are they any other Dragons?”
1511“Yes, there are. There are four Dragons older than me, six around the same age as me, and nine who are younger than me.”
1512“Hoh!”
1513The Elder Lich seemed very happy, but Hejinmal was sure he had some sort of evil scheme in mind.
1514“How many of them are stronger than you?”
1515“The four who are older than me are all stronger than me. The Dragons of the same age as me are also stronger than me.”
1516I might even lose to my younger siblings. Hejinmal could not say that. After all, if his value dropped in the Elder Lich’s eyes, he might be killed on the spot.
1517“I see. Then, what tier of magic can these elder Dragons use? Are they only capable of arcane spells?”
1518“The strongest of them can use magic of up to the 3rd tier. As you have said, it is arcane magic.”
1519As Dragons grew, they naturally acquired the ability to use arcane spells even without going out of their way to learn them. However, they could only cast a few spells. Even Hejinmal’s father could only use three spells of the 3rd tier.
1520“What? They only have 3rd-tier spells?”
1521The Elder Lich seemed disinterested, but then he perked up as though he had noticed something.
1522“No, I should probably ask. What if this is just a ruse? They say that a mighty eagle hides its claws. Is it possible that the strongest Dragon there can use 8th-tier spells?”
1523“No, it’s impossible. Or rather─”
1524Besides, 8th-tier spells could not possibly exist. Would it be better to tell him that?
1525No, he could not. The truth sometimes hurt more than lies. If he gave offense to this undead magician, there was no way he would prosper from it.
1526“─No. He can’t possibly use spells of such a high tier. I once heard that he had learned a 3rd-tier spell of flame resistance.”
1527He should probably say that, right? His father was not a foe who should be underestimated.
1528“Umu ─ I see. Well, it’s only natural that one would want to cover up one’s weaknesses.”
1529This nonchalant tone made Hejinmal feel uneasy.
1530“Aura.”
1531“Yes, Ainz-sama.”
1532It would seem the Dark Elf was called Aura. Judging by her smell, she was probably a female.
1533The other one who looked like an Elf did not have a female scent about her. In fact, she had no scent at all, much like the Elder Lich.
1534“I’ll give you this Dragon. I recall you said you wanted one?”
1535“Thank you very much. But can this chap fly?”
1536Two pairs of eyes looked at him, one filled with doubt, one apparently saying, “That’s a good question.”
1537“I, I can probably fly.”
1538He might have been a hikkikomori, but he ought to be capable of flight. Flying was the same as walking for Dragons. There was no way he could forget how to do so. Hejinmal gave that answer as he regretted the fact that he had not flown here.
1539“Then, I’ll take him, Ainz-sama. Hm, then, I need to show him who’s the boss around here, and make him obey me completely.”
1540Before Hejinmal could wonder what exactly she was going to do, he felt thousands of frigid razors impale him.
1541He was dead. There was no doubt that he was dead. The fear which informed his instincts of that fact became invisible blades that pierced his entire body.
1542In an instant, his mind went blank. In his diminished state of awareness, he clearly felt his heart stop beating.
1543“Uwaaaaah─!”
1544As he cried out, it banished the black chill crushing his entire body.
1545His heart slowly began beating again. His limbs trembled, and his lungs struggled to pull in oxygen.
1546He recalled something like this from a book somewhere. It was called “murderous intent”. In other words, the Dark Elf who would be his Mistress was a being who could radiate murderous intent that was powerful enough to instantly put a Frost Dragon into a near-fatal state of shock.
1547In that case, what sort of being was the Elder Lich which she called “Master”?
1548There was no doubt about it. He was beyond Hejinmal’s imagination.
1549He was a being of absolute power ─ an Overlord.
1550He had made the right choice.
1551By the time Hejinmal had come to his senses, he found that the group had backed off, looks of surprise on their faces.
1552Just as he was wondering what was going on, he realized the disgusting sensation below his waist. As he looked down at his feet, Hejinmal was shocked.
1553It would seem his bladder had gone slack and he had wet himself. A puddle spread below him like a lake.
1554“Uuu…”
1555 
1556What should he say now? It was possible that he had displeased them and he would be killed.
1557“I, I was so overjoyed that I peed a little!”
1558He had abandoned all delusions of control. Though he had the feeling that they would not believe him, it was better than saying that he had pissed himself out of fear.
1559“From today onwards, this one shall serve and attend his Mistress, Aura-sama, and offer his utmost devotion and loyalty to her!”
1560“Ehhhh…”
1561Hers was an expression of absolute disgust.
1562This was bad. If she felt he was worthless, he might be discarded like a piece of trash. The mighty could do that. In fact, had his father not done the same thing? However, help came from an unlikely corner.
1563“I see… Well, that can’t be helped.”
1564“Eh? Really, Ainz-sama?”
1565“Mm. I once heard about something like this from one of my friends ─ Ankoromochimochi-san. She once told me about how upset she was when her dog peed out of joy. It seems this sort of thing happens when they get too excited.”
1566“You mean, Ankoromochimochi-sama? Really? So it’s like how Fen and some other magical beasts mark their terrain, then?”
1567“That might well be. Granted, I’m not too clear on Draconic biology. However, that was probably the reason why that chap did it.”
1568The being who might or might not have been an Elf had been listening quietly all this while. She tilted her head and asked the Elder Lich:
1569“Ainz-sama, would it be better if we did it as well?”
1570“Shalltear. Is it really appropriate to say that?’
1571“Mm. As Aura said, if you did that, I would collapse in shock. This sort of thing is only cute on small pets. ...Well, Ankoromochimochi-san was worried because that dog was getting on in years. She said something about not getting him too excited… ah, those were the days.”
1572The air around them changed, to something that was the polar opposite of the murderous intent from just now.
1573In any event, Hejinmal moved to wipe the soaked portion of his body on a nearby wall and scraped off the stain.
1574“Say. What will we do next?”
1575The Dwarf ─ who had been watching the proceedings in silence ─ finally spoke up. Hejinmal sensed that this Dwarf was unlike his three companions, in that he was not powerful.
1576Had the Dwarves hired them as mercenaries and sent this Dwarf to keep an eye on them? If that was the case, Hejinmal would have to show this Dwarf respect as well. Still, where did he rank as their subordinate? What sort of orders would he be given from now on? These uneasy questions flew through his mind.
1577“You have a point. We’ll leave the Quagoa to Aura and Shalltear. I shall go with this Dragon and eliminate all the Dragons opposing us.”
1578Hejinmal’s body shuddered again.
1579He spoke in a casual tone. Dragons were beings which he could take lightly. This was the attitude of the mighty.
1580Hejinmal hesitated about what to do. It would probably be wise to beg for the lives of the other Dragons. After steadying himself, he spoke:
1581“...Gown-sama, Aura-sama, may this one be permitted to speak?!”
1582“Very well. Speak.”
1583“Understood! A thought occurred to this one. The people here do not know the greatness of Gown-sama. Would you be willing to extend your mercy to those fools? In other words, the other Dragons should know of the glory of Gown-sama!”
1584“Umu… what do you two think?”
1585“Everything depends on your will, Ainz-sama.”
1586“That’s right. We won’t object to any decision you make, Ainz-sama.”
1587“In any case, all we need to do is chase them out of the Royal Palace, right? Ahem. Dragon, may I ask you a question?”
1588The speaker was the Dwarf.
1589Hejinmal glanced at his masters’ faces. In all honesty, he had no idea what sort of attitude he needed to take towards this Dwarf. That said, acting arrogant would be very dangerous. However, a servant who bowed and scraped before others would devalue their master.
1590“Please do.”
1591After hesitating, Hejinmal chose a short reply to avoid offending either side.
1592“Umu… Still, I didn’t expect you could completely dominate a Dragon… No, after seeing that power of yours, it might be natural. Um, sorry. Are there any other Dragons around besides the ones in this place?”
1593“There might be.”
1594“There might be, huh. Then, if there were, could you order around those Dragons as well?”
1595“I could not. They belong to a different tribe.”
1596“Umu ─ Then we should fulfil the request to chase the Dragons out first. After that, we’ll tell them that there are other Dragon tribes around. That way, they’ll have to count on Your Majesty’s strength to protect their reclaimed Royal Capital. Surely they would not easily surrender this land which they took so long to reclaim. Is that not the most profitable course?”
1597There was a word there which he could not ignore.
1598It would seem this Elder Lich was a king of sorts, and his subjects were the Dark Elf and the Elf, perhaps.
1599“Are you alright with your race being squeezed dry and used up?”
1600What are you saying, the Dwarf’s shrugging seemed to convey.
1601“Your Majesty has chosen me ─ us. Is it not natural that I would pick your side in any dispute?”
1602“Thank you for your considerations, Gondo.”
1603“Please don’t say that. I am the one who should be thanking you. The pain that has plagued me all this time has been wiped away by the few days I have spent with Your Majesty. Truly, you are my savior.”
1604“I am pleased we have forged a mutually beneficial relationship.”
1605“While I do not feel Your Majesty may benefit from this, I shall surely repay the kindness you have shown me.”
1606Even Hejinmal the outsider could understand their relationship.
1607The Dwarf was deeply indebted to the Elder Lich. It was a debt that he would pay even if he had to betray his race.
1608“...If you feel that way, then I don’t mind…”
1609The Elder Lich shrugged and turned to Hejinmal.
1610“Alright. Then, take me to the Dragons you say are stronger than you. Also, where is the treasury of the former Dwarven Royal Capital?”
1611Hejinmal knew where the treasury was, and nodded confidently.
1612“This one feels that your question is quite fortunate, because both of them are at the same place.”
1613***
1614With his Master and the Dwarf on his back, Hejinmal headed to his father’s location. His body might not have been used to exercise, but it was still a Dragon’s body, and carrying two people posed no problems to him at all.
1615He listened to His Majesty speak as he walked, and as he did, he was certain that his knowledge and instincts were the most valuable thing in this world.
1616If he had shown the arrogance typical of a Dragon when they had first met, he would have been slaughtered. No, if he had not loudly proclaimed his allegiance and gained their interest, he would have died without ever knowing what had happened to him.
1617It had truly been a narrow escape.
1618Hejinmal clenched his slackened bladder.
1619If he peed himself again, their opinion of him would not just drop to rock bottom, it would grab a shovel and continue digging underground.
1620Fortunately, they had not encountered any other Dragons along the way. Thus, they proceeded directly to his father’s room ─ or rather, the throne room cum treasury.
1621Hejinmal took a deep breath.
1622“Your servant wishes to inform Your Exalted Majesty that apart from my father, there are three Dragons there who serve as his concubines. Will you be bringing that Dwarf in there with you?”
1623If they were assailed by the freezing breaths of four Frost Dragons at once, he feared the Dwarf would be slain.
1624“Is there a problem?”
1625“No, not at all. If Your Exalted Majesty feels it is fine, then naturally your servant has no objections.”
1626“I have granted him immunity to freezing cold, so it should be fine. However, it might be a little troublesome if we are subjected to numerous area-effect spells of other elements.”
1627“Your servant feels that will not be a problem, Your Exalted Majesty. Breath weapons are the favored attacks of Dragons, and it is natural for them to open combat with their breath. They would not consider using their arcane spells, which are far weaker.”
1628“Then it’s not a problem.”
1629“Ah, Your Majesty. May I say something? Certainly, there is no way a mere four Dragons could begin to oppose Your Majesty. However, it would seem this one’s mother is in there. Could I ask you to spare her?”
1630“Hm…”
1631Hejinmal tilted his neck and awaited his Master’s judgement.
1632Hejinmal had not intended to go so far as to ask for his mother to be spared. It would be good if she could be saved as he had been, but he did not want to bet his life on it. It was not that he hated her, but simply that the bonds of familial kinship were not very strong among Dragons.
1633After leaving the nest, even their own siblings would become rivals for living space. In addition, it was common for the treasure-loving Dragons to fight when they saw each others’ troves.
1634It was very rare for many Dragons ─ particularly those who had left the nest ─ to live together in one place. It would never happen at all without an overwhelmingly powerful Dragon to gather them.
1635In that sense, his father Olasird’arc ─ who had united everyone as a family against external enemies ─ was an anomaly. One might even call him wise.
1636“It can’t be helped. I shall try to let your mother survive.”
1637“Thank you very much, Your Exalted Majesty.”
1638The words of praise immediately fell from his mouth, because he did not wish to displease the person showing him such largesse. In addition, he mused that if his mother survived, the burden on him might decrease in the future. On the contrary, if there were more Dragons, his own rarity would decrease. If he did not want them to think his death would not be missed, he would have to do everything he could to please them.
1639“Still, Your Exalted Majesty seems a bit too… eh. From now on, you may use Sorcerer King or Ainz as well.”
1640Was it a trap, or was it a test? Without hesitation, Hejinmal spoke the words he felt were correct:
1641“Understood, Your Majesty, the Sorcerer King!”
1642How could he omit the respectful terms of address which Ainz was due?
1643“Mm, let’s go.”
1644“Understood!”
1645He carefully hid his quiet sigh of relief .
1646It was a test, after all. If he had been careless and failed to pay him the proper respect, he would surely have been punished appropriately. For all he knew, he might have been killed and then dissected.
1647If there was one thing Hejinmal had engraved into his heart, it was that he must never be arrogant.
1648Soon, they reached the doors leading to their destination.
1649They were a set of double doors that looked like they needed a Dragon’s strength to open. Apparently, the Dwarves used a set of smaller doors beside it to enter or leave. The huge doors were only used for ceremonies and the like.
1650Hejinmal pressed his shoulder against the doors and applied force ─ mindful not to dislodge his Master from his back ─ and pushed the doors open.
1651He saw his father ─ Olasird’arc ─ coiled on his Golden Throne. His mother Kilystran and the other two concubines ─ Munuinia and Mianatalon ─ were also present.
1652Three pairs of puzzled eyes trained themselves on Hejinmal. One more pair looked in a different direction ─ at the people mounted on his back. That last pair belonged to his mother, Kilystran.
1653Before anyone else could speak, Hejinmal shouted:
1654“He who sits upon my back is the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown! He is the king who shall rule this land and us Dragons!”
1655Strictly speaking, he was the servant of Aura the Dark Elf. However, it would be easier for them to understand this way, and in any event, he had made this declaration after seeking and receiving permission to do so.
1656Silence filled the room as the words faded. It took some time for the other Dragons to parse the words Hejinmal had just said.
1657“Have you gone mad, you little whelp?!”
1658In an instant, his father’s anger boiled over.
1659That was only natural. His father was the lord of this land. ─No. The former lord. Thus, it was a natural reaction for him.
1660He rose from his coiled position and took a fighting stance that would allow him to pounce right away.
1661Hiiiieee!
1662In truth, it was very scary.
1663Between himself and Olasird’arc, there was no doubt that his father was stronger. It was not simply a matter of might and toughness, but there was also a vast difference in terms of battle experience. In addition, Olasird’arc’s body was also leaner and more conventional, in comparison to Hejinmal’s.
1664Saying that Hejinmal had no chance of victory was stating the obvious.
1665However, he had no choice but to make that declaration. According to Hejinmal’s books, no follower would ever make their master state their identity.
1666Therefore, he secretly looked at his father with an expression which said, “it wasn’t my idea”. However, it was completely ignored. The angry glare was targeted at Hejinmal alone. In the eyes of his father, who believed that Dragons were the strongest race of all, people like his Master and the Dwarves were not worth considering.
1667“─King of Dragons. Will you submit to me in exchange for your life?”
1668“The hell you say, you damn Skeleton?!”
1669How could he be a Skeleton! Hejinmal wailed internally.
1670At the same time, there was a certain indignation, at the fact that he had not picked up on the treasures his Master wore. Perhaps he was so angry that he had not even noticed.
1671If I hadn’t aggravated him, maybe he wouldn’t have ended up this way…?
1672No, that was impossible. For all he knew, it might have been even worse. As Hejinmal’s mind whirled with delusions, a look of surprise appeared on his father’s face.
1673“...No, wait. What are those clothes you’re wearing?”
1674Perhaps after calming down somewhat, his Draconic nose for treasure had kicked in.
1675Hejinmal felt that this was very bad, and he looked around for help. However, all the concubines had the same excited look on their faces, a bestial hunger for treasure in their eyes. Only his mother was trying to surreptitiously leave this place, but she had no intention of helping her son.
1676“This is the first time I have seen such treasure. If you want me to forgive your foolishness, then offer me your raiment, Skeleton.”
1677“Umu… dealing with fools is truly tiresome.”
1678A cold voice rang forth.
1679Why did his father’s instincts as one of the living not tell him that Death awaited him? It must have been his Draconic avarice at work here.
1680“You idiot! You’ve just thrown away the only chance you had to survive! No, I should kill you─”
1681“[Grasp Heart].”
1682And with that, his father’s body slumped powerlessly to the ground.
1683All eyes went to the body of the strongest Dragon here.
1684The way he did not move at all looked like he was sleeping. Of course, that was definitely not the case.
1685The air in the room turned cold, and the Supreme Being spoke.
1686“I have no interest in last words. Then, Hejinmal, which of them is your mother? I shall show her mercy and spare her life. As for the others, well, I’m sure there will be various uses for them after we’re done picking them apart.”
1687“That’s me!”
1688“That’s me!”
1689“That’s me!”
1690Three voices rang out at once. For a moment, Hejinmal almost said “That’s me!” as well.
1691“...What’s this? Don’t tell me there’s the mother who bore you, the mother who raised you, and the mother who cared for you?”
1692Hejinmal looked at the two Dragons who were not connected to him by blood.
1693The two of them were gripped by fear.
1694Their eyes were clouded over with terror. That too was natural; after all the mightiest Dragon present had just been slain in an instant.
1695They did not contemplate fight or flight or whatnot. They sprang on the sole chance of survival which presented itself. Much like himself, they had made the most correct choice to live on.
1696Their fearful eyes looked towards Hejinmal, trying to ingratiate themselves with him. How would they react if he said, “No, I only have one mother”? His absolute master would surely slay the other two without any hesitation.
1697Currently, the power of life and death over the other two Dragons rested in Hejinmal’s hands. However, he could not take delight in this. All he felt was a tremendous sympathy for others in the same situation as himself. At the same time, he planned to have his “mothers” owe him favors for a long time to come.
1698“It is as you say, Your Majesty. I have three mothers!’
1699“Is that so? What a shame. However, a promise is a promise. Alright, I shall spare them… Still, is there only one Dragon corpse? Dragons are far too useful. One does not seem quite enough… What a shame.”
1700After peeking around, the three concubines bowed before Ainz in the pose of submission.
1701“Leave this place and gather all the Dragons here. Then, inform them that you are now under my rule. ...If anyone refuses to accept this, then I will deal with them personally. Now go.”
1702The concubines burst into motion and ran at top speed. It was a speed that either inspired awe in onlookers or frightened them speechless.
1703Hejinmal did not think for a moment that they might try to escape. In the face of this mighty magic caster, their chances of escape were slim to none. They ought to have realised that as well. No, to Hejinmal, it made no difference even if they escaped. After all, if they did so, he would know how the Sorcerer King would find and deal with them.
1704Tok. Someone tapped lightly on Hejinmal’s head, Turning around, he saw his Master’s eyes looking at him.
1705“I have another order for you. It is a very important order. Gather all the Dwarven books you have, including those you have not yet finished, as well as all the other books outside your room, and bring them to me.”
1706“Yes! I understand! I shall do so at once!”
1707After nervously setting the two of them down, Hejinmal ran with all his might.
1708***
1709“So, they’ve gone.”
1710Ainz watched as Hejinmal vanished into the distance. He had inquired about how many Dragons lived here from him. Therefore, if the numbers did not add up, it would still be of benefit to him.
1711There was only one Dragon corpse. After thinking about all the uses he had for it, he wanted more. However, punishing freshly subjugated people who had done nothing wrong for the purpose of generating corpses would violate his ideals of fair reward and punishment.
1712Kuku, Ainz chuckled.
1713If they ran, he would hunt them down, kill them, and take back the corpses. As he pondered how to make use of said corpses, Ainz turned his gaze to the glittering pile of gold which the Dragon before him had been lying on.
1714“That’s a Dragon for you. It’s a veritable mountain of treasure.”
1715It was nothing compared to Nazarick’s Treasury, but it was still the largest pile of wealth he had seen ever since coming to this world.
1716There were gold coins, but those were outnumbered by gold-bearing ores, and what looked like raw gemstones.
1717There was a golden chain over five meters long, a pelt from some beast, golden gloves studded with jewels, a plain staff that looked magical… where had he gotten all these things from?
1718Perhaps only the Dragon that had become a corpse knew.
1719“Umu, hardly any brass or fool’s gold. So most of that is natural gold? Is that a Dragon’s sense of smell at work…”
1720Gondo muttered all that to himself as he studied the glittering ores. Are those any different from gold, Ainz thought, and he resolved himself to properly appraise them once he got home.
1721“I trust there are no problems with exercising my victor’s rights over the Dragon’s hoard?”
1722“Those rights are yours, of course. However, how about trying to open that while nobody’s around?”
1723“Huhu. You’re quite the villain.”
1724“It’s purely for research, of course. Then, please tell me if there is anything you desire, Your Majesty. According to that Dragon, there’s no ledger of treasure or anything, but it might not be good to take a Dwarven treasure that’s too famous.”
1725“Why not say the Dragon took it?”
1726“If that happens, they might request that Your Majesty return the Dragon’s hoard, no? While I don’t think the Council will say anything to Your Majesty, it would be best not to sow the seeds of future conflict, don’t you think?”
1727“It is as you say. Then, I shall open the door to the entrance. It’s better if less people know about what will happen.”
1728“Please, Your Majesty.”
1729Ainz and Gondo went about their respective business.
1730First, Ainz used [Gate] to bring over his Eight Edge Assassins.
1731“─I have an order for you. Search this palace, hidden rooms included, and bring all the books you find to this place. If you meet any Dragons, say you are my subordinates. If you are attacked, you may kill them. However, avoid making the first move. Also… while I doubt there are any around, there might be powerful beings present, so move in groups. If you encounter any such entities, prioritize bringing that information back to me.”
1732Since the books were written in Dwarven, only Gondo could understand them, so Ainz had no choice but to let him read them.
1733As he watched his subordinates disperse through the Royal Palace, Ainz chucked the Dragon corpse through the [Gate].
1734Mm, first I’ll harvest all the materials, and then process them. And then, if the Dragon is willing to accept resurrection, I’ll have another batch on hand. Though I doubt that’s likely...
1735As Yuri Alpha of the Pleiades looked at him, he ordered her to store the corpse on the 5th Floor. In order not to let the corpse rot, he ordered her to put it on ice.
1736“Your Majesty! There are no signs that it was opened. It would seem the treasures should still be in place.”
1737“Really now. Then I shall open it.”
1738He bade Yuri farewell, and after the great doors closed, Ainz stood before the entrance to the Treasury.
1739As he recalled his YGGDRASIL days, elation soared in Ainz’s chest. It had always been an exciting experience to encounter a treasure chest-shaped drop. Even if there was only a single data crystal inside, one would not know before opening it. He felt that same excitement now.
1740However ─ it was forcibly negated.
1741Every time his joyous emotions were cancelled, it gave rise to some measure of displeasure. Even so, it still enlivened him somewhat.
1742Ainz took out a magic item which looked like a board.
1743It was an artifact: Epigonoi.
1744(TL Note: 七门之粉碎者, Shatterer of the Seven Gates)
1745It was a magic item which could only be used seven times, but it possessed the lock-opening abilities of a level 90 thief.
1746It was very valuable, and he did not want to use it if possible, but he had not summoned any vassals with high-level lock-opening abilities. The Eight Edge Assassins were specialized in stealthy combat, and they had very poor lock-opening abilities.
1747“It can’t be helped.”
1748Ainz ─ who very rarely used any rare items he obtained ─ decided to use it after some waffling. It would seem that he was looking forward to the treasures within.
1749He touched the artifact to the Treasury door, and activated its power.
1750As they peeked through the slit of the opening door, Ainz and Gondo clenched their fists.
1751Neither of them said anything, but their expressions said everything.
1752The glitter of gold was little more than a trick of the light. Without any light, it would not shine. However, what they saw was a massive pile of treasure that seemed to shine from within. Unfortunately, the word “tidy” could not be applied to it.
1753“...Amazing.”
1754Much like the Dragon’s hoard, the Dwarven trove could not compare to that of Nazarick, but to Ainz, it was also a commendable sum.
1755Ainz picked up a gold coin. He had never seen coins like this before, and it did not look like the gold pieces used for trade nowadays. However, it did not feel like it was Dwarven-made, simply because of the profile of a human carved onto its surface.
1756“They say that in the past, the Dwarves traded with the huge human nation which ruled the area around this mountain range. This must be a portrait of the ruler of that nation. Runesmiths flourished then; it was their golden age.”
1757“Umu.”
1758Ainz flicked the coin from his fingers, dumping it into the pile of treasure. Gold clinked against gold, producing a crisp sound that pleased the ears.
1759“Then, please excuse me for a moment while I look for technical manuals and any items made by runesmith researchers, and so on.”
1760“Do so. I will look around myself.”
1761Pandora’s Actor would probably be very happy to see this.
1762As he recalled his bizarre attitude, the mental image of Ainz making sure the Treasury’s door was properly locked came to mind.
1763He saw armor and weapons seemingly buried by gold pieces. Would that not damage them? Why did they not mind that damage?
1764I see, if it was neat and tidy, then any thieves who got in could quickly find the treasure they were looking for. So instead they messed things up? If that’s the case, then they might use that old dodge as well…
1765“Gondo, I have something to ask you. Is it possible that there is a secret door under this mountain of treasure?”
1766Gondo looked back in surprise.
1767“I see! ...It’s not impossible, but even if there were, it would be very difficult to find. After all, we would have to move out all the treasure in here.”
1768At the very least, they would need to move the gold coins.
1769“Then, we could estimate the distance from this level to the one below, and if there’s a discrepancy in height we’d be right, then?”
1770“I feel that even if one wanted to put in a secret chamber in this place, it wouldn’t be anything more than a sliding secret door to hide several pieces of treasure. Measuring thickness would also be quite difficult. Also, since this is the Treasury, the walls and floor would naturally be thicker.”
1771Gondo’s gaze seemed to be asking what they should do next, but Ainz shook his head. Frankly speaking, taking the items from here felt like a complimentary gift. It seemed a waste to go to too much effort for it.
1772“That is not our reason for coming here, and we do not know if it really exists. Wasting too much time and effort on it would be foolish. In any event, once the Dwarves come to reclaim their city, we will have them serve as witnesses and buy those items at their proper price.”
1773“I understand. Then I shall go and see if our objective is in this place.”
1774Gondo began searching again, and Ainz picked out several items which seemed more magical than others.
1775“Hm? This is…?”
1776Among those items, Ainz discovered a sword.
1777It might well be the most magical item out of everything here.
1778“Umu… going by levels, it would be around level 50, then?”
1779It was long enough to be considered a longsword, and it was intricately decorated.
1780He was not sure if this was made in YGGDRASIL. But if it was an item of this world, then its magical power would beggar belief. Ainz felt the body of the sword. It was smooth and even.
1781“What a beautiful and exquisite sword. But there are no runes carved on it. How could that be?”
1782Ainz gripped its hilt. In that instant, the sword vibrated. It felt as though mana was flowing through it.
1783“This is… something even I can use?”
1784Ainz could not use longswords due to his class restrictions. However, it would seem this sword had been imbued with some sort of magic which waived that restriction.
1785“Interesting.”
1786After swinging it several times, Ainz casually poked his hand with it.
1787There was no pain. It would seem Ainz’s immunity to attacks below level 60 was still in effect. It did not have the special magic that was imbued into Gazef’s sword.
1788Having lost some of his interest, Ainz cast a spell.
1789“[Greater Magic Item─”
1790“Your Majesty! How goes the search? Did you find anything interesting?”
1791“─Several articles, but I’ll decide which one I want to take afterwards.”
1792“Is that so? I”ll leave you to it, then!”
1793Now that Gondo’s call had interrupted the spell, Ainz tossed the sword back into the pile.
1794While a sword which he could wield was quite interesting, given his present circumstances, it was nothing more than that. Any item Ainz took from here would have to be more special and beneficial.
1795Is that the calibre of the magic items here? What a shame. Well, I guess I shouldn’t have been hoping for a World-Class Item or whatnot.
1796Ainz continued searching, and an item caught his eye.
1797“Gondo, I’ve made my selection. I’m not sure if this is a national treasure, but could you come over and help me take a look?”
1798Part 4
1799“Then, let’s begin.”
1800After saying that to Shalltear , who was standing beside her, Aura unfurled the scroll ─ the World-Class Item she had brought with her ─ and activated its power.
1801[Depiction of Mountains and Rivers].
1802Simply put, it was an item that sealed a target into a closed-off space. To be more precise, it swapped a painted landscape with the real world, and then it would convert the real world into a painted landscape.
1803The definition of “target” in this case was the same as that of the super-tier spell [Change The World], and referred to a specific area. Nothing within that area ─ animate or inanimate ─ could resist its effects.
1804This time, she was going to trap everything within this gigantic cave into the otherworld created by [Depiction of Mountains and Rivers].
1805Shalltear and Ainz were protected by World-Class Items, so they would not be imprisoned within the otherworld. Instead they would appear in the painted landscape which substituted for the region of devoured reality. However, as the item’s user, Aura would automatically be sucked in.
1806This painted world was almost the same as the real world, with nothing strange or outstanding within it. However, it was fundamentally an illusion. Without the power of [Depiction of Mountains and Rivers], once one exited the target area, everything would vanish into mist. In other words, any treasures gained from within the painted world would also dissolve into mist.
1807Of course, the two of them had entered this oublietted segment of reality of their own volition. Normally speaking, World-Class Items could not affect holders of other World-Class Items, but it would be a different matter if those holders accepted that influence. All that was thanks to a patch from the devs.
1808One could choose from 100 otherworlds to overlay onto the targeted portion of reality.
1809For instance, there were lethal lava lands which dealt ongoing fire damage, boreal landscapes which dealt ice damage, thunder plains that rained down lightning strikes at periodic intervals, monsoon regions where visibility was practically zero, or mist-shrouded worlds, as basic options.
1810The strange thing was that there were also battlefields which could be overlaid. After a certain period of time, a sizable number of reinforcements would show up to attack the enemy. However, these troops would only be about 60% as strong as their opponents, so they were generally limited to depleting the enemy’s resources.
1811If one-on-one confrontations were desired, one could instead face the enemy with an equal number of stronger entities, each of which had 80% of the user’s power. Due to this ability, it was quite useful if one’s opponent was to defeat the foe.
1812The most fearsome aspect of this item was not drawing people into an otherworld, but that it allowed the user to choose which targets would suffer its effects. The user could also choose these effects. In other words, even if the user created a region of molten lava, they could exempt chosen people from the fire damage it inflicted.
1813However, it had its weaknesses.
1814Unless specific otherworlds were used, one of 40 escape routes would be randomly chosen during each activation, and if the enemy managed to escape via that route, ownership of the item would transfer to the enemy. Of course, none of these escape routes were simple, but the fact that one could seize the item without defeating its holder meant that obtaining it was easier than most other World-Class Items.
1815This time, Aura chose one of those specific otherworlds, a simple region of sealed-off space.
1816Besides being trapped, the enemy would not suffer any deleterious consequences. However, there was only one specific way to escape from this place.
1817“Alright, Hanzo, I want you to block off the escape route from this world. It’ll be troublesome if any of them got away. Lean over a bit.”
1818The Hanzo leaned over from his hiding place in the shadows, and paid close attention to Aura’s explanation of the escape route.
1819Although Aura had not detected any ambushers nearby, it paid to be careful.
1820“Then, Aura. How many more people have entered this world after the others?”
1821“Hm? Only two people.”
1822That answer meant the enemy did not possess World-Class Items. They breathed a sigh of relief.
1823Shalltear looked around the residences of the old Royal Capital. It was a large city, but it was quiet, as though its citizens had all fled.
1824They had to quickly capture the Clan Lord, the ruler of the Quagoa, and convey the Supreme Being’s words to him. However, their visibility was impeded by the houses and they could not find the place where he was staying.
1825“Can you burn those houses away?”
1826“Hm? I can’t. However, I could create a hazardous environment to deal damage over time. For instance, if there were a line of log houses, we could create a lava region and burn them to ash.”
1827“That might kill them all, so you can’t do that.”
1828“Yeah. Still, I could activate it briefly and deal with everyone who survived… but it would be a shame if their ores melted.”
1829The Quagoa fed their children metal and the like, so there ought to be large quantities of metal or raw ore and minerals lying around. Destroying them would be a waste, and Shalltear agreed.
1830“Besides, Ainz-sama’s order was to see if they were willing to flock to our banner.”
1831“And then he said that if they refused, we would cull their ranks to a specific amount.”
1832“...Shalltear.”
1833After seeing Aura narrow her eyes, Shalltear realised what she was getting at.
1834“It’ll be fine! I won’t mess up this time! I ab-so-lute-ly won’t mess up!”
1835“If only that were the case.”
1836“I think I get it now. You have to use your head. Shall we?”
1837“Mm, let’s go. Then, can I leave the thinning of their numbers to you?”
1838“I think I’m more suitable for that task. Are you okay with that?”
1839Aura’s strength was tied up in her magical beasts, so she was not as good at this sort of thing.
1840“Yeah… If Mare were here, he’d trigger an earthquake and wipe a whole bunch of them out.”
1841“That boy has the strongest area attacks in Nazarick. I’m pretty confident in that field, but my power is limited in a place like this.”
1842Speaking of which, using an earthquake to obliterate them would not fulfil their master’s command of “selection”. If she could do that, then she could simply summon her familiars to perform an indiscriminate massacre.
1843“So you’ve already received orders like that? All these tasks were for you to learn, Shalltear.”
1844Aura repeated the orders their master had handed down many times.
1845“That’s true,” Shalltear replied, and then she mentioned something she had been thinking about for a while.
1846“Judging by the strength of the enemies we’ve encountered so far, it doesn’t look like there’s anyone here who could defeat a Death Knight. Then, could it be that they were beaten by chance? It’s more likely that they used an item or defeated them with a summon that was later recalled… It’s quite rare that Ainz-sama’s predictions are wrong.”
1847Shalltear realised Aura was staring at her. She did not want to ask why she was doing so.
1848“What? Did I miss something?”
1849“It’s not like that… hm… ahhhh. What a dummy~”
1850A look of displeasure crossed Shalltear’s face.
1851If she had missed something out, then why not just tell her directly? It was a while before Aura gave her answer.
1852“Say ─ how could Ainz-sama make that sort of mistake?”
1853“Was getting the Death Knights defeated part of Ainz-sama’s plan? It’s true that Death Knights made by Ainz-sama have very high stats. Nobody we’ve encountered so far should have been able to defeat them…”
1854Aura thumped her fist into her hand. “Is that possible too?” she wondered.
1855“I see. So it’s possible that he intentionally let the opposition kill the Death Knights. I didn’t think that far ahead, but I wanted to say that ‘his predictions weren’t wrong’. The Death Knights went down with the bridge, but I think they died from the fall. Their footprints were there when we passed through that fortress, but they weren’t there on the other side. In other words, they were defeated halfway through. That means, there’s only one reason they could have died.”
1856“If that was the case, does that mean this has exceeded Ainz-sama’s predictions?”
1857“I told you, it’s not like that. If Ainz-sama was talking to you seriously, it might be like what you said, Shalltear.”
1858“What do you mean by that?”
1859Shalltear knitted her brows, unable to understand. Aura went “Ahhhhh!” and stomped her feet.
1860“What do you mean, ‘what do you mean by that? I told you, right? Ainz-sama already knew that the Death Knights died from falling into the Great Rift.”
1861“Ehhh?!”
1862“Haaa… why don’t you think about what happened back then? You see, when Ainz-sama was explaining things to you, I wanted to ask if the Death Knights had been pushed to their deaths, but Ainz-sama looked right at me and ordered me to be quiet. Didn’t you notice? It was in the moment when he gave his instructions.”
1863Shalltear blinked in surprise. She had seen her master make that gesture. At first, she had thought it was because he wanted Aura to keep quiet because he was saying something. However, that Supreme Being was a genius strategist, so Aura’s explanation was more likely as opposed to her potentially flawed reading of the situation,.
1864Still, if that was the case, why had he explained all that to her?
1865“What kind of face are you making? Think about it a little and you’ll know.”
1866Aura’s absentminded words made Shalltear’s heart shrink like it was being tossed around in a whirlpool.
1867“Could it be… for me? Did he do that on purpose to train me? Is that what you mean?”
1868“...What other answer could there be? Along the way, you said there could be a strong enemy and asked Ainz-sama many things. If you knew they had fallen into the Great Rift, would you have asked so much? Ah, can you keep this a secret from Ainz-sama? It’s all because you doubted Ainz-sama…”
1869“You say I doubted Ainz-sama’s ability? How could that be?”
1870Shalltear hoped that she could keep quiet about how she had come out and said that she did not trust the prowess of a Supreme Being.
1871“Well, just keep it a secret. Just as Ainz-sama wanted me to keep it a secret from you, you have to watch your lips too.”
1872“Of course.”
1873When one reflected calmly on this, Aura had committed a mortal sin, that of ignoring a Supreme Being’s orders. However, that was because she felt Shalltear had shown disrespect to the Supreme One...
1874So was it me or Aura who was rude to the Supreme Beings? Or was it neither of us? Hm─
1875Shalltear’s head ached, and she decided to stop quibbling and not brood about the matter of keeping secrets.
1876“...Still, isn’t that a sign of disrespect in itself? Hm…”
1877“...Hm ─ speaking of which, if they don’t submit to Ainz-sama, he said something about cutting them down to about 10’000 people. While he did say to spare some of the females, what about the children?”
1878“Did he specify to leave a certain amount alive?”
1879“Although, don’t they get stronger by eating metals as children? And if we’re going to rule them, wouldn’t children be easier to brainwash? Shalltear─”
1880An evil grin appeared on Aura’s face.
1881“If Ainz-sama didn’t leave any specific instructions, that means… it’s a test, right? While we could always send the Hanzos to ask for directions, Ainz-sama said he left it to you, right? So I think Ainz-sama wanted to see how you would deal with it… Can our Number One Floor Guardian take good care of this task?”
1882Shalltear smiled thinly by way of reply. She had been thinking about this ever since she had been given her orders.
1883“”4’000 males and females and 2’000 children ought to be enough.”
1884“Hm? Hm ─ I guess. You seem to be handling this pretty easily ─ hm?”
1885Aura fell silent and cupped her hand to her ear. Shalltear knew what she was doing and kept as quiet as possible. In the end, she was all smiles.
1886“Ah, I heard what sounded like a large group of Quagoa making their move.”
1887“Are they fleeing, or are they deploying their forces?”
1888“I can’t be perfectly sure because I’m going by sound, but they don’t sound like they’re running away. It’s more like they’re dispersing outside the city.”
1889Apparently, there were 80’000 Quagoa here. Demihumans were the kind who grew stronger with age. In other words, everyone was a soldier. If they mobilized over 10’000 people but deployed them within the city, their advantage in numbers would be cut down by half.
1890While the intruders were so few they did not qualify as an army, they possessed incredible fighting power. The matter of the Dragon should have spread throughout the Quagoa. If that were the case, the smarter people would lead the others outside the city to evacuate, while setting up in formation to lure the enemy into the city for a fight. If a small number of enemies moved into the city, the Quagoa could surround the city and mount waves of attacks to tire them out before dealing the finishing blow with a team of elite warriors. That seemed like the most appropriate battle strategy.
1891In any case, one needed a wide, open space to deploy a large force.
1892Shalltear was hoping for just that.
1893“They’re over there. Then, we should begin negotiations now.”
1894“Of course. We need to work hard so we don’t keep Ainz-sama waiting.”
1895***
1896Over 60’000 battle-capable Quagoa were formed up and waiting for the enemy.
1897Female Quagoa who were not pregnant or bearing children were just as good at fighting as the males, which was how they had managed to mobilize these numbers. Still, despite mustering a force bigger than any in recorded history, Clan Lord Pe Riyuro was not happy at all.
1898This was far too strange. The cave which contained the Royal Capital had suddenly been wreathed in mist.
1899What on earth was going on?
1900The battle-ready troops began lining up, facing the Royal Capital. If the enemy feared their numbers and did not come out, then that would be the best case. Therefore, they took the minimum provisions with them, and left their Dwarven treasures behind. As long as their enemy was not stupid, they would see that there was no point in fighting.
1901However, someone emerged from the Royal Capital.
1902One of them was dressed in red armor, and another was a dark-skinned shorty that was not a Dwarf.
1903According to the ones who had watched the encounter with the Dragon outside the Royal Capital, there should have been two more, but they did not see them. They must have been grabbing treasure, while these two were buying time for them.
1904“In any case, just to confirm, that is not a Golem right?”
1905“Yes, it’s not a Golem.”
1906According to Yozu, the Golems were tall of stature and wore black armor. So that suit of red armor was something else. However─
1907Perhaps that’s a type of Golem. It might be better to think of it that way. Still, why did they come out to face an army in the tens of thousands head-on? Is it because they’re confident of killing us all ─ No way, it can’t be. That’s impossible.
1908Riyuro shook his head to disperse the horrific image that had appeared within it.
1909He could guess that the opposition possessed unimaginable power, given that they had created this bizarre dimension. The fact that they could make a Dragon prostrate before them without a fight also suggested they were very strong.
1910Still, his side numbered over 60’000. It was completely incomparable to having only hundreds or thousands of people. There was no way to fight this many opponents.
1911However, if they were Golems, then it was understandable.
1912Golems did not tire like living beings. They could fight forever, and if they were strong enough to defeat Riyuro, then they could theoretically kill everyone here.
1913Still, that was merely theoretical.
1914Even if only one out of several Quagoa dealt damage through a lucky hit, over the course of thousands of rounds of fighting, the accumulated scratch damage would result in injuries that could take the enemy out of commission.
1915Numbers were strength. With his army of 60’000, as long as they fought on the ground, they should even be able to slay a Dragon Lord.
1916“─I’ll go talk to these people. You wait here. If I’m killed… Well, do as you please.”
1917“It’s too risky,” one of his advisors said, stating the obvious.
1918“...We can’t talk to Golems, so I’ll talk to the one beside it. It would be bad if we didn’t find out their objective, at least.”
1919In any case, Riyuro was determined to attempt a dialogue.
1920The enemy must be strong. That being the case, he would ask them their objective. If they could be reasoned with, then he would not mind paying a certain price. If they could chase off the Dragon Lord, then acknowledging them as their new masters would also be fine. Even if that was impossible, he could pay them more than the Dwarves did in exchange for switching sides.
1921“Nobody must follow me. If a lot of us come at once, it might trigger hostilities.”
1922Without saying anything more to his aides, Riyuro stepped forth.
1923His troops parted on both sides of him, and the opposition seemed to have noticed that someone was coming. He could see the enemy had stopped to observe his movements.
1924“Sorry for the wait.”
1925Riyuro was the first to speak, and his voice made the enemies look at each other.
1926He looked around. As expected, there was nobody else around. There were two other people from that face-off with the Dragon ─ the Dwarf and the skull-helmeted chap ─ neither of which was here.
1927“Hm? Who’re you?” the dark-skinned shorty replied.
1928It would seem the red-armored one was a Golem. It seemed paler and taller than the humanoid next to it. Still, at a glance, there was no telling that it was an artificial being ─ it looked very realistic.
1929“I am Pe Riyuro, Lord of the Quagoa Clans who live in this place. And you ─ who might you be?”
1930“We are under orders from the Supreme Overlord who has come to this land in order to rule you.”
1931It spoke!
1932The red-armored one spoke. Since he heard that Golems could not speak, it was obviously not a Golem.
1933Trying to hide his consternation, Riyuro replied:
1934“Rule?”
1935“Correct. Our Lord has come to subjugate you. Bend the knee and bow before him.”
1936Then, what should I do? Riyuro thought fast.
1937He did not mind bowing and welcoming a new ruler. All they needed to do was grow strong beneath that ruler and then overthrow them.
1938The problem was that they could not submit to the opposition without knowing their power. They might have made that Dragon kneel before them, but that Dragon was not the Dragon Lord. For all he knew, after bending the knee, they might be made to fight the Dragon Lord.
1939“...There should be two more of you. What happened to them?”
1940“You do not need to know. You are only allowed to say if you accept our rule or not.”
1941They were not revealing anything to him. That would mean that investigating the enemy’s intentions ─ whether or not they truly intended to fight in earnest ─ was very important.
1942“...You say you want to rule us. However, it is very difficult for us to accept your proposal without knowing your strength. Does that make sense to you?”
1943In other words, he was implying that “if you tell me how strong you are, I don’t mind being ruled by you.” However, the two of them merely looked at each other and shrugged.
1944“Is that so. Our orders state that if you will not accept our rule, we are to reduce your numbers until you are forced to bend the knee. After that, you are to kill yourselves until there are only 4’000 males, 4000 females and 2000 children left. You should be able to differentiate who is more valuable, am I correct?”
1945“Then, once there are only 10’000 of you left, we will take you back to our country, the Sorcerous Kingdom, where you will be put to work.”
1946Fear coursed through the Clan Lord for an instant.
1947It was not because of the cruel content of the message. It was because they had delivered it in a matter-of-fact tone that was completely devoid of arrogance.
1948He felt that these two people could actually do it.
1949Yes.
1950These two people could kill an army of over 60’000.
1951Were they mad? Were they overconfident? Or─
1952That unbelievable attitude left Riyuro at a loss for what to do next.
1953They could not listen to such insane orders without so much as a fight.
1954Perhaps they had sensed the hostile intent from his side, but the two of them looked at each other, and their faces twisted into grins.
1955The Dwarves were hairy, so he could understand them. These two people had no hair except on the tops of their heads, so he could not read their expressions. Such was the gulf between two different species.
1956“W-wait─”
1957He could not finish his request for them to wait.
1958“─Then, I shall now begin reducing your numbers to an acceptable level. That being the case, do not give your clothes to anyone else.”
1959Normally speaking, the Quagoa did not wear clothes. After all, they were covered in fur from head to toe.
1960However, a king needed to show his authority, and thus he needed something to easily differentiate himself from others. That was why he wore clothing and a crown made by Dwarves, with the sigil of the Clan Lord. At the same time, he could let others wear them to serve as doubles for him, in order to deceive enemies from other races.
1961Had they seen through that plan and thus tried to cut him off halfway?
1962Taking out the enemy leadership to cripple the enemy army was the most obvious victory condition. However, why had they not done that?
1963No, that’s not it. There’s another reason for that… Could it be… That must be it. They’re not trying to kill me, they’re trying not to kill me by accident!
1964The differences between species ran very deep. However, as long as he wore his clothes, they could tell who the Clan Lord was and thus they would spare him. That was the meaning of their haughty declaration.
1965“Then, isn’t it about time you went back? We will start once your side moves towards us. I would be glad if you picked out the ones you wanted to survive before that.”
1966“Hurry up and go back.”
1967They waved him off, indicating that he should return. In other words, there was no need to negotiate any further.
1968This was far too different from his expectations.
1969I told them I was willing to bend the knee, but why couldn’t they make even a little concession? If they aren’t even willing to do that… does that really mean they view our lives as worthless…?
1970In the face of this arrogance, the Clan Lord struggled to suppress the terror overflowing from this heart.
1971In any case… they can’t possibly cut the 60’000 people here down to 10’000… Yes. That must be it. They must have lost their minds after seeing our forces!
1972Under normal circumstances, that sort of thinking would be correct. Even Dragons could not reduce their numbers by such large amounts.
1973In that moment, realization struck the Clan Lord.
1974Could it be that they intend to mount flying hit-and-run attacks?
1975If they fought like Dragons, then things would be very tricky.
1976Deploying in a wide open area like this would be detrimental instead.
1977Then, should he pull his forces back to the residential district?
1978However, that would be very dangerous. If the enemy could destroy buildings, then it would cause great damage to their homes. In the end, this was the only place they could fight.
1979After returning to his troops, the Clan Lord gathered his aides.
1980“Was that a Golem? ...What happened? You look very uncomfortable.”
1981His expression must have frightened the other two. The Clan Lord patted his face and gave his orders.
1982“Ahh… In any case, gather the Blue and the Red Quagoa.”
1983“Will they be a personal guard?”
1984“Not just that. Gather all the exceptional individuals of each Clan together.”
1985***
1986Riyuro gave voice to a mighty cry. It was a cry infused with the skill he had obtained when he had ascended to the position of Clan Lord. As he saw his army of over 10’000 charge the enemy in response to the cry, he even felt a little pleased. However, the results of that charge were too horrible to watch. Like a flow of water striking a wall, the charging soldiers struck an invisible barrier and were sent flying.
1987What splashed everywhere was not frothy water, but Quagoa ─ or what used to be Quagoa. Perhaps a sight like this would be fitting of Dragons or Giants, but their opponents were creatures that were even smaller than Quagoa.
1988“They’re flying…” one of his aides muttered dumbly to himself.
1989This was not a metaphor. The charging Quagoa were literally flying through the air. Neither did they do so one by one. Several dozens of them were sent flying all at once.
1990Their pulverized corpses became a shower of meaty chunks which rained down on their comrades. The gore-caked troops continued their charge, whereupon they become lumps of flesh themselves which fell on yet more of their companions. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
1991For some reason, the fact that they could not see any blood spurting made the sight even more surreal.
1992“What, what the, what the hell is that?!”
1993Riyuro did not even have the strength to answer his advisor’s mournful cry. His thoughts merely leaked out through his mouth in the form of words.
1994“This many…”
1995“Clan Lord! What is that!? It’s nothing like the Golems we saw before!”
1996They smashed away every single Quagoa charging them in a single blow. This was no longer a battle. It was not even a massacre. It was simply disposal. The comrades he had gathered to increase their influence were now being mangled up in vast quantities like so much rubbish.
1997“We, we have to run!”
1998“Where will you run to?!”
1999He shouted at his panicked aides.
2000“Where can you run to in this strange dimension?! These people said they’re going to kill us until there’s only 10’000 of us left!”
2001His aides had nothing to say.
2002After seeing this overwhelming ─ this monstrous strength, they understood that their threats were not a joke. While it was hard to believe, they had no choice but to believe it. Out of their 80’000 citizens, only 10’000 would be permitted to survive.
2003Although he wanted to beg their forgiveness right now, there was no warmth in the eyes of those two. Even that Dragon Lord’s eyes held more compassion.
2004They have no intention of changing their statement to cut us down to 10’000 people.
2005“That’s impossible! Clan Lord! What the hell are they? What have the Dwarves brought here?!”
2006“Why are such tiny people so powerful…”
2007As he heard his advisors, another flash of inspiration struck Riyuro.
2008“Could it be that red-armored chap is also a Dwarven weapon? They sent something stronger because they knew the Golems were destroyed?”
2009“...So if we defeat it, they’ll send something even stronger than that?”
2010The cries of his men echoed all around. Only the region around Riyuro was silent.
2011“Let’s pull the men back─”
2012“Stop! They have to fight! There’s no other way out for us! However strong it is, it’ll get tired eventually! When that happens, we’ll wait until it can’t swing its weapon any more, then force them to negotiate and demand concessions from them!”
2013“I, I see… But… Will it really get tired?”
2014He had mentioned something Riyuro had thought of in the corner of his mind. However─
2015“In any case, as long as it lives, it ought to get tired. It might have more stamina than us, but it’ll definitely get tired. Until then, make it keep swinging its weapon! ...Even if it doesn’t get tired, once it gets bored of killing we might be able to discuss something.”
2016The Clan Lord was reluctant to speak the words which came next, but they had to be said.
2017“Besides, we can’t win even if we fight it! Not against a monster like that.”
2018His troops would not be demoralized to the point of flight. The cry Riyuro had used to sound the charge turned his men into warriors that did not know fear. Much like the Berserk state of Berserkers, it increased their attack strength but reduced their defense. More importantly, they were immune to all fear-related effects. However, the fact that they would not refuse the Clan Lord’s orders no matter how dangerous they were could be said to be a double-edged sword.
2019The great mass of soldiers continued charging without ever looking back, and they were cut down to half their previous number with such swiftness that hardly anyone could believe it.
2020At this point, nobody had the strength to speak.
2021The fact that this tragedy was unfolding before them and it was the doing of one person traumatized their hearts.
2022All except for one person.
2023That person ─ Riyuro ─ scraped up the last of his courage.
2024“You chosen heroes!”
2025He could not raise his voice.
2026Riyuro saw the Red and Blue Quagoa before him, as well as the other Quagoa with special abilities, all of whom had been formed up into the strongest combat units of the clans.
2027The reason why none of them responded to Riyuro’s cry was because they were all watching that suit of red armor with despair in their eyes.
2028They too must have felt that they had no hope of victory. When they had first been gathered, their eyes had shone, but now there was no light in their eyes, as though they were dead.
2029He had chosen not to drive them berserk to preserve their defensive strength, but it had been the wrong decision.
2030The Clan Lord raised his voice to try and psyche them up.
2031“You are our ace in the hole! The enemy has killed many of our comrades, so it should be tired! You will be able to make it suffer!”
2032It ought to be tired ─ he said that, but there was no sign of it. That red suit of armor showed no signs of stopping as it cut every single Quagoa which charged it to pieces and sent the chunks flying into the air, swinging and thrusting its strange lance-like weapon without end.
2033“That’s right! No matter what, it’s living, so it’ll get tired! You can do it! Go! Our heroes!”
2034WIth a prayer in his heart, Riyuro sent out those heroes.
2035He gave his men orders to clear the path to the red suit of armor. Then, the heroes would assault the red armor─
2036─Riyuro closed his eyes.
2037“My, my Lord… Mighty Clan Lord of us all…”
2038After hearing his aides’ trembling voices, he slowly opened his eyes.
2039“You… you don’t need to say anything. I know. I, I saw it too…”
2040Nothing had changed. That was right. It had made no difference.
2041Just like the regular soldiers, the chosen heroes had been chopped into mincemeat and sent flying as lumps of flesh. And it had all happened in an instant. They had met the same end as the regular soldiers.
2042“...So… so…”
2043Riyuro could not say anything else. Although he did not know what that red suit of armor was, it was something which was undoubtedly stronger than a Dragon.
2044Riyuro could no longer feel anything. If he simply waited quietly for time to pass, the outcome would be as the enemy willed it.
2045“...said they wanted 2’000 children. Pick out that amount.”
2046“My Lord…:
2047“...There’s nothing else we can do. Even if there’s only 10’000 of us, as long as we survive, someday… someday, we can make the Quagoa great again…”
2048Nobody could say anything in the face of Riyuro’s words. That was because everyone clearly understood in their hearts.
2049They understood that there was nothing else they could do.
2050Riyuro’s head drooped powerlessly. It was as though he had been walking in a safe place, and then suddenly ambushed by a monster..
2051“Speaking of which, what is the Sorcerous Kingdom, anyway? Does it have anything to do with the Dwarves? Someone please tell me…”
2052His muttering came straight from the heart.
2053However much he tried to deny it, the carnage before his eyes gave him the feeling that an even greater tragedy would soon come.
2054Suddenly, he saw his Quagoa servants holding cages, Those were the cages used for storing food lizards. Riyuro knew that now was not the time for this, but the stress on him made him reach out to the cage. He grabbed a live lizard, but just as he was about to bite its head off, an intense pain coursed through his belly, bending his body into a ã„‘shape.
2055There was no way he could beat the absolute ruler who would soon subjugate his race. The idea of flourishing again was so outlandish that even he had nothing to say in its defense. No matter how many generations passed, they would never be able to rise up in revolt. The Quagoa of the Azellisia Mountain Range would forever wear collars in service to their dreaded master.
2056The wildly-thrashing lizard slipped from Riyuro’s hands and vanished between his men’s legs. Riyuro went “ahh” in what was more a sigh than a shout, and then he collapsed into silent sobbing from sheer misery.
2057“If you were that strong, you should have said so in the first place! Why, why didn’t you tell me!”
2058The whimpering of the Quagoa Lord, hailed by his people as the greatest ruler in their history, blended with the screams of the children as his own soldiers butchered them.
2059Part 5
2060Ainz and Gondo left the treasury together. A flight of Dragons bowed their heads before them. There were 19 of them in total, including Hejinmal.
2061In other words, all the Dragons Hejinmal had mentioned were here. Now there would be no need to hunt them down.
2062...It’s good that they’re all being obedient, but it’s a shame that I don’t have more Dragon corpses… Should I find some excuse to kill a few more? No, that would be evil. Then why not let them breed and then harvest them later… hm? Isn’t that the same thing?
2063“─Most Exalted Sorcerer King. Your faithful servants have gathered before you.”
2064Hejinmal spoke as Ainz was thinking. Putting aside his contemplations for the moment, Ainz replied:
2065“Raise your heads.”
2066The kneeling Dragons raised their heads as one.
2067Due to the massive size of their bodies, they were far taller than Ainz once they rose, but there was no sense of them looking down on him.
2068However, there were a few surprised looks among them.
2069They had heard about it, but it was still hard to believe that Ainz had slain the Dragon Lord, their father. Or rather, even Ainz would think the same thing if he were in their shoes. There were many things which had to be seen to be believed.
2070Just as Ainz was thinking that, one of the Dragons roared.
2071“I won’t accept this! To think the person who killed Father is actually ─ what?”
2072Ainz walked in front of the roaring Dragon. Then he smiled, and beckoned with his hand, as though to say “Give it your best shot.”
2073The Dragon swiped its claws at Ainz.
2074They were fast, but not as fast as the Troll he had fought recently.
2075Ainz did not dodge them. He took the Dragon’s attack head-on. The Dragon -- who thought Ainz could not evade in time -- grinned broadly, but when he realized that Ainz had no need to dodge, that grin froze on his face. After making sure that the Dragon knew that, Ainz cast a spell.
2076“[Grasp Heart].”
2077Ainz’s gaze moved from the Dragon who had collapsed like his father, and turned to the others.
2078“Is there no one else?”
2079After that quiet query, the Dragons were bowed even lower than they had been earlier, as though they were trying to lie flat on the ground. Nobody here doubted Ainz’s power any more.
2080Ainz opened a [Gate] and chucked the Dragon’s corpse through it. Then he took Gondo and got onto Hejinmal’s back.
2081His mother’s back was larger, so mounting would be more suitable for a ruler than taking Hejinmal.
2082However, Ainz had already ridden Hejinmal all the way here, so he might as well ride him the rest of the way.
2083“Leave this city. My subordinates should be waiting there.”
2084The Dragon flight took wing in unison, and the Hanzos led them to a place where many Quagoa were kneeling down.
2085The sight of countless Quagoa in silent prostration was quite bizarre, and as Gondo saw this, he croaked hoarsely.
2086Ainz was about to make the same noise himself, but he could not do such a thing in front of his Guardians, whose brightly smiling faces seemed to say, “We worked really hard!”
2087“Ainz-sama! As you ordered, we’ve finished the selection from the Quagoa. There are 4’000 males, 4’000 females and 2’000 children. The rest are all corpses. Also, we allowed them to recover the intact bodies and place them elsewhere.”
2088“I see. So they rejected my compassion, but now they cling desperately to their final chance for survival. What a bunch of fools.”
2089The clothed Quagoa kneeling in front of all the others shuddered visibly.
2090“Then, where is their king?”
2091“Over there,” Shalltear pointed. As expected, it was the trembling Quagoa. Before Ainz summoned him, he activated his halo of obsidian radiance. According to his research, that effect best suited a ruler.
2092As he listened to the mutterings and whisperings from the Dragon flight, he called out to the Quagoa Lord.
2093“King of the Quagoa, raise your head.”
2094“Yes!”
2095The Quagoa Lord’s body shook violently as he raised his head. Then, his eyes went wide, and he went still, as though he had been frozen.
2096Ainz could clearly hear him going “Hiiiiiiiieee…”
2097“...I am known as a merciful king. The sin of not immediately accepting my proposal shall be absolved by the blood of your people. Yet, if you will give your lives and your loyalty to me, I shall guarantee your prosperity.”
2098“Understood!! We are your servants, and all our children and our children’s children shall grind ourselves to dust in Your Majesty’s service!!!”
2099“A good answer. It pleases me.”
2100“Yes!!!! Thank you very much!!!!!”
2101As though to terminate the conversation, Ainz waved his hand, as though to indicate that the Quagoa Lord could resume his submissive posture.
2102Excellent! It seems all my practice paid off.
2103The endless repetition of lines and poses before the mirror had finally borne fruit. After striking a victory pose in his heart, Ainz turned back to his two Guardians, who had flawlessly discharged their duties.
2104“You have done very well. I am very proud of the two of you.”
2105“Thank you very much!”
2106“Your words have cleansed my heart of the shame of my previous mistake, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
2107“Hm, hm…”
2108After seeing Shalltear’s delight, Ainz was sure that he had used the right words.
2109“Then, is this amount alright? If it’s too much, we can cull them again until their numbers please you, Ainz-sama.”
2110“No, there’s no need for that… this ought to be a good number. Come to think of it, could any of them become powerful adversaries? Not by our standards, of course, but by those of the people of this world.”
2111“My deepest apologies. Those people were─”
2112“No, that’s not it. The Clan Lord whom you spoke to was considered quite strong, although we never saw his strength.”
2113“Is that so…”
2114While he was not sure how the Death Knights had been defeated, it was most likely a coincidence. For all he knew─
2115They might have fallen into the Great Rift...
2116As he thought of that, Ainz felt deeply ashamed. Realizing that he had been mistaken after lecturing Shalltear so passionately made his face feel like it was about to erupt in flames ─ and then, the shame was gone. In its place was a smoldering depression. And then, as he thought about how Shalltear had been taking notes, it deepened ─ and then he was back to normal.
2117Should he try to bluff his way through this?
2118However, if he messed it up, they might tell the others, “Ainz-sama said this, but actually~” and so on.
2119This is bad! This is really bad! I shouldn’t have gotten carried away by my joy and lectured them like that! I feel like crying now.
2120Ainz sighed deeply.
2121Well, come to think of it, isn’t this a good chance to tell the Guardians that I can mess up too? From there, I can move from the position of an incredibly wise ruler to an ordinary ruler, and that might free me from my emotional torment. And if I do that, the Guardians might notice my mistakes and warn me about them.
2122He ordered the Dragons to leave, because he knew they had very keen senses. Then, he had the Quagoa move some distance away. Gondo looked very lonely all by himself, but he would just have to bear with it.
2123Once the three of them were alone, Ainz gulped.
2124What he would do next might well send all his hard work down the drain. Ainz felt uneasy over how the way the situation would change and what might happen in the future. His body ─ which knew no fear ─ started to feel afraid. Despite that, he gathered up his courage to speak.
2125“Ah, you two, listen up. ...Do you remember what I said about the possibility of a being in this place that could easily defeat the Death Knights?”
2126The two of them looked at each other, and their faces suggested that they had realised something.
2127“Yes, that. It seems I was mistaken. Maybe the Dragon I killed could have destroyed the Death Knights, but it doesn’t seem like anybody else could.”
2128“I understand, Ainz-sama. Your words were intended to make me learn. To think that you had to disgrace yourself on account of my inexperience… I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, tender my utmost gratitude to your exalted self for your merciful considerations!”
2129“...Eh?”
2130Much to Ainz’s surprise, they were looking at him with respect in their eyes. In particular, Shalltear’s face was flushed red, her eyes were moist, her lips were pressed flat and her mouth was quivering as though she was on the verge of tears.
2131What part of that deserved respect? It baffled Ainz. Had he touched their hearts in some way?
2132Also, I should deny what Shalltear said, right? No, Shalltear learned a lot from this journey. Then I’ll put my faith in you, Shalltear!
2133“It seems you realized it, Shalltear.”
2134“Yes!!”
2135Their eyes seemed to shine even brighter.
2136Say what─? Ainz thought that, but he still had to clarify himself.
2137“Still, even I can fail, and I can make mistakes. I hope you will keep that fact in your hearts.”
2138“Yes! While I don’t think it’s possible for our great ruler to ever make a mistake, I understand, Ainz-sama!”
2139Shalltear seemed to have reached the limits of her endurance. She sank to her knees and began sobbing. As she clenched her teeth and wept copiously, Aura put her hand on Shalltear’s shoulders, her own eyes brimming with tears. While it was a touching scene which illustrated their friendship, Ainz had no idea what was going on, and all he could think about was where Shalltear ─ as an undead creature ─ was secreting her tears, saliva and other bodily fluids from. Thus, he took refuge from reality by thinking about biology.
2140While Ainz had no idea how things had gotten this way, he decided to leave things as they were for now. Yes, there were far too many things in this world which defied understanding, or rather, they were situations where he had to feign said understanding. That was how he felt when he listened to his CEO explain important cases.
2141Ainz felt that this was merely kicking the can down the road, but at the same time, he felt that his future self who would encounter the problem again would be a better person. Thus, Ainz did the only thing his present self could do now.
2142After kneeling down in front of Shalltear, he wiped her tears away, like a parent would for their child.
2143And then, in that moment, even more tears coursed down her cheeks.
2144“Ainzsh-shama…”
2145“Alright, alright. Don’t cry, Shalltear. I told you the same thing back then, didn’t I? You can’t waste your beautiful face on tears.”
2146“Wash I usheful to you?”
2147“Yes. You did very well. You were everything I expected of one of my Guardians.”
2148“Ainzsh-shama─~”
2149Shalltear clutched the material of Ainz’s robes.
2150“Er, erm. Alright, it’s about time you stopped crying.”
2151“O-okie…”
2152Shalltear looked up at Ainz as she breathed in through her nose and tried to wipe her tears away.
2153“Thank you so much for all the kindness you have shown me!”
2154“Mm, hm. Alright, then we ought to move on now. There’s still a lot to be done, no?”
2155***
2156The Council Chamber had been noisy all morning, but after receiving the latest piece of news ─ it fell silent.
2157If they were not hugging their heads, they were scratching them. Not a single Dwarf in the room could stay calm.
2158And then, someone spoke.
2159“...He’s back.”
2160“...Well, that… that was fast. Did he really… really take back the Royal Capital?”
2161“...Are you trying to find fault with him?”
2162“What a brave fellow you are, putting yourself at odds with the monster ─ no, the mighty being ─ who returned after seizing control of that Dragon’s nest of a Royal Palace. I’d say you’re as brave as that hero-king from the legends. ...By the way, please tell him that all of us believed in His Majesty from the beginning.”
2163According to the messenger, he seemed to have returned on Dragonback.
2164Dragons were very strong, and thus they were very proud. They were thus very interested in how anyone could have performed the shocking feat of subjugating such a being.
2165The obvious explanation was that he had used magic to force its compliance. However, when they took into consideration the matchless might of the Sorcerer King, it was equally plausible that he could have cowed the Dragon into submission by sheer force alone.
2166No, the latter was more likely. It did not seem like that Sorcerer King needed any magic to rule over Dragons. The absurd mental image of a Dragon kneeling before him in submission even flitted through his mind.
2167The Director of Food Production sighed deeply, and then he turned a stiff, stern gaze on everyone else.
2168“Then, what should we do? We’re out of time, aren’t we? His Majesty has returned. If we don’t meet him right away, we’ll be in trouble. That means we have to make a decision right away, about that ─ about the Forgemaster!”
2169The Forgemaster had fled the country with the metal ingot which the Sorcerer King had entrusted to him.
2170Needless to say, the act of running away with an item that another country had given to them for the purpose of making something was unforgivable.
2171This black mark would be visible for all to see when the Dwarven nations made deals with other nations.
2172It was a fatal blow to a country which traded on its smithing abilities.
2173Who would commission any work from a country with such a bad reputation? Worse still, it was not an average blacksmith who had run off with the item, but a member of the nation’s leadership. It might well be interpreted as the nation pulling strings behind the scenes.
2174As they imagined the future which might result from this, they began searching, all the while discussing what they should do if they could not find it.
2175However, none of them could find an answer which would result in the Sorcerer King granting them his forgiveness.
2176“...I still can’t believe he actually ran off with that ingot…” the Cabinet Secretary muttered, but those words had no meaning here. They were long past the point of feeling anything for them
2177The commander-in-chief looked coldly at the Cabinet Secretary.
2178“Then what should we do? There’s no doubt that he ran away with the ingot. We’ve also received eyewitness reports of the Forgemaster leaving.”
2179“...Could he have been controlled by the Sorcerer King’s magic?”
2180The room returned to silence in an instant.
2181Nobody here actually expressed their agreement with the statement, but rather, the commander-in-chief grew more and more displeased.
2182“Even if you don’t want to acknowledge this crime committed by a fellow Dwarf, by one of us, anyone who says that about the person who reclaimed the Royal Capital that we could not… simply put, that person is the scum of the Dwarves.”
2183“─Don’t be like that, commander-in-chief. You should know as well; he searched the hardest among all of us, and he’s the most tired.”
2184“I don’t think the problem can be explained by simply saying that he was fatigued…”
2185“Well, let’s leave non-constructive talk like that for later, Commander-in-chief. We need to make a decision about more important matters now. Should we inform His Majesty right away? I feel it might be better to try and delay things and use the time to continue searching. What do you think?”
2186The Merchant’s Guildmaster shook his head.
2187“It’s a bad move. That leads to the problem of us covering things up. We might as well come clean and beg forgiveness. Besides, have we found him yet? For all we know, he might be in the belly of a magical beast now. If only we could recover the ingot… that idiot.”
2188This was not something they should be saying about a friend, but nobody would speak out against the people rebuking the Forgemaster for causing such a big problem. On the contrary, the commander-in-chief even nodded in approval.
2189“Fortunately, he didn’t take the shortsword as well. But, ah, well, if we apologize… will we be forgiven? ...Well, it’s not like we can do anything but apologize.”
2190“It’s important to apologize, but it’s even more important to state the truth. And after that, all we can do is accept whatever terms he dictates.”
2191Everyone agreed on this.
2192“Then, what will he demand from us?”
2193The Dwarves did not know what metal made up the ingot which had been taken, so they could not estimate its value. This, they could not suggest payment in cash terms. If they underestimated the value of the item, they might end up angering the Sorcerer King beyond all hope of their relationship ever recovering.
2194Therefore, they had to let the Sorcerer King name his price. Still, would he actually ask for money? They imagined that he would ask for something else, but even they could not imagine what exactly he would ask for.
2195“I can’t think of anything. Let’s turn it around ─ what can we agree to? No… what requests should we deny him?”
2196“Can we even do that? It would be hard, right? This city might have historical value, but we don’t have any national treasures of a physical or magical nature.”
2197When the Demon Gods had rampaged through the Royal Capital, only one member of the Dwarven royal family had survived. He was the last king of the Dwarves, known as the “Runesmith King”, and after taking powerful magic items with him on his journey, there had been nothing left behind which could be considered national treasures.
2198“...Oh! I’ve got it! What about the Treasury within the Royal Capital?”
2199“We talked about this earlier, didn’t we? Saying that sort of thing to the person who reclaimed the Royal Capital for us is just too… Still, it’s also true that there’s nothing else.”
2200Looking around, everyone nodded in a show of agreement.
2201“...Hopefully, the Dragons didn’t destroy it.”
2202“Don’t say that. ...Then, let’s invite the Sorcerer King to enter by himself this time.”
2203***
2204Hm? There’s one less person. What happened?
2205There was a strange expression on the faces of all the Dwarves as Ainz entered the room.
2206The one who spoke for them was ─ well, they all looked the same to Ainz, so he had no idea who it was. All he knew was that it was certainly not the commander-in-chief. He began with “Thank you for reclaiming the Royal Capital” and launched into a long string of thanks, which made Ainz feel tired. Then, once he had forgotten what they were talking about in the first place, the commander-in-chief’s mood changed.
2207“There is also another matter which we must tender our sincere apologies, Your Majesty. The ingot which Your Majesty entrusted to us has been stolen by the Forgemaster, who fled the nation with it. We are currently searching for him, but we have had no luck in finding him. ...Your Majesty gave us that ingot and your trust, but yet an incident like this occurred on our part. We do not know where to begin apologizing.”
2208The Dwarves bowed as one.
2209Frankly speaking, Ainz had no idea what was going on. Therefore he asked:
2210“Why would he do something like that?”
2211Did running away with the ingot mean that he was going to sell it to someone? Was it financial greed that made one of the Dwarven nation’s councillors abandon his post?
2212For a moment, Ainz wanted to say that there was a player involved, moving their hidden pawns in the Dwarven nation. However, a player would not need an ingot like that. It was not valuable enough to make people forsake their position, even for very low-levelled players That being the case, it would have been more advantageous to keep their subordinate hidden and in a position of power.
2213“We don’t know. We honestly do not know. None of us have any idea why he would perform such a rash act.”
2214“...Then, my next question: what about the armor I requested?”
2215The Dwarves exchanged glances.
2216“...We cannot possibly apologize enough for that. While he left the shortsword, he took the ingot, and we are unable to return it to you. We have already sent out search parties and we will return it once we find it. Then, if you will permit it, please allow us to offer a substitute for the armor. While it pales in comparison to the ingot you entrusted to us, it is the greatest effort we can muster.”
2217“We plan to prepare three sets of adamantite chainmail, and then enchant them to the best of our ability.”
2218“If ─ if you desire a shield, we can fashion one for you out of orichalcum.”
2219“Umu…”
2220Now if he were a malicious customer with a complaint, now would be the best time to make a scene. However, Ainz did not want to be such a customer.
2221Still, the loss of the ingot─
2222─Does it pain me? It’s not rare; I have many more like it. ...And for all I know the metal isn’t found here, but it might be obtainable in other regions. That being the case, it’ll be better to have more suits of armor, right? They did say they were going to enchant them too… Plus, even if they do find that ingot, it’s not like they’re going to ask for all the other items back, right? That would make this a pretty good deal...
2223“...If you don’t have it, it can’t be helped. Then, let’s leave matters at that. Discuss this with Zenberu later and prepare what he wants.”
2224The Dwarves sighed in relief.
2225Should he have given them a harder time? Still, it would be bad if people doubted his kingliness due to his pettiness. In that case, perhaps accepting their offer would allow others to view him as a generous person.
2226Still, they ought to be alright with a request or two.
2227“...Then, may I add another request to that?”
2228“...What is it, Your Majesty?”
2229Their stiff voices implied indicated that they were all on guard against him.
2230“There is no need to be so tense. It isn’t a big matter, after all. I simply wish your country’s support for the matter of recruiting runesmiths.”
2231“What, what do you mean by that?”
2232“Could you hold a ceremony in this country and make a public announcement about them working in my nation? That would surely make them happy.”
2233The Dwarves looked at each other and nodded instantly.
2234“Really now. Then please allow my nation to handle the matter of catering. Preparing for these will take some time, so I hope you won’t mind my staying here for a while.”
2235There were no objections from the Dwarves.
2236Ainz smiled in his heart. Now he would not need to return to E-Rantel.
2237At first, he thought he would have to spend more time on all this, but in the end he had taken back the Royal Capital in a flash. That was bad.
2238The first reason was because he wanted to inform Albedo about the Empire’s request for vassalage with [Message], so she could plan it with Demiurge. Things would be very bad if he were present. Therefore, Ainz needed a reason to not go back.
2239Also, he wanted to improve his friendly relationship with the Dwarves, which was also a very understandable reason.
2240Ainz also wanted to learn three pieces of information from the Dwarven city:
22411: The presence or absence of players. If there were none now, there might still have been some around in the past.
22422: Further investigation of runes and related information. He did not know enough about this topic. He had already learned quite a bit from the runesmiths; runes had been around for a long time, but it was unclear when exactly they had appeared and who had introduced them. Part of the reason was the chaos of the Demon Gods’ attack, but Hejinmal’s books did not contain any information on this, and neither did the Treasury.
22433: Knowledge on smithing and ores. Now that he had enlisted the runesmiths to his cause, all he had to do was slowly tease that information out of them. However, there did not seem to be any of the prismatic ores here, as expected.
2244Regarding the second point, Ainz intended to have the Dwarves find out more when after they returned to the Royal Capital in the future, which was why he needed a firm friendship with them.
2245***
2246The long lines of tables were set with many plates, each of which was laden with a sumptuous variety of dishes.
2247The piping hot food exuded a bewitching aroma, which drifted over to Ainz.
2248As one of the undead, Ainz had no desire for food, but the remnants of Suzuki Satoru did. His wish to try some and his curiosity over how it would taste pricked at him.
2249This body does have its good and bad points...
2250He could curb his hunger, but not his curiosity. After all, his curiosity was part of his mind, which was not affected by his undead body.
2251Perhaps if the dishes before him were made by the chefs of E-Rantel or Nazarick, it might not piqued his curiosity so, but these were made by Dwarves.
2252Since the runesmiths wanted to bring their entire families to the Sorcerous Kingdom, they had their wives, mothers, daughters and other female relatives cook for the event. Of course, most of the 2’000 shares of food here today were supplied by Ainz ─ by Nazarick.
2253Of course, Ainz was not a person who would use items wastefully, so most of these were essentially E-Rantel’s cuisine. The meat had been collected by the Dragons from this mountain range, while the wine had been sourced from the Kingdom and the Empire by those traders who remained in E-Rantel.
2254The tables were groaning with plates of food, but even now the ladies were still serving up the food they had made.
2255There was little difference in the external appearance of Dwarven males and females. The biggest difference lay in their beards. Male beards were very long, and they were typically woven into three braids, while female beards were sparser. That said, sparse still meant that their beards resembled those of human males. However, the ladies seemed to have a habit of trimming the whiskers under their noses.
2256I don’t really see how it’s a habit… Well, that’s culture for you. The Sorcerous Kingdom has gathered all sorts of humanoids. Probing too deeply about this sort of thing might cause problems in the future.
2257Ainz turned his gaze away from the ladies who were still serving food. His eyes crossed the countless Dwarven heads before him and rested on the raised platform in front of him.
2258Some of the smiths bound for the Sorcerous Kingdom were standing with the members of the Council.
2259And then, the Council informed them about the migration to the Sorcerous Kingdom.
2260“It has begun.”
2261“So it has.”
2262The answer came from Gondo, who stood by Ainz’s side.
2263“...You’re their representative. Is it alright if you don’t stand out there in front of them?”
2264“Give me a break, Your Majesty. I’m almost useless as a runesmith. It would be a shame to let someone like me represent them. ...Wouldn’t you be a better choice, Your Majesty?”
2265Ainz and Gondo locked eyes for a moment, and then they chuckled.
2266Naturally, Ainz simply did not want to stand on the stage to meet and greet people. His earlier words were simply something he had forced out.
2267“Still…” Gondo’s face turned serious. “I can’t thank you enough, Your Majesty.”
2268“Why is that?”
2269“This farewell party. Please look at the people on stage.”
2270Ainz looked at the stage once more. They were not finished speaking, and that was all that came to mind. However, it would be a bit insensitive to say that he had not noticed anything after Gondo had brought it up.
2271“Umu… I see…”
2272In the end, he simply used the appropriate answer as a smokescreen.
2273“It is as Your Majesty surmises. Everyone’s eyes have changed.”
2274“Indeed, they have,” Ainz replied without thinking, though he still had no idea what was going on. “Still, why is that?”
2275Gondo chuckled, like he found it amusing.
2276“It is the joy of feeling admiring gazes on them once more. Today’s ceremony ─ with dishes made with ingredients never seen before, as well as all kinds of alcohol ─ was to let the runesmiths realize that they weren’t being sold, but being hired by the Sorcerous Kingdom.”
2277“I’ll be expecting great things of them, you know?”
2278“Mm. I remember I once said that I would repay Your Majesty’s kindness. That applies to the others as well. Thank you very much. Oops, looks like it’s about time, Your Majesty.”
2279After taking a large stein of beer from Gondo, he thumped it against the table like the others were doing. Ainz then raised a tiny cup of liquor in a toast, and then gave it back to Gondo because he could not drink it.
2280The Dwarves ─ who had been holding themselves back all this while ─ burst into activity. Many Dwarves flocked towards the food, gorging themselves nonstop with the dishes on display.
2281“What’s this? It’s amazing! Did your wife really make this?”
2282“Mm. His Majesty provided the ingredients. We had a lot of failures while trying it.”
2283“Mhm. It’s good, that’s a fact. But to an old fogey like me, it could stand to be a bit blander.”
2284“You’re meant to wash it down with wine.”
2285“What? Let me try… Ohoh! Incredible! The taste is just right!”
2286“The wine’s good too. I wonder if my wife could make this too?”
2287“It seems that the Sorcerous Kingdom will be sending us food for some time. Looks like we’ll be eating well, then.”
2288“I’d rather have their wine. This is from the Sorcerous Kingdom, right? Better be prepared to pay!”
2289They talked at the top of their voices as they ate. And then─
2290“I envy those runesmiths. They get to eat this sort of thing whenever they like?”
2291“No, these should be pretty expensive, right?”
2292“Doesn’t seem that way, does it? Look, in human countries, vegetables are cheap. Seems to be the same way with the Sorcerous Kingdom too.”
2293“Mm, they really are a fortunate lot. And, I only had a bit, but is it me or is the Sorcerous Kingdom’s wine top-notch stuff?”
2294“Umu. I only had a sip of that myself. Ahhhh, that was delicious. Still, grape wine is good; though maybe not that strong.”
2295“Don’t we have a reason to visit the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
2296“I’ve heard tell that they’re planning to let the citizens of both countries move freely between them.”
2297“Oi oi, Everyone here’s pretty highly-placed, but shouldn’t you be more careful about letting that sort of thing get out?”
2298“Nah, seems they’re going to make a public announcement. In the future, this country will be active in a lot of places… and although this is just a rumor, they say that we took back the Royal Capital.”
2299“...Rumor has it that the Royal Palace was a nest of Dragons. The Sorcerous Kingdom is really amazing.”
2300Naturally, Ainz picked up on those words as well.
2301Rather than praise Ainz directly, their opinion of the Sorcerous Kingdom seemed to have gone up instead. That probably meant they could continue being friends in the future.
2302Ainz smiled in satisfaction, and turned to Gondo again.
2303“Go speak to them, Gondo. I may not be back for a while.”
2304“Is that so. ...Then I shall go talk with those chaps from the mines.”
2305Gondo was looking at a Dwarf with an evil look in his eyes.
2306“And what will you be doing, Your Majesty?”
2307“...A messenger from my country has come. I need to meet them. Then, see you again.”
2308Ainz raised his hand in farewell, and walked away.
2309He had originally been standing in a corner of a vast, spacious room. He opened the door to leave and headed for a guest reception room cum lounge room cum parlour.
2310It was quite a luxuriously furnished room, with tables, chairs, cabinets and the like. Demiurge was standing there.
2311“Forgive me for making you come all this way.”
2312“Certainly not. Your location is where I should be headed, Ainz-sama.”
2313Ainz walked across the room and sat in a chair. Then he bade Demiurge to take a seat as well.
2314“...I’ve seen the reports. I’m working here, so I must apologize for having you put them in writing instead of just delivering them by mouth.”
2315The reports in question detailed Demiurge’s preparations and activities in the Holy Kingdom. Of course, if he heard them from Demiurge himself, it might damage Ainz’s disguise. This had also been taken into consideration.
2316“...Even so, you’ve done well as I expected, Demiurge. Your accomplishments can only be described as outstanding.”
2317“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama.”
2318Demiurge bowed.
2319“Still, I could not hope to equal your feats, Ainz-sama… You have firmly secured a place in the Dwarves’ hearts.”
2320Ainz thought that he must surely be referring to how he reclaimed the Royal Capital, or recruiting the runesmiths. However, was that really the case?
2321“...Hm, so it seems you’ve seen through it already, Demiurge. Do you think the Dwarves have noticed?”
2322“Rather than notice it, I think they have no other alternative.”
2323Why wasn’t there anyone else here? If only there were, he could use his usual tactic. As Ainz studied Demiurge in detail, he noticed a smile on his face.
2324...What’s so funny?!
2325Demiurge’s smile made Ainz’s nonexistent stomach ache. Albedo’s smile was similarly terrifying. The idea that they might have seen through his act made his nonexistent heart pound faster.
2326“If… if the Dwarves see through it, what do you think I should do?”
2327“I doubt that will be a big problem. After all, you did provide the catering for the runesmiths’ farewell party. With that, you can shrug off anything the Dwarves say.”
2328...What’s he talking about?
2329“I trust it’s not important, then.”
2330Now that his attempts to lead Demiurge on had failed, Ainz decided to leave it at that. Asking too much about an intelligent person like him was very dangerous.
2331“Then, how goes the vassalization of the Empire?”
2332“Yes. Albedo and I have discussed the matter and we have drawn up a draft. After that, we hope you will look over it and share your opinions with us.”
2333If Demiurge and Albedo finished it together, then I won’t need to step in. Ainz thought that, but did not say it.
2334“...Have you given the Empire enough benefits? Enough that the neighboring countries will look at the Empire and think, ‘life will be good for us once we become vassals of the Sorcerous Kingdom’, or something along those lines?”
2335“It will be fine.”
2336Ainz muttered “Yes” in his heart. In that case, he could give it his OK without even looking at the draft.
2337“Even so, your achievements in the Dwarven Kingdom and the Empire were truly breathtaking. I imagine the term ‘fathomless wisdom’ exists to describe you, Ainz-sama.”
2338“Certainly not. I’m confident you could have done this easily as well, Demiurge.”
2339Demiurge revealed a rare expression ─ a bitter smile. Then she shook his head.
2340“Indeed, if that was all. Even so, how far into the future have you predicted the course of the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
2341Not even tomorrow. But of course, he could not say that.
2342Ainz wondered what sort of answer would fit the style of a ruler. Just then, he remembered a guild name from YGGDRASIL.
2343It was called Millenium Kingdom.
2344If only the Sorcerous Kingdom could really last a thousand years. Perhaps it was because of that thought, but a relevant memory came to mind.
2345He had no idea why the guild’s emblem was that of a crane, and so Ainz had asked Yamaiko about it. After that, she told him that it was because Cranes were said to live for a thousand years in mythology. Similarly, tortoises would live for─
2346“─Ten thousand years.”
2347Ainz frowned as the words slipped out. He had accidentally overstated the scale. Just as Ainz hurriedly looked toward Demiurge, intending to correct himself, he realized that it was already too late.
2348“To, to think your plans were of such a grand scope...”
2349Demiurge’s eyes went wide, and those jewel-like pupils of his shone even brighter.
2350Ah, this is bad.
2351“I was kid─”
2352“─That being the case, things like spreading the undead around must surely be to encourage the other nations to rely on you rather than viewing our troops as dangerous elements, Ainz-sama. That must be the right answer for someone who views the world from such a wide angle. Still… how fearsome you are…”
2353Ainz did not know what he was saying, but he knew there was only one thing he could do at this point. “Well done, Demiurge, you have completely anticipated my plans, as I expected.” However, he could not use that tactic all the time. Therefore, this time, he would say ─
2354“Fufufu, I haven’t thought that far ahead, Demiurge.”
2355“...Is that so. Understood. I shall carve this matter into my heart.”
2356As he saw Demiurge’s gentle smile, Ainz’s heart flooded with cold sweat.
2357Eh? What? What’s going on? ...I’m not too sure, but doesn’t this mean I’m in an even more precarious situation now?
2358However, Ainz had not thought of any solutions. Then, he would have to deal with it with a fake smile.
2359“Fufufu… I’ll leave it to you then, Demiurge.”
2360“Fufufu… Understood, Ainz-sama.”
2361In contrast, Demiurge’s smile shone even brighter than before.
2362Even though he wanted to cry, Ainz managed to pull himself together enough to ask a question in a trembling voice.
2363“...Then, Demiurge. About the report you sent… when do you think it will take place?”
2364“It will begin in the fall, but I shall have to trouble you in the winter, Ainz-sama. The beginning should be fine, but once the opposition makes their move as well, there might be some discrepancies even if we manage to manipulate them.”
2365“Well, you did plan this after all, Demiurge. I can leave it to you in peace.”
2366“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama. As for the matter of the Empire’s vassalization─”
2367“─I’ll listen in detail once I return. Can you give me a copy of the plan first?”
2368“Understood.”
2369“...Then, I look forward to how this project of yours will unfold, Demiurge.”
2370 
2371Epilogue
2372It was morning when Enri woke up. She quietly left the bed, so as not to wake her husband who was still asleep beside her. The air outside was very cold, and it made her want to get back into the bed that was still warm from their two bodies.
2373The bed creaked as she rose, but her husband of half a year was too tired to react. He slept like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
2374Now that Enri managed his life for him, he kept a more regular schedule. Thus, his deep slumber was simply because that was the way he was.
2375...Although it didn’t use to be like this.
2376When they had just gotten married, he had not slept this soundly.
2377Maybe he was nervous… But now he’s used to it, so that’s good.
2378Enri yawned and stretched.
2379Her bare breasts jiggled.
2380Enri’s face flushed pink, and she reached for a piece of discarded clothing.
2381Granted, only Enri and her husband lived in this house, but this was hardly presentable.
2382If her little sister Nemu were here, she would definitely not be dressed like this. However, Nemu would not wake up here — in the Emmott house — but in the Bareare house.
2383Let’s not disturb the newlyweds, her mother-in-law Lizzie had said. Nemu had listened because they had decided not to rebuild the Emmott or Bareare houses. And so, this had happened.
2384It had been two years since the incident where they had lost both their parents. That said, Nemu was still scarred by the incident and was unwilling to leave her big sister at night. It was only by the grace of some unknowable instinct that she had managed to accept the new arrangement.
2385Since Enri lived in a farming village, she often saw animals engaging in those activities. She might also have heard about what young couples did when they vanished into the forest after leaving the dancing circle on harvest festival nights. Before she realised it, she had also learned what husbands and wives did at night.
2386However, nobody had explained it to her in detail before. Enri and Nemu were not old enough to have heard such things. Still, someone needed to teach her what to do, but knowledge was as much a poison as a cure.
2387Lupusregina-san does say a lot of weird things...
2388Everyone in the village treated the aide of the nation’s ruler with respect. Enri was one of them as well. However, they could not fully accept every aspect of her personality. Over the long time they had known each other, Enri had realised one thing: Lupusregina was a criminal who delighted in people’s reactions to her crimes, and she was the type who could watch someone fall into a trap with a smile on her face.
2389Enri had the feeling if she did not go out and say, “Please teach me”, Lupusregina would not teach her anything concrete.
2390On the other hand, if she did not keep an eye on Nemu before she spoke to Lupusregina, Enri had the feeling that Lupusregina would describe all sorts of things to Nemu in exacting and loving detail.
2391I can teach you all sorts of adult things any time you like. Enri had not forgotten those words from Lupusregina.
2392After making up her mind to find Lupusregina, Enri picked up her clothes which had fallen to the floor, and put them on.
2393After that, she headed for the kitchen, and turned the tap on.
2394She collected the water which flowed out in a small container. She turned the faucet in the opposite direction once it was full, and the water stopped flowing.
2395In the past, she had woken up early to draw water from the well. Now, she could use this magic item to obtain fresh water. Its temperature stayed the same even in freezing or warm seasons.
2396This magic item, the Faucet of Spring Water, could make 200 litres of water a day. Apparently, it had been designed by the sage of a certain country.
2397This was not a common item, even in big cities. She had heard that there were certain places where gigantic versions of this item served as a city’s water supply.
2398Enri wiped herself down with a moist towel.
2399“Uuuu, it’s cold.”
2400While the water’s temperature was fixed, one would still lose a lot of heat from wet skin if the air was cold. However, Enri grit her teeth and bore with it, then rubbed herself down with the towel. She had done so before she slept, but still she did it again.
2401Enri still remembered that incident — when Lupusregina had called out to her while humming, a playful grin on her face — and vowed that she would never drop her guard.
2402Still, magic items were really great.
2403Enri had thought that countless times.
2404Carne Village had a lot of residents now.
2405Over 90% of them belonged to the Goblin Army Enri had summoned, and this village could not support all of them.
2406The first problem was accommodation.
2407The Goblins had solved that by chopping down logs from the Great Forest of Tob and building simple housing. However, the problems of insufficient food and water were harder to deal with.
2408Their initial solution to the lack of food was the produce of the forest, but they could not forage enough to support all the Goblins. Therefore, they had asked Lupusregina for help, and in return they had received food aid. Of course, that food was only borrowed and would have to be paid back, though fortunately there was no deadline attached.
2409The next problem was a lack of water. In the past, the village well had been sufficient, given that there had not been that many people. But now that the amount of people in the village had increased so drastically, they had to set up a roster to draw water all day long.
2410Even then, they could not collect enough water, so they had to dig new wells very far away. If they dug them nearby, they would be tapping the same water source, and there was no telling if the wells would dry up.
2411Fortunately, the Dwarves who had moved to this village had solved that problem.
2412They had come in the summer, and during the course of fall and winter, they had become close friends.
2413Are those people still making new magic items?
2414Until about two months ago, the sound of explosions and flashes of light had been a common occurrence, but now everything had settled down. At most, some of them would drink outside and get into fights, but that was all.
2415The existence of the Dwarves was now an integral part of the village’s functioning.
2416In the past, there had been no blacksmiths in Enri’s village. Thus, she had to go to the city to buy tools, or beg the very rare travelling blacksmiths to make them for her.
2417There had been a blacksmith in the Goblin Army she had summoned, but having him bear the heavy burden of the village’s repair work would surely lead to problems. And then, the Dwarves had appeared, and they had taken up that job.
2418The most important thing was that their loyalty to the Sorcerer King rivalled that of the humans from Carne Village. This village had been saved several times by the magic caster who became the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown. Anyone who heard someone badmouthing His Majesty would immediately go up and beat the offender into a pulp.
2419The Dwarves seemed to feel the same way, and they often said things like, “That celebration made me feel proud of myself again” “Did you see how jealous they were?” “Drinking time!” and so on while they imbibed. Enri did not quite understand what they were talking about, but they could feel their gratitude to the Sorcerer King in their words, so the villagers opened their hearts to them.
2420After she was finished, Enri put on her clothes.
2421Her husband did not seem to have woken up yet, so she decided to get the chores done.
2422Until recently, her husband had been handling the task of potion-making. But recently, he had stopped working on such tasks. Instead, he was involved in the storage and preservation of herbs, which would be important in the future now that the village’s population had increased. In addition, he also helped with Enri’s work as village chief. He worked hard for the village, so she had to work hard for him too.
2423After stepping outside, the familiar scenery — that of the ever-growing Carne Village — came into view. Carne was now larger than an ordinary village because the Goblins Enri had summoned had added their own living quarters to it.
2424“Alright then...”
2425Enri clenched her fist.
2426In order to make breakfast, she had to draw the ingredients from the food store.
2427“Good morning, General-kakka.”
2428The form of a black-clad Goblin emerged from a murky shadow.
2429This was something she saw every morning, so Enri replied without any surprise:
2430“Good morning. Nice weather we’re having.”
2431“It is as you say, General-kakka. According to the Goblin Weather Forecaster, it seems it will be sunny all day long.”
2432“Really?”
2433Enri had long since abandoned any resistance to being called General.
2434She had told them countless times that she was not a General, but the message had not gotten through. At this point, being the Village Chief was pretty much the same as being the General, so she had decided to accept it.
2435Incidentally, there was a unit called the Goblin Rear Echelon Support Unit. It was populated by people with rare vocations. Apart from the Goblin Weather Forecaster, there was also the Goblin Strategist, Goblin Blacksmith and so on, for a total of 12 jobs.
2436“Oh, General-kakka, it seems your bodyguard has arrived. Your servant shall now excuse himself.”
2437The black-clad Goblin faded back into the Shadows, and the familiar Redcap took his place by Enri’s side.
2438Personally, Enri did not like the Redcaps. They had an evil look on their faces; in short, they were very scary.
2439In the past, Jugem had accompanied her, but as the former troop leader, he was now one of the many managers of the greatly-expanded Goblin force.
2440In truth, the duty of escorting her should have fallen to the silver-armored Goblins after his departure, but for various reasons, the Redcaps had ended up filling that role.
2441Frankly speaking, there’s no need for escorts or whatnot.
2442She did not think anyone could evade the Goblins’ eyes and reach the heart of the village, but she could not completely ignore their worries.
2443Trailed by the Redcap, she headed toward the larder that adjoined her house.
2444She opened the door and saw a cramped place packed with barrels and bottles, with many glass flasks lining the shelves. In its depths was a small mountain of grain, and hanging from the rafters were bales of sweetgrass and jerky.
2445The reason why they had so much food was because the Goblins had put a lot of effort into breaking ground and opening up new fields.
2446Currently, there were a lot of new crop fields surrounding the village in a large radius. While repaying the food they had borrowed would be difficult, they were at least self-sufficient for this year. In addition, they had captured chicken-like monsters and tried breeding them. If all went well, they would be able to fully repay the food they had borrowed.
2447After selecting the ingredients for today’s meal, Enri headed back outside.
2448There was a massive wall in the corner of her vision.
2449It might have been within the village, but the wall was not made of wood. It protected the Dwarven workshops, and standing sentry within it was the Death Knight who had slaughtered the knights that had terrorized Carne Village in the past.
2450The wall which enclosed the Dwarven ateliers had been personally raised by the ruler of this nation and the savior of this village, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. “Its purpose is to minimize the damage caused to the surrounding village when their experiments fail,” he had said.
2451She had wondered if they could not simply build it outside the village, but obviously she could not say such a thing to His Majesty.
2452“I wonder what magic items the Dwarf-sans are working on now?”
2453“Shall we investigate?”
2454“I’ve told you before, you can’t.”
2455While nobody had told her what the Dwarves were working on in their workshops, she was confident that it would not harm the village. Enri could accept that.
2456Should she try to stealthily gather information about them? The Goblins had suggested that several times in the past, but Enri had always shut down those suggestions with ironclad finality.
2457Carne Village’s savior, Ainz Ooal Gown had said that he wanted the village to accept these Dwarves. At the same time, he had told them that what they were working on was top secret.
2458Even if he was an undead being who hated the living, he was still the magic caster who had saved the village several times, and so they trusted him more than anyone alive.
2459Just then, the Redcap slid in front of Enri. They only did that under certain circumstances.
2460Enri shifted her line of sight and saw the familiar form of a beautiful woman, who was surrounded by four Redcaps.
2461“Hiya, En-chan. How ya doin’~”
2462“Ah, good morning, Lupusregina-san.”
2463Things had been like this ever since the person called Lupusregina met the Goblins. The Redcaps were few in number, but whenever Lupusregina showed up, they appeared in groups. In addition, they wielded weapons that they would not normally carry around.
2464It was said that there were other Goblins present in the vicinity besides the Redcaps, but Enri had never seen them before.
2465Even Enri could tell that the reason why they had gone to such lengths was because the Redcaps — no, the Goblins were wary of Lupusregina. That said, Lupusregina might be a mystery, but Enri did not think that she would do anything to a village which hosted a bronze statue of her master. In addition, she had saved Enri and Nfirea’s life in the past.
2466On the contrary, Enri could not help but worry that this would upset her.
2467She had spoken to the Goblin Strategist and he had said that he would talk to them about it, but it would seem nothing had come of that thus far.
2468The sole saving grace was that when she had told Lupusregina about this, she told Enri not to worry about it.
2469“I’ve only been here a while and already there’s people dashing out. Poor me~”
2470“There’s no way we wouldn’t be on guard against you when you arrive in that way. You should know that.”
2471The answer came from one of the Redcaps surrounding Lupusregina.
2472His voice was calm, but there was a clear sense of wariness in his voice.
2473“Ah!” Enri raised her voice as she considered that the situation was developing in a bad direction. “How exactly did you come here, anyway?”
2474“Hm? I took Flatchest Vampire Airlines Frost 05, from Nazarick to Carne~”
2475“Eh? Flatchest Vampire Airlines?”
2476“Yup. It’s the name of the person in charge of all outdoor movement~”
2477“Pettan Ketsuki Koukuu-san, then?”
2478“Yup. Pretty much, Oh, and if you meet her in person, just tell her I said it. Or rather, I hope you’ll mention my name. Otherwise, who knows what’ll happen to you~”
2479As she looked on Enri’s puzzled face, Lupusregina broke into a smile.
2480“En-chan, you’re really funny. Really, you’re quite interesting…” Lupusregina’s eyes narrowed in an instant. “Really~”
2481Lupusregina’s bright red tongue peeked out from her slightly opened mouth and licked her lips.
2482It was not a seductive gesture. However, Enri felt something crawl up her lower back.
2483In that moment, the Redcap standing by her sprang into action.
2484He pulled Enri back and slid into the gap — in front of Lupusregina — which had appeared.
2485In this highly tense atmosphere, Lupusregina shrugged, wearing her rarely-seen serious face.
2486“...I won’t do anything to her~ Is that enough to calm you down? Still, if you don’t believe me, why don’t you all come at once and have a go? That way, I can deal with you without holding back.”
2487The Redcap lowered his head, and returned to his original position.
2488“—And that’s that. By the way, Frost refers to Frost Dragons.”
2489“Frost—Dragons?! By Dragons you mean the Dragons from legend, right? Amazing! Are those Dragons Gown-sama’s servants as well?”
2490“Yup. Air transport is flourishing in the Sorcerous Kingdom~”
2491“That’s amazing!”
2492Enri’s eyes were sparkling.
2493The Dragons in question were incredibly powerful monsters sung about in legends. Anyone who could subjugate them was no ordinary magic caster.
2494“Gown-sama is really amazing!”
2495“...Well, that’s true,”
2496A troubled expression came over Lupusregina’s face.
2497“A Dragon like that… hm~ someone like me… Well, it’s fine~”
2498There were some things Enri wanted to ask, but since she seemed to have come to terms with things, it was alright. Probably.
2499“Ah, why did you come around today?”
2500“Ah, yes, yes. Hm… I might not be able to come by for a while. I came to tell you that I hope you can take care of yourself.”
2501They had known each other for over a year, but this was the first time she had said such a thing.
2502“What happened?”
2503“Hm~ I guess it’s okay to tell you, En-chan. Actually, it seems Ainz-sama was defeated in battle and died.”
2504Enri pondered the meaning of those words, and then their meaning sank in.
2505Her response was equally understandable.
2506“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!”
2507 
2508
2509
2510Afterword
2511This is Volume 11, the longest one of all. Did it excite you? Books get tiring to carry when they’re heavy and I’d like to avoid that, so why did it end up so long… And if I were to cut pages, where should I cut from? By the way, this has already been heavily cut down from the original proofreading. It feels like there were at least six more pages before… Hm. I guess there wasn’t much of a change, after all.
2512Well, please forgive me and just think of this as a form of savings, then. I think in the future, the volumes will only be 300 pages long. When that happens, please don’t think “so thin!”, but instead consider that the use of what’s been saved until now. After all, it’ll still be quite thick if you average all the books out.
2513Then, let’s think about other things -- I’m writing this on a hot summer day. The AC in my room is working at full blast and saving Maruyama from the scorching fires of hell.
2514I hate summer. When I walk to the office, there’s nothing I hate more than touching other people with my sweaty body. “I won’t touch you, so don’t touch me,” I scream internally. The only salvation is that the decrease in students means the trains aren’t so packed. On that note, winters are great! I want to sleep under the blanket and never get out! ...Well, the people in Hokkaido and Tohoku might not think that way, but Maruyama still wants to say; Winters Are The Best!
2515It seems the Overlord Compilation Movie will be made in the Best Season! For some reason, it seems Maruyama has to work hard… I’ll work hard. And that’s that. There should be more news coming out in future, and I’d be happy if you could look forward to it.
2516I’ve given a lot of people this time round too. So-bin-sama, I made you redraw the insert images several times, thank you very much. To my editor Ohaku-sama, I’ll reduce the pagecount for sure next time! And thank you for doing the design for the deluxe edition package this time round, Chord Design Studio-sama.
2517Then there’s Ashina-san and the staff; just hand the gags to them and it’ll be alright.
2518(Please watch the deluxe edition if you bought it, everyone)
2519F-ta-sama, let’s meet up to discuss how to cut down the page count.
2520And a big thank you to my readers who have finished this (very thick) light novel!
25212016 September
2522Maruyama Kugane
2523 
2524二〇一六年九月 丸山くがね