Overlord (Light Novel) Chapter 53

Chapter 4: A Handful of Hope

(Re)Translated by: Nigel

Although he wanted to rest, there was no time for it. He gulped some water from a pouch on his waist, and signaled a retreat as he calmed his breathing down. However, or rather, as expected, the enemy had no intention of giving them any time to rest.

“Conserve your mana!”

“—Fully understood.”

That being said, several of their abilities with limited uses per day had already been exhausted. This was the result of being swamped by the large amount of traps and undead.

He was also able to eradicate the undead that were throwing bottles of poisonous gas at them.

He also exorcised a mixed team of several undead that could cause status ailments like poison, disease and curse.

“Warning! Multiple footsteps from behind!”

As Imina shouted her warning—followed immediately by Roberdyck—tensions ran high. The reason why the five skeletons ahead of them had not yet launched an attack was probably because they were waiting for a chance to execute a pincer attack.

Several options appeared on a list in his mind. First, they could make a pre-emptive attack on the enemies in front of them and bring them down. Or they could launch a suppressing attack on the enemies in front of them, then turn to attack their pursuers. This plan would require good observation skills to determine the strength of the forces in front and behind them, then take on the weaker group first. They could also use magic to hinder one side, then take the opportunity to break through the other.

“Hekkeran! What shall we do?”

The instant his voice rang out, Imina, who had been the rear guard, began running. Arche and Roberdyck followed her. Hekkeran was one step behind them.

“Have a taste of this!”

The alchemical fluid splashed out and spread over the ground.

Intelligent undead might have made a detour, but such thinking was impossible for lesser undead. Furthermore, Skeletons lacked muscle power, and thus they found it very difficult to break free once they were stuck.

“It's a wall!”

Four Ghouls charged through the wall at. Although they were scrawny undead that were little more than skin and bones, they were still a fearsome sight when attacking with their outstretched yellowed claws. That said, there was nobody on this team who would be frightened by such an attack.

Seemingly unaffected by the ambush, Imina immediately unsheathed her shortsword and swung it at a Ghoul's neck. Dirty-looking fluid oozed out in place of blood, and it fell. Beside her, Roberdyck swung his mace with all his might and crushed another Ghoul's skull.

Just as Hekkeran was about to toss one, the shape of a terrifying undead being loomed into view.

At the same time, he noticed lightning crackling on the lich's finger. Hekkeran was familiar with the spell in question.

“—Push the ghouls back!”

A bolt of white lightning flashed across the hallway just as the four of them pushed the ghouls through the illusionary wall.

“Be careful! Stay alert!…?”

Hekkeran shook his head, regaining his focus. The most basic thing he had to do—although learning about their current situation was also important—was to ensure the safety of his comrades.

Imina, Arche and Roberdyck.

After mutually confirming that they were all safe and sound, the four of them continued observing their surroundings.

With everyone remaining quiet, only the crackling of the torches could be heard.

“Although I don't know where this place is, it has a completely different atmosphere to what we've seen up until now.”

“—This place is…”

“Do you know? Or perhaps you have a clue?”

“Ah… indeed, you are right.”

Roberdyck grunted in agreement. Although Hekkeran and Imina did not say anything, they also shared Roberdyck's opinion.

“That means the arena should be behind that.”

“That should be the case… then being teleported to this place means that… is that what it is?”

“—It's dangerous. Long-distance teleportation is reckoned to be 5th tier magic. Being able to use that kind of magic as a trap has only been heard of in stories. This site must have been constructed by someone with unimaginable skill in magic. It's not favourable for us to accept the opponent's invitation. I suggest we proceed in the opposite direction.”

“Both sides seem dangerous. Rober, what do you think?”

They looked at each other and exhaled in unison. There was no point in staying here and discussing the matter further. They did not have enough information and their opinions did not match, but they had to make a decision right now.

“Ah. Magical techniques were more advanced in the past.”

“—The Eight Greed Kings. They are considered to be the ones who spread the existence of magic through this world. If this is a relic of that era, then perhaps…”

In response to Roberdyck's statement, everyone nodded, gathered up their determination, and began moving.

When they approached the gate, it rose upward with impressive speed, as though it had been waiting for them all this time. The first thing they saw as they entered the arena were rows upon rows of audience seats around the arena.

Everyone in Foresight was astonished, especially when they glimpsed the audience above them.

Golems were inorganic creatures created through magical means, who would obediently carry out their master's commands once they received them. Without the need for food or sleep, and immune to fatigue and even the ravages of time, they were treasured as guardians and labourers. Furthermore, because their production took considerable time, effort and cost, even the weakest ones commanded a formidable price.

They were valuable constructs, and this arena seemed to be overflowing with them.

They looked briefly at each other's faces, as though they had already come here many times before, and then they walked silently towards the centre of the arena.

In response to Imina's voice, they looked up, and saw the night sky. The surrounding illumination was strong and eclipsed the light of the stars, but even so, there was no doubt that this arena was open to the night sky.

“Then, we could use flight magic to escape—”

A figure jumped from the balcony of the VIP box, in time with the voice that had interrupted Arche's words.

The figure who had absorbed the impact with a mere flexing of its knees smiled brightly.

The long ears which emerged from amongst the golden, silky strands of his hair twitched slightly, and he smiled as brightly as the sun.

Seeing his heterochromic eyes, Imina let out a gasp of surprise.

“—The challengers have arrived!”

The arena trembled and shuddered in time with the boy's bright and cheerful voice.

“The challengers are four reckless fools who have invaded the Great Tomb of Nazarick! And, facing them is the master of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the Supreme King of Death, Ainz! Ooal! Gown-sama!”

Crimson radiance flickered within the eye sockets of the white skull.

“Ooh! And walking in behind him is our Guardian Overseer, Albedo!”

She was a peerless vision that surpassed even the Beautiful Princess of Darkness (Nabe). Hers was a beauty that could never be reached by human beings, and two horns curved out gently from both sides of her forehead. At her waist were a pair of black wings. They looked so realistic that they could not possibly have been artificially created.

The two people approached Foresight amidst the thunderous applause from the surrounding Golems.

What would follow was probably going to be the most grueling battle Foresight would ever have faced. In all likelihood, one or more of them might die. Arche probably felt that they had been plunged into such a dire circumstance was because of herself. Without her debt, perhaps they might not have accepted this task to go investigate a tomb they so obviously did not know enough about.

“Oi oi, what nonsense is this girl babbling?”

“That's how it is, so there's no need to be worried.”

“Well then, although there's no point planning now, we should still have a discussion. Arche, can you identify that undead creature?”

The skeleton in question, Ainz, waved his hand before them. The movement looked as if he was wiping something away.

“Firstly I would like to apologise, Ainz Ooal…dono.”

“My apologies. Ainz Ooal Gown-dono.”

“We wish to apologize for entering your tomb without permission. If you can find it in your heart to forgive us, we will gladly pay the appropriate compensation to atone for our transgressions.”

“Is that how you do things where you come from? After someone else eats in your home and leaves waste behind which sprouts maggots, would you actually show him more mercy than a swift death?”

“They are the same. At least, they are to me. Or, not—perhaps humans are even lower than them. If a maggot is born, the fault lies with the fly. You, however, are different. You were not dragged along against your will, nor do you have any particularly compelling reason to come here, but you attacked a tomb which might have had people living in it, with the intention of plundering its treasures, purely for the sake of satisfying your worthless greed!”

“Ah, do not take it to heart. I am not blaming you. It is only natural for the strong to take from the weak. I have done it myself and I do not consider myself an exception from this rule. It was precisely because there might be someone stronger than me that I was on guard… Now then, the time for idle banter is over. In accordance with the principle of the strong feeding upon the weak, I shall claim one thing from you.”

“Silence!” Ainz declared in a voice which allowed no interruption. “Do not upset me with your lies! Now then, you shall pay for your foolish mistake with your life.”

Ainz froze. Apparently, that had gotten through to him.

“…Nonsense.”

“Utter nonsense, it's nothing but a bluff. What do you gain from angering me?”

The beauty behind them was still smiling. But she radiated a murderous intent that beaded Hekkeran's brow with sweat.

“…No… no… it must be a bluff. Absolutely impossible. You should all be offerings dancing in the palm of my hand…”

“But… however… I… yes, that's right, just in case, I will hear you out… who gave you this permission?”

“Him…?”

Hekkeran desperately thought on where the goal line was, where he could evade danger.

It's as though he's human, Hekkeran thought. This was not the reaction of a monster, but of a coward. This was a good chance.

“…He was very very very big…”

As Ainz descended into another round of introspection, Hekkeran reflected that they had avoided danger yet again, and breathed an internal sigh of relief. He gestured to his colleagues with small movements of his fingers, telling them to find an escape route. Ainz would not act without confirming the truth or falsehood of Hekkeran's words. This was all the time they had to think of how to get out of here.

Who knows, someone might have used a charm or dominate spell or some other special ability…

“What? …If you have indeed gained the permission of one of my friends, then your safety is assured. Do not be afraid.”

Hekkeran analyzed the information he had just obtained. From the events of the negotiation, he had learned that Ainz Ooal Gown had friends, which he was currently not in contact with.

“…Well? Why so quiet? Then let me hear what the person you met said to you.”

“He said to give his regards to Ainz in the Great Tomb of Nazarick.”

His fidgeting suddenly stopped. Hekkeran noticed, and an “oh crap” expression spread across his face.

Hekkeran steeled himself. After all, words spoken could not be taken back.

“Kuhahahahaha!”

“Hah… well, so much for that. Though really, when you think about it calmly, there were bound to be holes aplenty in that story.”

Within that glare was the purest rage.

So intense was his fury that Ainz was struck speechless. His shoulder blades moved as though he were breathing deeply, and he continued.

Ainz was screaming furiously.

It was a sudden change, as though the emotion had simply been switched off. The abrupt change was enough to make Hekkeran and his team, who were facing off against Ainz, think that something was amiss.

The absolute beauty and the Dark Elf boy listened intently. The boy stuck his fingers into his ears, while the beauty delicately covered her ears with her hands. This was without a doubt to show that they were not going to listen to what he said.

Ainz looked back up, and regretfully shook his head.

While talking as though it were somebody else's problem, Ainz shed his gown.

“Ohhhhh!”

Looking up, they could see the upper body of a silver-haired girl leaning out of the VIP box. She was immediately pulled back by a blue-gauntleted hand.

“I'll go scold her later.”

“Then, I'm ready over here. Let's get started.”

“Albedo and Aura, you can stop covering your ears now now.”

“I'm in a very bad mood now. To think I would encounter fellows like this. So I'll toy with them without killing them, and I'll leave the disposal to you. Now, let's begin.”

Both his posture and stance looked like those of an amateur. But he radiated a heavy pressure, appearing larger than life.

“Not coming? Then, allow me.”

His was a frightening speed that shrunk the distance between him and his foes to nothing in an instant.

The attack had openings all over it, but it had great destructive power. In the hands of a mighty being with incredible physical ability, it was a sword strike that could kill anything it hit.

Hekkeran came to this conclusion in an instant, as he sensed the high-speed blade descending on him. A hard block would turn this into a contest of power, and he knew that he would be overwhelmed if he pitted his strength against Ainz.

Ainz's sword struck down into the ground, the lingering echo and vibration of steel against steel fading into the air.

Normally, an attacker would be thrown off balance after being parried, and this would be a prime chance for a counterattack. But Ainz had not even moved. It was as though he knew that particular sequence of events was going to take place, and he had reset his stance to its original position.

No good! I underestimated him! But, the only thing I can do is fight on!

“[Twin Blade Strike]!”

His main objective was to try to inflict some damage on Ainz. He flurried as many attacks as he could against Ainz, not caring if they hit or missed, in the hope that at least one of them would get through and strike him.

An average person would have taken it full-on.

Then what about an absolutely top-class opponent?

Ainz interposed his shield in the path of the swords. Normal people would not have been able to accomplish it, but with overwhelming physical strength and speed, it was possible.

“[Lesser Dexterity]!”

“Child's play.”

“Spell immunity? But from where?”

In response, Ainz swung his shield at Hekkeran's face.

The widely-known basics of fighting skills resounded in his head. Hekkeran decided to turn this danger into an opportunity, and made his move. He aimed at the belly, reasoning that the bulk of the shield would create a blind spot in the defense.

—He saw through it!

A normal kick was nothing to be afraid of. However, through their brief exchange of arms, he was fully aware that due to Ainz's incredible strength—despite having no muscles to speak of—any attack he made could kill him in a single blow. Taking the hit was tantamount to taking a mortal wound.

“This way!”

The arrows flew past him, having missed their mark.

At least, that was how it was supposed to happen, but even if that was not the case, there was nothing to regret. Hekkeran took the opportunity to stand up and slightly widen the gap between himself and Ainz. Imina's cry had also been to give Hekkeran the chance to rise to his feet.

“Hah!”

What a troublesome guy, is this what happens when you give warrior training to a monster with superhuman abilities? Just how strong is he?

Of course, Ainz would not permit that.

Ainz charged. That was only to be expected—backpedaling was slower than forward motion.

A high-speed arrow came from behind Hekkeran's back—hidden by his body. A normal person would not have been able to avoid it. However, against Ainz with his superhuman reflexes, it was still not enough.

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“[Lesser Strength]!”

“Interfering busybodies!”

“—[Reinforce Armor]!”

Arche and Roberdyck's support spells had solidified Hekkeran's defense.

“…Hmph!”

Hekkeran used the brief opening made by the support fire to back away, and sweat coursed down his body from the brief but intense combat.

Human beings could not hope to match his physical abilities. Worse still, he had the technique to make full use of his superhuman strength and speed. His observational skills could see through feints. He had the measure of every member of Foresight. Combined with his resistance to magic and the enchanted sword and shield he bore; he was everything a warrior wanted to be.

To be fair, he had been hard-pressed to hold his ground. If he had misread the angle of the falling sword and failed to parry, his swords would have been ruined and he would probably have suffered a fatal wound. A small mistake in estimating the speed of the black sword would have resulted in him being sliced neatly in half. The fact that all his coin tosses had come up heads was nothing short of luck.

That reason was teamwork.

This was how the united group Foresight could stand against the mightiest individual, Ainz Ooal Gown.

Until now, Ainz had been untouched. Certainly, he was very strong. But he was not invincible.

Hekkeran's sword strike, the fastest his augmented body could produce, was deflected by the round black shield. The arrow flying in was interdicted by the black sword. Arche and Roberdyck made use of this opening to enhance Hekkeran even further.

After considering whether or not to press the attack, Hekkeran decided to back down and calm his frenzied breathing. The undead Ainz would not get tired no matter how long or how hard he fought, but humans like Hekkeran and the others would become exhausted. Dragging the battle out was a bad idea. He had to rest whenever he got the chance.

Ainz shrugged his shoulders in annoyance. Hekkeran, who was watching from opposite Ainz, did not feel particularly irritated by his patronizing tone.

In the midst of all this, the beauty who had been silent up till now finally spoke.

“What?”

“Hey, Albedo. If you talk to Ainz-sama like that—”

Ainz shook his head.

“Truly marvelous. I expected nothing less of the Supreme One who rules me.”

“I would not dream of deceiving you with false praise. Those words came from the bottom of my heart.”

Ainz nodded several times, looking very satisfied with himself, and then he turned back to Foresight.

His instincts that had carried him through many life-and-death situations were screaming to him: there is great danger here.

Ainz cast aside the sword and shield he was holding, and they vanished before they hit the ground.

Discarding one's arms was the universal sign of giving up the fight. However, Ainz's attitude did not betray even the slightest hint of defeat, that he was in a situation where he was going to surrender.

Unable to figure out what Ainz was thinking, Hekkeran was filled with confusion.

At this, Ainz smiled. Or rather, he seemed to smile.

“You don't get it? Then let me put it in terms you might be able to understand,” Ainz laughed. “I'll play with you, so give me your best shot, humans.”

He had forsaken his weapon and his shield. That should have meant he had been weakened. But Hekkeran had the feeling that the Ainz before him now was more powerful than before. Indeed, it seemed as though his body had physically grown in size before their eyes, so oppressive was his presence.

When one thought about it, only two answers remained. One would be that he was one of those warrior monks who honed their bodies into living weapons. But if that were the case, his fighting style from earlier—the way he evaded attacks—did not seem polished enough for him to be one of their number.

“—He's a magic caster!?”

That was it. This was the question at hand. The being before them, Ainz Ooal Gown—was he a magic caster?

Magic casters—especially arcane magic casters—had weaker bodies than warriors. After all, if one had time to train one's body, one could easily spend that time on learning magic. As such, magic casters who could fight on par with warriors were nonexistent.

Yet there were beings who could turn that wisdom on its head. Who could have imagined such a being would be standing in front of them?

Even casting a few spells could greatly improve battle performance. As Hekkeran had been demonstrating, several enhancement spells made a dramatic difference. But if that was the case—

However, as long as Arche was around, Hekkeran and the others could deny it.

“No! I'm sure of it! At least, he's not an arcane magic caster!”

“—I can't sense any magical power from your body.”

Ainz showed Hekkeran and the others his hands. As one might expect of an undead, there was nothing of them but bones. He spread his fingers to show that each of them, on both hands, was wearing a ring.

Saying that, Ainz removed a ring on his right hand. And then—

It was the sound of vomiting. Sticky fluid splattered onto the floor of the arena, and a sour, rancid stench wafted up around Foresight.

Imina glared at Ainz, from where she had rushed over to assist Arche. Ainz seemed a little uncomfortable, but still answered in a displeased tone.

“—E-everyone, run!”

“This guy is a mon—ueeehhhh!”

Ainz had done nothing to her. Rather, she had been unable to withstand the combination of terror and stress caused by seeing the enormous magical power surrounding Ainz, and so she had vomited.

“—We can't beat him! His strength is on a totally different level! Even the word monster can't describe him!”

“No way no way no way—”

“Calm down! Roberdyck!”

Under the influence of Roberdyck's magic, Arche managed to recover from the panic which had gripped her. Like a newborn deer, she rose unsteadily on shaky legs, using her staff as a crutch.

“…Understood, Arche!”

“Yes. Powerful wouldn't nearly be enough to describe this monster.”

“It looks like they won't let us run.”

“We need to buy time or we won't make it.”

Of course, Hekkeran would not be baited by Ainz, who was lazily scratching his skull with one long finger. The enemy's fighting power vastly exceeded that of any being which had ever existed. That meant they could only count on one thing.

As though drawing a bow taut, Hekkeran gathered his strength within himself.

“What kind of magic is it? Arche!”

The black fog which covered Ainz's right hand was an unknown magic which put them all on their guard. Hekkeran tensed his legs, ready to dodge at any time. His companions behind him were also wary for an areof-effect attack, and began spacing themselves out.

Hekkeran's eyes went wide. He had openings all over his amateurish advance. These were not the movements of a skilled warrior. Hekkeran knew Ainz was trying to bait them into a trap, but he could not read Ainz's intentions.

Hekkeran was familiar with the more famous spells, but Hekkeran was not a mage by profession, and he could not understand Ainz's intentions.

Imina's angry cry pierced the air, as did the arrows she launched at Ainz.

“…You're in the way.”

The red blaze in the empty eye sockets flickered, but it was only Hekkeran, who was up front studying Ainz's every move, who noticed it.

Hekkeran turned, trusting his instincts. In his eyes, he saw his companions' shocked faces. However, there was no time to explain. Especially to Imina. Ainz was standing behind Imina, slowly reaching his right hand out to her.

As he used a martial art to move at top speed toward Imina, a twinge of confusion ran through Hekkeran.

Compared to Arche and Roberdyck, who could use support spells to enhance people, Imina's usefulness and importance were relatively low. The best way to increase their survival rate was to discard the stumbling blocks at their feet. However—

This was the wrong thing for a leader to do. Even though this was almost equivalent to betraying his comrades, Hekkeran did not slow his steps at all. Emotion overruled reason in this matter.

Suddenly, an image of Imina lying on his bed appeared in his mind's eye. He smiled bitterly to himself, because in a life-and-death situation, all he could think about was her curveless body.

This was the strength of a man who wanted to protect his woman.

Hekkeran's sudden charge created confusion, and thus he made it in time. Before Ainz could touch h, he had already knocked Imina out of the way.

“Hey! It's me, dumbass!”

First, he used [Limit Breaker]. There would be a price to pay, but it increased the amount of martial arts he could use at the same time. Next was the technique which made his body feel like something was being broken inside it, [Dull Pain]. After that was [Physical Boost] and a [Twin Blade Strike] made under the influence of [Iron Fist].

His twin swords glowed.

Ainz did not react to it.

Just as he imagined his swords slicing into the defenseless skull, the sensation which travelled up his hands was definitely not the feeling of steel cutting into bone.

He had had similar experiences during his adventures as a worker.

As Hekkeran tried to retreat in a panic, he felt an icy-cold sensation enveloping his forehead. It was Ainz's hand. Hekkeran felt like he had been clamped in a vise, wanting to escape yet unable to move.

“Imina! He's immune to slashing!”

“Wrong. Piercing, slashing or bludgeoning—none of the weak attacks you can muster can do so much as put a scratch on me.”

“He's lying! Imina, if that were true, there would be no reason to fight at all. He must have some kind of weakness!”

“It's truly sad when you can't even believe the truth that's right in front of you. I would have imagined that you would have realized from the melee battle, and the conversation we had, that you were nothing more than useful test subjects. Did that little skirmish we had give you the hope that you could actually win here? Consider that wishful little dream to be my mercy to you in the hell that is to come.”

The arrow arrived at the same time as her voice. However, Ainz simply remained still, and the pain in Hekkeran's forehead continued unabated.

The pain in his forehead filled Hekkeran with fear, the fear that at any moment his head might be crushed by the hand holding it. Although he struggled, Ainz did not shift a millimeter. It was like attacking a steel block—the only thing Hekkeran hurt was himself.

Hekkeran heard the words, but he did not understand them.

“So, how far can you… no, please, struggle as much as you want. That will only deepen your despair.”

Hekkeran's mouth would not move to make the sounds he wanted.

“Then, who will be next? Of course, you can all come at once, but that would be too boring, no?”

Imina turned to look at Hekkeran, who was lying on the floor of the coliseum.

“—You idiot! Just by common sense, you should have abandoned me! You dummy!”

“Idiot, idiot, idiot, stupid idiot! You moron!”

It was a statement that showed a complete lack of understanding for Imina's feelings. Then again, their opponent was a monster; trying to make him understand human emotions would be impossible.

She took a breath.

“…What?”

Imina thought to herself. She was trying to suppress the feelings of a woman who wanted to save her man.

—Demon Gods…

It felt as though the world she was living in had been touched by myths and legends. It clearly could not be like this, but some part of her, deep in her heart, was insisting that this was just a dream.

Inspiration struck in a flash.

“Give Hekkeran back! If we don't return by the stipulated time, the strongest people in the world will force their way into this tomb! If we can return unharmed, you can use us to negotiate!”

Ainz sighed, a silent “haah” sound. Sweat beaded on Imina's brow. it was genuine.

“—Albedo. Is there anyone who could be considered strong on the surface?”

“It's not a lie!”

“The adamantite-ranked adventurer Momon from “Darkness” is there! He's the greatest warrior of them all! He's stronger than you!”

“M-my apologies! There is such a being! P-please, forgive me!”

He had been acting like a demon king until now, but the way he was slumping his shoulders suggested that he was hiding something. Exactly what he was hiding, nobody could tell.

“…No, those are hardly grounds for negotiation, Give it up.”

“Now then, shall we begin?”

“Arche! Run!”

“Yes, run!”

“Now that is an interesting idea. Aura, open the exit. I will humor them.”

Ainz pointed at the direction Roberdyck and the others had entered from. Aura leapt up, the bottoms of her shoes glowed, and her body disappeared.

Ainz extended his hand. His skeletal face could not display any expressions, but from his gesture, it was clear enough. If he had flesh, it would have been twisted into an evil smile. It would have been a smile that eagerly anticipated these comrades to fall into infighting.

“Arche, run now!”

“How could I? This is obviously all my fault!”

“It'll be fine. We'll beat that monster Ainz and then come right after you.”

Imina also drew forth a small pouch for her to hold.

“Mine too.”

Of course, none of the three actually believed it.

“There are monsters in the sky that might still catch you even if you run…”

Ignoring Ainz's warning, Arche's spell took effect. She looked to her comrades one last time, and then took to the air without another word.

“You would never understand. It's because we're comrades.”

A flash of insight struck Imina.

“Muuu!”

“That's right.”

“Greater love hath no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends—so it was written in the Gospel of Marco.”

“Mm…”

“There will be no mercy for thieves like you. All that awaits is suffering upon suffering upon suffering, followed by death. But for the sake of the lives that you are willing to throw away for your comrade, I will make an exception for that girl. Shalltear.”

No, that was the reality of it. There was no attack they could use which would work. This was mere fantasy after understanding the truth of things. The two of them had no method which could wound the monster called Ainz. Because of this, they could calmly turn their heads back. At the very least, they had to buy Arche the time to flee.

On the other hand, a girl's voice came from the VIP box in response to Ainz's voice.

Suddenly. the beautiful girl shifted her line of sight to look at the two of them. Her eyes were an entrancing crimson. Imina felt as though they were squeezing her heart. Similarly for Roberdyck, he was having trouble breathing with the crushing pressure on his chest.

“Shalltear, teach that child the meaning of terror. Teach her the gulf between the sliver of hope for escape that she clings to, and the inescapable reality that awaits all who dare invade the Great Tomb of Nazarick. After that, do not cause her any pain, but slay her with the deepest and sincerest mercy.”

The girl—Shalltear—smiled to Ainz. However, when Imina saw that smile from the side, a chill ran down her spine. Her instinct told her that this was a monster draped in a very beautiful skin.

“That was my intention.”

Shalltear walked past them without any sign that she had noticed them, without paying them the slightest bit of attention. Perhaps Foresight could close the distance between themselves and Shalltear immediately if they ran after her, but she seemed so far away.

He was not looking down on her. His sentiment was genuine. In response to it, Imina's fighting spirit recovered somewhat.

“A priest… then, I will tell you. In Nazarick, a death without further suffering is mercy enough.”

“Let's go, Rober!”

With an uncharacteristic battlecry, the charging Roberdyck brought his mace down on Ainz's face. It was a strike made with all his strength. It was precisely because he thought that Ainz would not evade it that he put all his might into the blow.

“[Middle Cure Wounds]!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Yet—the arrows struck Ainz, and fell to the ground without doing any damage whatsoever.

It was the same tactic as earlier.

“Not quite.”

“I—”

However, it had a telling effect. All the strength in her body vanished, and she slumped to the ground. Although her mind was fully functional and conscious, her body felt like a puddle of immobile, insensate slime.

Roberdyck asked his question in a trembling voice, as his eyes went from the collapsed Imina to Ainz, who stood by her side.

Ainz proceeded to explain in such a way as to break Roberdyck's spirit.

The air between them froze into silence. The sound of Roberdyck swallowing was exceptionally loud in comparison,

“Oh yes. Anti-time stop countermeasures are very important, don't you know? You'll need to have them by the time you hit level 70. Oh well, you're going to die here, so in your case, it's largely academic.”

He was lying. If only he could say that. If only he could deny everything this monster—this god—was saying. It would be better if he fell to his knees and clutched his ears to shut the words out.

However, even with that considered, stopping time and the like was something that should not exist in this world.

Ainz Ooal Gown. He was a being that the human race could never defeat. He was a man who stood in the realm of divinity.

—and he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

Roberdyck's body stopped moving. He did not have to look to know who had done it. It was Ainz Ooal Gown—that godlike being who could control the passage of time—who was supposed to be standing in front of him. When had he vanished from his field of vision?

“—It was useless, wasn't it?”

Then, Ainz muttered as he looked to Roberdyck who had lost all will to fight.

—It was completely useless. Every tactic and trick he had tried could not do even the slightest bit of damage to Ainz. Thoroughly defeated, Roberdyck looked quietly at Ainz, and calmly asked him a question

“Mm? Is it because you're a divine magic caster and you think you won't end up in the same state as those other two?”

“Well, let's start with those two. Aura, take them to the Large Cave. Gashokukochuuou says he's running out of nests.”

“Ai-Ainz-sama! Mare! I can order Mare to go instead, right? Make him go there instead!”

“Understood! I'll let Mare go instead!”

“I, I don't know about that.”

“—Impossible!”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“The gods are always by my side!”

“No! When we use our spells, we feel the presence of a mighty being. That is our god!”

Roberdyck recalled the theological debates he had taken part in. There was no clear answer to Ainz's questions. Until today, the priests still debated hotly over whether that was the proof of the gods' existence.

“…Well, supposing these super-dimensional beings—which we shall generously term gods for our purposes—do exist, I wonder if that means they were originally colorless entities. Simply put, they are masses of power. Because drawing on their power dyes them in a different color and changes the thing… well, they do exist in a world with magical laws, I just wanted someone to chat with someone about this. It wouldn't be funny if there really were gods.”

“My apologies. That was off-topic. The power of the god you believe in. I think we won't be able to learn it… so do you want to take part in a human experiment?”

“That's right. For instance, when we alter your memories so the god you believe in is someone else, what will happen after that?”

No, he's undead. It wouldn't be strange no matter what he did.

“Why, why do you want to do that?”

Roberdyck had no idea what Ainz was talking about.

Ainz shrugged as he finished.

Arche panted heavily.

She was surrounded by forest, and there were few places here where the light could reach. The spreading canopies of the densely-packed vegetarion blocked out any illumination from the sky, and so there was almost none on the surface.

However, even with this spell, she still needed a lot of concentration to pick out grass patches which people could be hiding in, tree trunks that might conceal enemies behind them, and listen to the branches creaking as they swayed in the wind.

In other words, all she could do was remain alert for foes who were trying to advance into close quarters, keep her distance, and flee. She was on edge because she was keenly aware of this fact, and it sapped her mental strength even more than normal.

Once she detected the presence of the giant bat, she could not find it in herself to try and turn it into a contest of speed. That was because even though [Invisibility] could fool visual senses, it could not deceive the special sensory organs of a bat.

She was proceeding as slowly as possible with her [Fly] spell because she wanted to observe her surroundings. If she went at full speed, she would not be able to react quickly enough even if she were on alert and spotted a threat, and that would mean she would be leaping into the mouth of any monsters which pursued her. In order to avoid this, she deliberately lowered her speed.

She slowly descended to the ground.

The 3rd tier spell [Fly] was one of the highest-ranked spells Arche knew how to use. This also meant that it was one of the most draining spells she had. If possible, she wanted to avoid using it.

On the way here, Arche had occasionally risen above the forest canopy and used the big tree beside the coliseum as a landmark. WHen she used [Fly] to travel, she lost her sense of direction. If she stayed in the forest, she could not spot the big tree, and she was not able to climb trees either.

Certainly, if she restored her mana through sleep, she could use [Fly] more often, and movement under the sun would be safer. This was particularly true for the forest, where the monsters tended to be nocturnal.

However, Arche had no idea where the safe places were.

“—Imina, Roberdyck…”

“—Liars.”

As expected, they had not been able to escape.

Arche sat on the ground, leaned her back on the great tree, and closed her eyes. She knew it was dangerous.

As the memory of the three of them came to mind, she squeezed her eyelids shut.

“—Haaaaa…”

And then she opened her eyes wide.

Someone was watching Arche.

She was dressed in a velvet-soft ball gown dyed in the darkest shade of black, a garment that seemed thoroughly unsuited for her present environment. Her skin was as pale as wax. A single hand stroked her long, platinum hair, which seemed about to brush across Arche's face.

But Arche immediately returned to her senses. There was no way someone like that would be in a place like this. Especially not someone with both feet on the tree trunk, standing parallel to the ground in utter defiance of gravity.

“Tag. You're it.”

“—A pursuer.”

“Come now, start running.”

Even as she said this, Arche smiled bitterly in her heart. There was no way she could beat any pursuer sent by Ainz, a being who existed outside the bounds of common sense.

“Then, by all means, although I can only play with you for a while.”

“—[Fly]!”

Under the night sky, Arche looked around once more. She was on guard for the bat-like monster she had seen earlier. However, it seemed that it was nowhere around. And so, all that was left was to escape.

The beautiful voice called out to Arche, who was desperately trying to flee. Her heart lurched. Casting frantic glances around, Arche tried to see where it was coming from.

When had she—the girl from just now was there.

Bluish-white lightning leapt from her staff's head and cleaved through the night. This was Arche's strongest attack spell. Even though it pierced the girl, the smile did not vanish from her face.

“[Come, my familiars.]”

The girl smiled from beside the giant bat, whose wings beat steadily through the air. It was a smile that froze Arche's body like ice, a smile that did not seem to belong on someone her age at all.

***

All she did was flee.

Since she had discarded her companions to escape, that meant she had to make it out of here no matter what. In her mind, she would do anything to make that happen.

It was a wall.

The world went on beyond it, but Arche's body was blocked by that wall. Arche was now two hundred meters above ground level and the invisible wall had reached this high.

Arche muttered to herself as despair seeped into her heart. She flew and felt around with her hands. But… wall, wall, wall, still a wall.

“What is this?!”

It was an answer to her self-directed mutterings. Arche turned around, with an idea of who she might see.

“Though it seems you've gotten the wrong impression. This is the 6th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. That is to say, you're underground.”

Arche pointed to the world. The sky, the stars, the gently-blowing wind, the forest which stretched as far as the eye could see. Although she did not think this place could be under the earth, when it came to these people, even that might be a possibility.

“—They created a world? That would make them like gods…”

She had accepted it. As expected, after seeing all this, the only thing she could do was accept it.

“Well then, not fleeing?”

“Of course not. There was never any intention to allow you to escape to begin with.”

Arche gripped her staff tightly with both hands and charged the girl. She could no longer use spells since she was out of mana. However, even in this most hopeless of situations she still had to try her best until the very last moment. This was the duty of Arche, the sole surviving member of Foresight.

The girl's reply to Arche's fully-determined charge was little more than bored dismissal.

The girl easily caught the staff with one hand, and yanked it toward herself. Arche was thrown off balance and fell into the arms of the girl. The two of them ended up embracing in mid-air.

“…Mm, the stink of sweat…”

However, she still felt deeply ashamed at being told this by a girl who was younger and more beautiful than her.

“Be at ease. You will die without experiencing any suffering. Be grateful to Ainz-sama for his mercy.”

Arche wanted to respond, but instead all she felt was surprise – surprise at the fact that her body had been immobilized. It was as though those crimson pupils had stolen away her soul.

“…And then…”

“…Salty…”

That only made the girl laugh harder.

With a cracking sound, she opened her mouth. What had once been neat, pearly white teeth were now things that made people think of medical syringes, in multiple rows like those of a shark. Her lascivious voice was laced with lewd undertones, and clear drool oozed from the corners of her mouth.

“Ahahahahaha!”

The last thing that went through her mind was the faces of her two sisters waiting for her.

Part 3

Ainz turned to Albedo — who was nervously awaiting Ainz's opinion — and smiled broadly — although a skeletal face could not show any expressions — before praising her:

“Thank you for your praise.”

“Then, Ainz-sama, are there any problems with the time?”

After seeing that none of the Workers had returned by dawn, the adventurers had flown into a panic, but Momon — Pandora's Actor — suggested that they wait another day and see. While they had already arranged that to leave the campsite and observe from further away in case of emergency, the word of an adamantite-ranked adventurer carried more weight than their previous plans.

“What is it, Albedo? A moment please… alright, it's fine.”

“What is this question?”

“At the top. So long as it does not place the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick in danger, it will be our topmost priority, “ Ainz answered without delay.

“What do you mean?”

Until this date, he had several opportunities to actively search for his friends. However, he had kept pushing those plans back because he “lacked manpower” or “had insufficient information”.

“Yes. The lies those fools told just now were of a very low grade and were instantly seen through. However, we might encounter information in future whose veracity cannot be easily determined. Therefore, I would like to form a team to verify the reliability of this information, and at the same time investigate the whereabouts of the Supreme Beings. After I investigate in detail, I can report the results to you, Ainz-sama.”

“Is that so…” he murmured to himself. He thought about his conversation with the Workers, and what he felt was not anger, but emptiness. Wavering between hope and despair was truly a heart-wrenching thing. His own sentimentality aside, it would seem that as the group's leader, it was time for him to decide to advance, even if it was only by a small step.

“It is as you say. However, there is one factor which makes me uneasy; 'loss of control'. For instance, if she caught wind of Peroroncino-sama, Shalltear would surely abandon everything and do as she pleased. Similarly, if Aura and Mare learned of Bukubukuchagama, there is no telling what Aura and Mare will do.”

“In order to avoid that, I feel a team which is directly loyal to me would be more appropriate.”

“Please be at ease. As the Guardian Overseer of Nazarick, I will not do so under any circumstances. I promise.”

When it came to Albedo, a wise person who was the most skilled at the internal administration of Nazarick, the chances of her going out of control due to her emotions ought to be very low. While she was a little off-kilter from time to time, there had never been any problems with the running of Nazarick while Ainz had been gone, and she was worthy of trust.

“What you said also makes sense. Then how about dispatching Pandora's Actor?”

“I see. Having two of Nazarick's most intelligent people working together will reduce the chances of mistakes compared to just one person, but… he still has his duties in the Treasury. I will lend him to you when the need arises.”

Ainz raised his chin, indicating that she should continue.

“Of course, I will assign you a group of the highest-levelled vassals.”

“That, I cannot approve. Indeed, the lieutenants I can make are level 90, but—”

“Yes, I'll pass on that. Albedo, you will be in charge of the team, your adjutant will be Pandora's Actor, and the other team members will be monsters.”

“Why is that? Won't it be better to have the Guardians' help?”

“That makes sense. Very well, Albedo. We will proceed as you see fit.”

Albedo bowed deeply in thanks, and her long hair hung down, covering her face.

“Please be at ease, Ainz-sama! The secret unit executing your most important order will not disappoint you.”

Forget it, it's fine.

“Let's start with 15.”

Halfway through, Ainz shook his head. Searching for his past friends was an important task; he should not be considering the expense at all.

“There is another thing I would like to ask; may I have command authority over Rubedo?”

Ainz replied instantly.

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The only people who can beat her are the ones from the 8th Floor, and they'd have to use World-Class Items. No matter how strong she is, she probably wouldn't be able to fight one of them to a draw, but…

“It embarrasses me to say it, but would you be willing to listen, Ainz-sama?”

“Since this is a rare chance to do so, I wanted to put together the strongest possible team.”

Albedo's wish might have sounded like that of a child, but Ainz keenly understood it, and he could not help laughing. The emotion was promptly suppressed, but ripples of mirth remained in its wake.

Upon seeing the distressed look on Albedo's face, Ainz smiled congenially to her — although his face did not move — and replied:

“Will you really permit that?”

“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama!”

“My apologies.”

Albedo's voice sounded very stiff. Entoma replied with a “Yes” and continued answering from her kneeling position.

“Is that so… raise your head.”

“There's still time, so I will go send them off. Communicating with magic is far too boring. Entoma, pardon me, but go inform the two of them.”

Entoma rose and made to leave. Albedo watched her back as she went, then leaned over to Ainz and asked:

“…Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don't mind. In fact, it was my suggestion that Entoma take her — wait! Entoma!”

Entoma was just about to rush back when Ainz held out his hand to stop her, indicating that she should answer him from her current location.

“Yes. The head went to a Silk Hat. The arms were shared between the Deadman Struggles. Demiurge-sama took the skin. The other parts were fodder for Grant's children. I believe there was no wastage.”

“You really are… too kind. As expected of the Supreme One, you show kindness even to such filthy little thieves. Surely everyone in Nazarick would shed a tear if they heard what you just said, Ainz-sama.”

“…Umu. Ah, it's fine… that's just my personal opinion, it's not meant to force you to be like me. Although, I still… feel that making full use of it is just common courtesy.”

As he saw the two of them bowing deeply before him, Ainz had a feeling like he had missed something somewhere, and all he could reply with was “Umu.”

The Ministry of Magic had several meeting rooms and guest rooms. Fluder was headed to the most lavishly-furnished guest room of them all. It was a room which was only used for visits from the Emperor or other highly-placed people.

His robe was exquisite and fit to be worn to the evening galas organized by the Emperor, while the splash of cologne on his collar and sleeves radiated a heartening fragrance.

He did not want to wound the Empire's dignity by appearing unkempt.

After assuring himself that his clothes were in an immaculate state, he knocked on the door, and then entered.

So they are Momon of Darkness and the Beautiful Princess Nabe, then?

As Fluder quietly closed the door, he suddenly had a strange feeling.

He remained at the door, staring at the jaw-dropping beauty.

Fluder's eyes should have been able to see an image superimposed over her. However, he could not see it now, which left him speechless from shock and puzzlement.

However, Fluder's talent could not sense the auras from around them, despite hearing that the Beautiful Princess Nabe of Darkness was an arcane magic caster.

That was the only possibility, but that in turn raised new questions of its own. Why had she warded herself against divinations? Normal adventurers would not erect such defenses. That was because using their strength on such matters was too troublesome and few situations arose where one needed to be constantly aware of such things. Besides, not taking off one's protection for divinations when meeting them was quite rude.

Fluder's Talent was well known, and perhaps she had done so to protect herself, but he still did not know the reason for it.

“Is something the matter?”

Fluder sat before Momon, but he could not help sneaking peeks at Nabe.

Begin what? Before Fluder could ask, Momon took the initiative and said:

“Understood.”

***

A cry of “What—!” escaped his throat.

His body was not truly being assaulted by a wave of overpressure. This was a surge of might which only someone with Fluder's talents could see.

“Im… possible…”

But he could not reject it out of hand, because the scene before him was reality. His ability had never betrayed him before — her power was far in excess of his. That was the pure and undeniable truth.

If that were so, then it would be the stuff of legends.

And she was such a young and beautiful woman too.

As Fluder trembled in shock, he noticed Momon removing one of his black gauntlets, and then he removed one of the rings he wore.

In that instant, the world was subsumed into light, and Fluder felt his consciousness flee him.

“This… this… this is… this is too unbelievable.”

Who could have imagined this? That the Dark Warrior of song and story was actually an arcane magic caster, and one who occupied a height so great that Fluder could not hope to reach the soles of his feet?.

The overwhelming might emanating from the Dark Warrior Momon far exceeded that of Nabe, who sat by his side. Since he had surpassed Nabe, a magic caster estimated to be of the 8th tier, then exactly what heights of magic could this Momon reach?

***

***

“…In the past, I believed in a lesser deity who governed magic. However, if you are not that god, then I shall promptly renounce my faith. That is because the true god has deigned to appear before me.”

“I know this is extremely rude, but I beg a favor of you, upon my hands and knees! Please, bestow your teachings upon me! I wish to glimpse the abyss of magic! I beg you! I beg you!”

That voice was as cold as an iceberg. Fully a hundred out of a hundred would describe it that way; yet to Fluder's ears, it was a sweet and pleasant voice that set his heart aflutter. Of course, he knew of the venom concealed within those words. Still — what of it?

“Everything! Yes, I will pledge everything I have to you! O Lord of the Abyss! O unfathomable one!”

“Ohhh! Ohhhhh!”

The utterly excited Fluder kept his forehead touched to the floor as he crawled over to Momon's feet and kissed his boots. He had originally planned to lick them clean. However, the calm portion of his mind worried that his master and god would be revolted by him, and so he settled for politeness instead.

“Ohhh! Thank you!… My Master!”

***

Lost in thought, Fluder came round when he heard someone calling out to him.

“Forgive me, your Majesty. I was thinking about something.”

Normally, there would only be a few people in this room, but right now, there were many people gathered here. There was Emperor Jircniv and four bodyguards. There was Fluder Paradyne, the highest-ranking magic caster in the Empire. Then there were 10 loyal and capable ministers, whose abilities could effectively support their outstandingly intelligent Emperor. In addition, one of the people hailed as the strongest in the Empire — “Lightning Bolt” Baziwood Peshmel of the Empire's Four Knights — was present.

The young Empeoror with the title of Bloody spoke something to Fluder that he would never have said to anyone else.

“I thank your Majesty for his concern. However, I am a faithful servant of your Majesty. Please, order me around as you see fit.”

I've raised a good boy.

Fluder had begun working for the Empire about six generations ago.

For this reason, Fluder had become closer to the fifth Emperor before Jircniv. After becoming the Head Court Wizard, he began teaching the fourth Emperor before Jricniv about magic.

And now, there was the present Emperor — his beloved boy.

Fluder deeply doted on Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix.

Even so—

Fluder could discard a man he loved like his own son.

***

“Indeed. That's because investigating the demon Jaldabaoth is more important. Gramps, did you learn anything?”

Indeed, it had all been arranged beforehand.

Fluder turned to the man who had addressed him, carefully faked an expression, and then looked coldly at him.

“—Forgive me, gramps. Once you start talking about this sort of thing, you tend to ramble on all day. Please dispense with that for now.”

“…I see. In other words, there are ways to resist it, so it's very difficult.”

What use would my pitiful grasp of magic be to the Supreme One… nobody is more fitting of being called the Supreme One. I need to demonstrate my usefulness as soon as possible—

“So according to your words,” one of the ministers said as he picked up a sheet of paper. “Does the fact that you could detect the base of this Ainz Ooal Gown magic caster with a spell not imply that his abilities are beneath yours, Paradyne-sama?”

Fluder struggled to keep himself from smiling bitterly as he continued in a harsh tone, the better to impress the depths of his annoyance on the other party.

Part of that was the truth. Only a fool would take such a great being lightly. No, he too had been such a fool; ignorance was a truly tragic thing.

“Forgive me.”

“Oh, that's right, Gramps. What about the Workers you sent into his home?”

Jircniv counted the days on his fingers, and then his eyes widened slightly. He had heard that the people who had been sent out were quite capable Workers. The fact that such fighting power had been annihilated in a day or less was quite surprising.

“…Is that so? That said, magical information alone is not completely reliable. How long until the adventurers return?”

“Waiting for the returning adventurers to provide us with their information… That'll be at least five days. Until then, our hands are tied.”

The most famous example was the tragedy of Gartenberg.

Apart from that, the bards also sang songs about husbands who murdered their wives after being informed of the latter's betrayal, only to find out that it had been fake news all along.

“Still, that man was a moron. If he had hired Workers from E-Rantel, things would have fitted our plan better. Of course, it's precisely because he's incompetent that he was dancing in the palm of my hand, but being too useless is problematic too. He ought to be better bait, at least.”

***

Fluder had proposed a plan several days ago, which he had accepted. Said plan had two aims.

According to Fluder's investigations, Ainz Ooal Gown's reaction was to not leave the tomb for several days, so they determined that said tomb was his home base. Thus, they dispatched the Workers there, to observe how Ainz Ooal Gown would react.

In the end, the Workers had been slaughtered to the last, and from there, they had learned about part of his character.

It seems he was not that stupid after all.

All the Count had been told was that those were unknown ruins. It had been enough of a risk for a noble of the Empire to barge into ruins within Kingdom territory, and hiring workers from the Kingdom would have required even more courage. It was hard to fault him for using Empire Workers.

“Momon's arrival at the Empire played right into our hands.”

It was in order to achieve that objective that they had forced the involvement of the Adventurer's Guild in this. Of course, they had not done so in the Emperor's name. They had simply spread some rumors through their spies to encourage such an occurrence.

“Naturally, the Kingdom's adventurers will invade the lair of Ainz Ooal Gown, who responds to intrusions with deadly force. What sort of response will a powerful magic caster make against the Kingdom? And what will the Kingdom do when it is attacked? I do look forward to it,” Jircniv laughed. Then, just in case, he asked:

“But of course. We have taken great pains to handle this, and only the people here know the truth.”

A tremor interrupted Jircniv's words. The windows in the room and furniture rattled. However, it did not seem to be an earthquake. It was more like a single great shaking caused by some massive entity crashing into the ground.

The wails Jircniv heard were not just from inside the room, but outside as well. The walls of this room were thick and sturdy. In that case, just how loudly were the people outside screaming? What had brought about this screaming — the least suitable sound for this place?

“Your Majesty! A Dragon! A Dragon has landed in the courtyard!”

They practically tore open the heavy curtains. After seeing what lay beyond them, the scene outside the translucent glass window — that of a Dragon in the middle of the courtyard — every single one of them was speechless and gawping with their mouths open.

“Foreign Affairs! Which Dragon-riding boor was scheduled to barge into the courtyard today?!”

“Have you seen the Council Alliance's Dragons before? Could that be a Dragon from the Council Alliance?”

“All that isn't important; surely the biggest problem is letting the opposition force their way into the Imperial Palace, right!? His Majesty is here; what are the Royal Air Guards doing!”

The fact that such a being had appeared in the middle of the Imperial Palace was a grave situation.

He squinted, and saw that they were two children whose skin had been tanned by the sun.

Fluder calmly stated the species of those two.

“Well, I don't recognize that Dragon…”

A man strode forth from among the knights, a man who carried a shield in each hand.

The person who had stepped forth was one of the Empire's Four Knights, “The Immovable” Nazami Enec.

“Your Majesty, please take shelter!”

Jircniv snorted at the suggestion from the minister who had come to his senses.

“—I understand what you want to say. But if we abandon the Imperial Palace and run, we will become the butt of jokes. The same applies even if our adversary is a Dragon. While it does not look like a Dragon of the Council Alliance, if our foe did this while knowing I would not flee… they say Dragons are very intelligent; it seems it knows the Empire's political situation very well.”

Whether we fight or flee, we still lose. What a troublesome move. Where did that Dragon come from?

“120 people will not be enough to deal with them. I think I should go over too, your Majesty.”

Jircniv did not know the truth.

“I'll leave it to you, gramps. Also, could you ask The Immovable to stand down?”

With that, Fluder opened the window. He jumped straight out and flew into the sky with a flight spell.

“Er, can everyone hear me? I'm a subordinate of Ainz Ooal Gown-sama, and my name's Aura Bella Fiora!”

Just then, an incredibly loud voice echoed through the surroundings.

“The Emperor of this nation sent a bunch of rude chaps to the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, where Ainz-sama stays! Ainz-sama is very unhappy. So if you don't apologize, we'll wipe this country out!”

Jircniv's face twisted. Who had learned this answer, and how? How had he followed the clues back to the truth?

***

***

The knights, the Imperial Guardsmen, the magic casters — apart from the airborne Fluder, everyone was swallowed up by the earth.

The knights who had been gathered in the courtyard just now had all vanished without a trace. The end had come too suddenly.

“Alright~ we killed them all. Now then, for all the humans in this city… er, I don't know who's the Emperor, so never mind! If the Emperor doesn't show himself right now, we'll destroy this city! Emperor-san, please come out now!”

“Your… your Majesty.”

“…So they rode a Dragon here because we trod on the Dragon's tail, then?”

“Ainz Ooal Gown… what manner of man… no, now's not the time to think about that sort of thing.”

“I am the Emperor, Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix! I wish to speak with you! May I trouble you fine envoys to enter the palace!”

“Prepare the finest reception for them! Right now!”

The ministers scrambled out of the room, and Jircniv's eyes went from their backs to the Dark Elves, who were looking at him.

“…I underestimated them. If those are just subordinates… don't tell me I can't handle these people… that said, I won't back down here. If they wish to parley… then we shall fight a war of words. Ainz Ooal Gown, watch as I break your ambitions!”

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