Overlord (Light Novel) Chapter 80

Chapter 1: Preparing for the Unknown Land

After returning from the Empire, Ainz sat at his desk in E-Rantel and leaned heavily against the back of his chair.

His top priority was setting up a school to train the adventurers, but if circumstances permitted, he could use the Adventurer's Guild itself. It would probably be a sign of hospitality to prepare a hostel for the volunteers who had travelled a long distance to seek him out. Their instructors would be those adventurers who had chosen to remain within the Sorcerous Kingdom.

Ainz had no idea what Jircniv was thinking. Neither did he know how to explain the situation to those two sagacious individuals. Why had Jircniv made a proposal like that? For all he knew, Demiurge might have been working behind the scenes here.

Haaa, he sighed internally. His unease and confusion made his nonexistent stomach ache. And then, when he thought about what would happen when they returned, the pain intensified.

“…Runes, huh.”

He could now add the existence of runes — a form of writing from Suzuki Satoru's world — to that list.

Then, what about these runes? How had they come to exist in this world? Were the runes in this world the same as those in Suzuki Satoru's world? Or were they simply a form of magical writing which happened to resemble them, and thus the term had been automatically translated as “runes”?

Naturally, Ainz had asked Fluder about runes before returning to E-Rantel.

While this was very valuable information to Ainz, it was not what he truly wanted to know.

All he wanted was to visit the Dwarven Kingdom and ask about runes and the like. As for the profession of runesmith — well, it was a technical matter and a potential state secret. In the worst case scenario, he could make them talk by using charm spells and the like if they were very tight-lipped about it.

I want to learn more before going in, but it won't be easy to find out about something that even Fluder doesn't know.

In an instant, the woman beside him sprang into action. She had an energetic look on her face that matched the boyish cut of her hair. She was Decrement, Ainz's duty maid for the day.

As Ainz logically considered the potential profit and loss of this endeavour, old memories sprang unbidden to mind in the gaps between numbers. He recalled the dangers he had encountered in unexplored regions, the joy of discovering new things, the sorrow of failing a quest, and the expressions and words of the comrades with whom he had shared these experiences. They were merely memories, but even his recollections of party wipes were transmuted into a brilliant radiance that lit Ainz's empty skull.

…I guess I'll have to go in, even though I know there might be danger.

Naturally, some people might scoff at the idea of comparing games — which held no danger to their players — to reality. Still, hesitation could cost one the chance to gain new knowledge, and result in one losing the initiative. Who could say it was not possible?

That would be the choice of personnel.

Should I ask the opinion of Demiurge and Albedo? No, if I do that, I won't be able to send out the most capable fighter of all.

Ainz could say without any false pride that there was nobody in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick who was better at him at adapting to unknown phenomena and magic. Simply put, the most efficient course of action was for Ainz to proceed by himself. However, if there really was an enemy player there, it would also be the most foolish move he could make.

The first people to appear in his mind were the Floor Guardians.

What if I used high-level vassals led by an undead lieutenant? No, their flexibility is too low, compared to the NPCs who were built from scratch.

When he excluded the emotional side of the issue from his considerations, the NPCs were the ideal choice. Ainz the player had not conducted experiments to that effect, and thus he could not be sure if he could be resurrected. However, there was no doubt that the NPCs could be resurrected, as he had done with Shalltear.

“Hmm…”

But in the end, he still could not reach a conclusion.

With a self-deprecating smile, Ainz looked over to Decrement.

“Of course, Ainz-sama. You have but to give the order and I will throw my life away for you,” Decrement responded, without a moment's hesitation.

“I believe everyone else would gladly accept death without a second thought. Nobody would even think of refusing. We were made by the Supreme Beings, and thus we exist only for the Supreme Beings. There is no greater joy for us than to carry out any command they give us.”

As Decrement bowed, Ainz made up his mind.

Ainz pulled out a map of the surrounding area.

Ainz placed a finger on E-Rantel, and then slowly traced a line north, passing through the Great Forest. There was no problem up to this point. Most of the Forest was now under Nazarick's control. After eliminating the monsters and beasts with low intelligence, they took control of several demihuman and heteromorph settlements and that was the end of it. There was a large cave underground, but he had no intention of messing with it for the time being. Of course, he could take control of it if doing so was profitable to him.

Further north of there was the Azellisia Mountain Range. It was uncharted territory.

Hmph, Ainz smiled.

“Come search for the Dwarven Kingdom of the Azellisian Mountain Range.”

He waved away the smile that came naturally, and began his contemplation in earnest.

Obviously, having the Sorcerer King show up in person was a clear sign of his sincerity.

In addition, his perspective was unlike his subordinates, who tended to view those outside of Nazarick as inferior lifeforms. Ainz qualified as a moderate among the members of Nazarick. As a result, he felt that he was not a bad choice for negotiating with the Dwarven Kingdom — or a non-courageous choice, if he was being honest with himself.

He was the ideal choice, be it in terms of intelligence, adaptability or other areas.

Who will administer this country in the meantime?

That person was naturally Ainz Ooal Gown.

Ainz screamed internally, over and over again.

More to the point, all he needed to do was to visit once and he would be able to teleport there in the future. If any problems came up, all he had to do was to play his trump card of “I shall consider this in greater detail back home”. Even if the other party countered with “We hope you will decide on the spot”, he could just throw another excuse together on the fly.

I had Ainzach around last time, but now I'll be playing the role of the door-to-door salesman for my wares. It's not like I need to clinch a sale either, so it should be easy.

Plus… as time goes by, I might be able to hand over the vassalization of the Empire to Demiurge and Albedo, and let them draw up the plans for it. Yes! It can't be helped. It's not like I want to flee from my work or anything!

Who would he take with him?

While he would like nothing more than to have Albedo or Demiurge around, they had more important things to do and they were also project leaders. If he brought either of them along, then problems would crop up in their affairs.

Cocytus would be tricky. Granted, he was a good pick for visiting a cold and mountainous region, but he was now in charge of the Great Forest of Tob, which also made him a project leader of sorts. Ainz hoped that he could focus his energies on that task. In addition, his unusual appearance — combined with that of Ainz — would probably make the other party unnecessarily nervous.

He was currently providing administrative support in E-Rantel, with Tsuareninya as his assistant. It should be fine to bring him out with Pandora's Actor around, but Ainz had some doubts about.his fighting ability.

If that's the case, then it'll have to be — Aura and Shalltear.

He should have brought Mare along instead, considering that he might be facing an army. However, if they encountered a player, their priority would be to retreat and not exterminating the enemy. Thus, he would leave Mare behind this time around.

Just as Ainz was about to make a move, the sound of a [Message] rang within his head.

“Oh, it's Entoma.”

Cocytus would occasionally send over reports on the village which he was tasked to run.

“Then open the [Gate] at the usual place… ah, no, the defensive spell should still be active. Wait an hour before…”

“Cast the spell at 13:46. I will lower the defenses for about two minutes at that time.”

This was because of the friendly fire effect, which did not exist in YGGDRASIL.

『Understood. I shall relay your message to Shalltear-sama.』

“…I'll leave the choice of my clothing to you. A Lizardman is coming as an emissary of Cocytus. Pick something which won't embarrass me.”

A fire blazed in Decrement's eyes.

With Decrement in tow, Ainz walked while giving orders to an undead being he had created on the fly. Said orders were to inform the undead guarding the great hall of this manor about the arrival of a Lizardman via [Gate].

If Ainz's undead could report to him, then he could place them all over the world and create an undead intelligence network. Unfortunately, that would be very difficult to accomplish. Even if Ainz gave a command, the undead could only give vague responses. In addition, it was very hard for Ainz to manage the massive increase in the number of undead which he had created. There was always the risk that he might slip up and give an order to a completely unrelated undead minion by accident.

Perhaps I could let Pandora's Actor handle that sort of thing in my place. But then I'd have to deal with the problem of all the undead he made freezing up when he's not in my form.

As usual, the two lines of maids greeted him with eyes aglitter. In particular, Decrement's eyes — as Ainz's duty maid — were practically bloodshot.

Today, he would wear something in pure white.

On top of that, the maids adorned him with a gigantic necklace made of gold and other metals. It made him worry that the magpies would try to steal it on account of its shininess.

Am I a peacock or something? Ainz wanted to say, but when he glanced around, he saw a shared look of pride and satisfaction on all the maids' faces. None of them looked worried, or had any expressions that could be considered anywhere close to negative. All of them had the same look of nervous awe on their faces, their cheeks tinged pink.

Is this really all right? Is this really so attractive to ladies? …Looks like I have no fashion sense, after all.

From the mirror, he noticed that there were feathers sprouting from under his arm, which made Ainz think of a monster from YGGDRASIL.

They ruffled when he folded his arms in front of himself, which was quite annoying.

“Alright!”

“Let's go!”

When the appointed time came, Ainz felt a magical portal — a [Gate] — open in the great hall.

[Delay Teleportation] briefly hindered teleportation effects that had their destination near the caster, buying them several seconds of time, which the caster would typically use to flee or prepare an attack. In addition, the spell also informed the caster of how many beings would be teleporting into their vicinity.

Entoma might not have come here with Shalltear, but she would probably be arriving soon.

Shortly after that, a Lizardman fearfully poked its head out from within.

“Your, Your Majesty, Ainz Ooal Gown. Forgive your servant's rudeness before you.”

Is this the result of Cocytus' training?

Ainz's [Delay Teleportation] spell had already told him that only one person would be coming. Once he was sure that nobody else was coming, he ordered a Death Knight standing by on the sidelines to reactivate its magic item. The Death Knight nodded in acknowledgement and strode forth, and then Ainz turned his gaze to the kneeling Lizardman.

“Lizardman, you are granted an audience.”

She radiated the air of an icy princess.

However, these Lizardmen were trained by Cocytus, and they fully understood that any of the NPCs was vastly superior to them. Therefore, they did not question Decrement's attitude.

Ainz Ooal Gown was briefly troubled by the remnants of the spirit which belonged to Suzuki Satoru the salaryman, but that could not be helped.

In any case, Ainz had Decrement command the Lizardman to identify himself.

“Understood! I thank you for your magnanimity! Your servant is Kyuku Zuzu, former chieftain of the Razor Tail tribe!”

Should he openly display his ignorance, or pretend that he knew? Ainz chose neither of these, but picked a third option — in other words, he nodded to continue the flow of the conversation. After all, Cocytus might have mentioned this during a previous report.

What a pain!

If I wasn't worried about people looking down on the Sorcerous Kingdom, I would have suggested doing away with this bothersome business…

“In his mercy, Ainz-sama permits you to state the reason for seeking an audience with him.”

Ainz was surprised by how many titles the Lizardman had managed to string together, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he inclined his head toward Decrement, who stepped forward and received a scroll from the Lizardman. Then, Ainz had to wait for Decrement to return and present it to him before he could finally read it.

Therefore, Ainz rolled the scroll back up and gave it to a Death Knight who was standing nearby. Only then could he finally address the Lizardman directly.

“Thank you!”

Ainz rose from his throne, and spoke to the Lizardman.

The Lizardman looked vaguely confused. This was because he had no idea how to handle being directly questioned. At least, that was what he thought was going on, despite the difficulty of reading a Lizardman's face.

These words were addressed to Decrement and the surrounding Death Knights, as much as they were directed to the Lizardman before him.

“Indeed! By Your Majesty's grace, he is in good condition. He is the father of a healthy child, and his relationship with his wife is similarly excellent.”

There were married people within the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. Ainz could not help but remember them. “My wife's feeling kind of grouchy” became a magic word that allowed anyone to disconnect in the middle of a game, and no one would be able to find fault with them for that.

“Was the child white as well?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is as Your Majesty has surmised. While the child will assuredly be a superior individual regardless of whose bloodline it inherits, it would seem it has tended toward its mother's ancestry, being that its scales are snow white.”

Ainz closed his mouth before he could blurt out “one hatchling”. Referring to them as people would probably be more prudent. While none of them would actually express displeasure at his choice of words, that did not mean Ainz could casually make mistakes. If his poorly chosen words led to problems in Cocytus' rule, Ainz would not know where to begin apologizing.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Just one.”

It would seem they differed from reptiles, who had big clutches. Still, as long as the couple had a good relationship, they might well have more children in the future.

However, he had heard that the Lizardmen had a tradition of branding themselves before travelling on long journeys. If Zaryusu's child chose that path, then he might be able to train them up as an adventurer.

“How are the mother and child? Are they being fed well?”

“Really now, is that so. This is certainly cause for celebration. Then, to commemorate the birth of a child with a glorious future ahead of him, permit me to present a gift. However, I am not fully apprised of the intricacies of birth-gifts within Lizardman culture. Share your opinion with me, then; what would be a good present?”

“I understand. While my tribe does not have the practice of giving gifts to celebrate births… I feel that Zaryusu would be delighted to receive arms and armor.”

If possible, he would have liked to give something which would please his wife as well, but since armor would protect her husband's life, one could say that it would indirectly make her happy.

“—May your servant venture a question, Your Majesty?”

“Why is Zaryusu worthy of such high praise?”

“…He is an outstanding man. In truth, I hear that his training in Nazarick has shown admirable results. As such, I shall reward loyalty and excellence with matching largesse.”

“Mm. Hold on to that determination of yours.”

Just as Ainz was about to dismiss him, something came to mind.

The village of the Lizardmen was located at the base of the Azellisia Mountain Range.

Ainz had not expected an answer to his casually-posed question. Ainz ordered the Lizardman to tell him about the Dwarves as he rejoiced within his heart.

“Very rare metals, you say?”

Those words were extremely tempting to a player that loved collecting rare items.

“Regretfully, your servant does not, Your Majesty. My understanding does not reach that far.”

While adventuring as Momon, he had learned about metals, but there had been no news about anything harder than adamantite. In this world, even orichalcum and adamantite qualified as ultrrare metals. It was hard to imagine the exotic metals which the Lizardman had described being anything more than that.

If they were a race that lived within the earth, would they have access to metals which were rare even by Ainz's standards?

The [Caloric Stone] was a World-Class Item. It could only be obtained by gathering vast quantities of the prismatic ores and then expending a certain amount of them. Usually, that would entail an extremely difficult process, but Ainz Ooal Gown had accomplished it once.

Under normal circumstances, a guild which found a new mine would thoroughly exploit it before selling its ores on the market. That was because tapped-out mines in YGGDRASIL would slowly recover and be ready for further harvesting. Ainz Ooal Gown had planned to do just that.

At first, they had let the prismatic ores trickle into the market, hoping to drive the price up due to their rarity. And then, the large stockpiles of prismatic ore in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick underwent a spontaneous reaction.

After that, they used the [Caloric Stone] when they learned that they could obtain that expendable-type World-Class Item in the same way as before. Then, they tried to produce it again, but sadly, the Celestial Uranium mine was taken from them, and that dream had gone up in smoke.

A wicked smile appeared on Ainz's face as he basked in his memories, and he mocked them in his heart.

Ainz recalled Punitto Moe's words.

However, he quickly refuted his own deduction. That was because he learned that the guild in question had used the World-Class Item [οὐροβόρος] to banish Ainz Ooal Gown from that mine. “Even if they wanted the ability to reliably produce the [Caloric Stone], was it really worth expending one of the World-Class Items known as The Twenty?” he had wondered.

(TL Note: Ouroboros)

…Even if there's no prismatic ore there, the Dwarves might know about other metals. What if there was knowledge there which had not spread to the outside world? If I used a charm spell or the like — oh, I'm being too hasty. I shouldn't let my imagination run wild. Still, this does involve runes as well. As I thought, this is a top priority and should be addressed immediately.

“…It seems I was lost in my contemplation.Tell me, who told you about the Dwarves?”

“Hoh! That Zenberu, hm? …Umu. Are you saying that Frost Pain was also a creation of the Dwarves? Was it a gift Zenberu gave to Zaryusu as a sign of their friendship?”

“That was an heirloom from days past, and it did not come from Zenberu.”

It was exactly as he had heard. However, there might be something there which the Lizardmen did not know about.

The magic weapons in this world were made by having a magic caster enchant a weapon produced by a blacksmith. In other words, a skilled magic caster was more important than a skilled blacksmith when it came to making a powerful magic weapon.

“Perhaps,” Fluder had begun by saying, “Gazef's sword was spontaneously created by the natural absorption of mana, or perhaps through the magic of the Dragons.”

YGGDRASIL's weapons — Guild Weapons and a few others aside — possessed a data capacity that was determined by the value of the materials used in their construction and the skill of their maker. This data capacity limited the number of data crystals which could be added to it. Thus, rarer metals allowed for the creation of a correspondingly more powerful weapon.

That being the case, would they possess weapon-crafting knowledge which Fluder did not?

All sorts of experiments to strengthen Nazarick were taking place concurrently. Ainz smiled in satisfaction as he thought about them. And then, he realised that if the Six Great Gods really were players, then Ainz might well be 600 years behind them.

For all he knew, others may have noticed those things which even he had picked up on. As a leader, he had to eliminate the baseless notion that he was special or unique.

An hour ago, he was still thinking about visiting the Dwarven Kingdom with just himself and Aura for company. However, given that the Dwarven Kingdom had just gone up in priority, the plan for that excursion had to be remade.

The problem now was how long all this would take.

…So this will be a gamble, after all. An ambassadorial party, hm. We will establish diplomatic relations with the Dwarven Kingdom. If a player launches an attack, it will be a casus belli for us to mount an invasion in turn. We can then dig out the necessary information from the debris.

One: verify the presence or absence of players.

Three: Obtain information and samples of their metallurgy and ores.

However, they would hardly tell all of that to Ainz up front. It was only natural to conceal one's technological prowess. Information was more valuable the more hidden it was.

…Also, what if I could get them to export weapons to the Sorcerous Kingdom so our adventurers could acquire them at a lower price? Pretty attractive, no? But in order for that to take place, I'll have to be on good terms with the Dwarves. While I could always take them as slaves within Nazarick, that will be a last resort. I'd like to make my words to Ainzach that much more convincing.

“…Lizardman. Does Zenberu know about the Dwarven city?”

“Is that so. Do you think Zenberu would take me there?”

“My deepest apologies, but your servant cannot answer that question. Of course, I am certain that if Your Majesty orders something, Zenberu will strive eagerly to fulfil it. However, it has been several winters since he returned from the Dwarven City, so I am not sure how much he still remembers…”

[Control Amnesia] might well be able to clear things up.

2

That was because he had just finished communicating with Fluder and Ainzach via [Message].

When he used [Message], neither of them believed that he was Ainz, so he had no choice but to [Teleport] to where they were and speak to them in person.

Ainzach aside, you'd think Fluder wouldn't want to waste time on other matters, considering the book which I gave him.

Speaking of which, while he had heard of the tragedies caused by the use of [Message] in the past, it was hard for him to understand why they could not put their faith in the spell until now. That said, it probably was not something they could accept so easily. In addition, it would be quite damaging if they, as his collaborators, were deceived in such a way. In that case, all he could do was suck it up and accept that the MP cost of teleportation magic as a necessary expense.

Ainzach knew that there was a Dwarven Kingdom in the Azellisia Mountain Range, but he was not sure of its location. The Kingdom had not attempted to forge any national-level ties with the Dwarves either. Even if they had, those would probably be limited to small deals within the mining city of Re-Brumelashul. Ties like these would be closely linked to the city's profits, in any case, and so it would be hard to try and cut in on them.

(TL Note: リ.ブルムラシユール)

Although he had heard of Dwarven culture and their government, the fact was that he knew next to nothing about them. There was something about how a powerful Dragon had caused great damage to a Dwarven city, but he had no clue about the name of the city, or the name and abilities of the Dragon.

In the end, the only person he could count on was Zenberu the Lizardman.

“I'll contact Shalltear first. Hm… the right person for the job?”

Ainz closed his eyes — though he had no eyeballs — and thought about the matter for a few minutes. Then, he opened his eyes and cast the [Message] spell.

『Is, is that you, Ainz-sama? Where do you need a [Gate] opened at this time?』

“No. This time, I shall entrust a weighty duty to you.”

“Umu. You shall accompany me on my travels, and ensure my safety.”

Don't tell me she didn't hear that. What's going on? Just as Ainz began to wonder if something was wrong, Shalltear's voice — off-key, probably from over-excitement — rang through his head.

“U-umu. Then I shall explain in greater detail. Come to my quarters in E-Rantel.”

Ainz reflected on it, and realized that the fault lay with the order which he had given. Thus, he resolved never to make that mistake again.

“Also, give Mare your task of maintaining surveillance on the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Inform him of whatever he needs to know when you hand your duties over to him. Considering the time needed for that… Come over when you've settled your affairs over there. I don't have any appointments which will take me away from my chambers, so I will wait until you arrive.”

“The handing and taking over of duties is very important. Don't rush and make a mess of it just because I'm waiting, got that? I shall order Mare to proceed to your room, the Adipocere Chamber.”

“Also, I trust I don't need to say this, but you are to give your ring to Mare.”

It was very dangerous to bring that ring outside of Nazarick. On the other hand, as long as it and the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown were not taken, there would be enough time for all the Guardians to gather. Therefore, the rings were hidden within the piles of gold within the Treasury, apart from the one which Ainz wore and the ones issued to certain people within Nazarick.

“Very well. Begin your preparations, then.”

“A reasonable question, but there is nothing you need to bring. I will explain my plan to you when the time comes, and then I will give you time to ready yourself.”

Shalltear's passionate response vanished as the spell terminated.

After hearing Mare's still, small yet clear voice, Ainz ended the [Message].

“Aura, it's me.”

“Umu. I would like you to accompany me to the Dwarven Kingdom.”

“First, I hope you will meet me in my chambers at E-Rantel while we wait for Shalltear”

The ensuing cry of disbelief made Ainz grateful that he did not need eardrums to hear.

『I, I'm very sorry, Ainz-sama!』

『Ah, are we going to destroy the Dwarven Kingdom?』

『Ah, I see! So you've already foreseen that peaceful negotiations will break down, then?』

『Ainz-sama, I'm here!』

『Yes, exactly!』

Ainz smiled bitterly as he watched Decrement go to answer it.

Ainz gestured his approval, and Decrement took one step away from the door.

Aura's voice overlapped with that of the [Message] spell as the Dark Elf girl greeted him.

Ainz indicated a pair of sofas which faced each other, and then turned to Decrement.

“Yes, Ainz-sama. We have apple juice, orange juice, lemon squash, tea and coffee on hand at the moment.”

“First, let me explain myself about your question concerning the destruction of the Dwarven Kingdom. Bringing Shalltear along does fulfil a requirement for combat power, but there is another reason for that.”

Aura's eyes went wide. Given her attitude, it was clear that she considered Shalltear to have very limited uses. Still — Ainz found it hard to hold back the warmth surging within his chest.

Every now and then, Bukubukuchagama would ask, “Has my stupid little brother given you any trouble?”

It was hard for Ainz to contain himself as he realized that Aura and Shalltear were carrying on that same relationship. The memories fell like powdery snow, filling his heart with bliss. His joy welled up, and just as he was about to laugh — the emotion was suppressed.

Ainz quietly cursed as his moment of happiness was ruined by his emotional suppression. It had helped him out many times in the past, but he found it tiresome when it got in his way. Ainz knew he was being selfish and hypocritical, but he still found it hard to accept this interruption of the memories of his former friends.

However, his displeasure vanished like smoke in the wind as he heard the girl's tremulous voice. He could not allow himself to express these negative emotions in a way which even a child could see. Ainz took a deep breath, and smiled to Aura.

“Well, if it's for something like that—”

Ainz smiled, a little uncomfortable.

His skill as a player aside, Ainz's character could only be considered to be in the upper portion of the middle tier of all players. Shalltear's character build and equipment placed her in the lower portion of the top tier. If she was fully equipped — with divine-class items — she would be in the middle portion of the top tier. If she could change her gear to match her opponent, she might well be able to fight on even terms with the upper echelons of the top tier.

“Eh?”

“I don't quite understand… but if you feel that it's right, then it should be correct, Ainz-sama.”

“Is, is that so. However, I don't think that is the case. When I said that it was the best way, it was only in terms of fully utilizing her strengths. However, it might not be the best way once Shalltear starts accumulating experience.”

Unlike how they had been when they were merely data, the NPCs now had minds and the capacity for independent thought. The same applied to Shalltear. The Shalltear of tomorrow would be different from the Shalltear of today.

Aura had a better relationship with Shalltear than Mare. Ainz had selected the elder sister of the twins because she could keep Shalltear in line.

“…Still, while I said that I want her to accumulate various experiences, that might violate the social contract, and it would cause problems for the company — for the group.”

“…Think of it this way. It would not be good to force Shalltear to do things she does not want to do.”

“…Don't you think it would be wrong to make her do something that goes against Peroroncino-san's wishes? If my orders conflicted with Bukubukuchagama's desires, how would you feel about obeying them, Aura?”

Aura nervously lowered her head, and muttered something along the lines of, “It's hard to say.”

“I see! That's Ainz-sama for you, your complex insights run so deep!”

This was one of the secrets he had gleaned from a book he had read not long after coming to this world.

“I'll tell you the rest when Shalltear arrives. That way, I won't have to explain myself twice.”

“It is Shalltear-sama.”

As the door opened, he saw someone in the doorway.

Ainz — who was prepared to thank her for her coming all this way — froze up for a moment, and it took him a while before he could gather his wits and speak.

Not only was she in her full plate, but she was even holding her Spuit Lance.

Ainz glanced at the panting Shalltear, her eyes wide open. Then, he glanced to Aura, as if to say, what should I do about this? It was not as though he could say Shalltear had gotten the wrong idea.

Shalltear pouted as Aura took a jab at her. Before the two of them could start quarrelling, Ainz raised his hand to get their attention.

Ainz hurriedly explained the objectives of this operation to Shalltear — and his plans to forge friendly relations with the Dwarven Kingdom.

“If, if that's what you want, is it really alright to bring me along?”

Shalltear's eyes went wide.

“…Umu. Then, Shalltear, I will be placing you under Aura's command for this journey. Since Aura is in charge of you, I hope you will obey her.”

Shalltear bowed to him.

“I appreciate your eagerness, but you should calm yourself down, Shalltear. …Then, let us consider the matter of followers. Who else should we bring along?”

Ainz was somewhat startled because the response had come from an unexpected quarter, but he coolly turned to face Decrement.

“Ah, I was wondering how you would feel about bringing some of us maids along to serve as your attendants during your trip to the Dwarven Kingdom. Traditionally speaking, those in power have always brought followers with them to handle miscellaneous tasks. I feel that the Dwarven Kingdom will think poorly of you if you do not bring handmaidens with you, Ainz-sama.”

While spying on Jircniv, he noticed that the man went out escorted by several carriages, and some of them contained well-dressed ladies. They must be the people who waited on him. If he had stayed in Nazarick back then, Ainz would have observed him more carefully, but regrettably he had not, which was a bit of a shame.

Perhaps if they had established good relations back then, the matter of vassalage might not have come up at the arena.

Ainz considered her data. The 41 regular maids might look different, but their equipment and statistics were identical.

The maid uniforms they wore did provide them with a measure of defensive strength, but that was only on the level of a high-class item. Those might seem incredibly resilient to the inhabitants of these world, but they were nothing more than scraps of paper to a YGGDRASIL player.

“Still… Unfortunately, I cannot do that. If we must have followers — Shalltear, can I bring your Vampire Brides with us?”

“Is that so. —Decrement, your proposal is very reasonable. However, it contains a problem, in that you are weak and I am uneasy about your safety when travelling into unknown lands.”

Ainz raised a hand to calm Decrement down.

Decrement's mouth moved several times, but no words came out. Eventually, she bowed her head. Ainz hoped that she was not agreeing because he had ordered her to, but that was most likely not the case.

Resurrecting level 1 NPCs was cheap, but that was not the problem here.

“Then, Shalltear, bring — let me see — six Vampire Brides along. Then add 30 more riders on top of that. Five of them will be the recently summoned Hanzos.”

“I'll contact Cocytus while waiting for everyone to gather. Right, I should finish up first. Once everyone is assembled, the two of you will travel to the Lizardman village through Shalltear's [Gate]. After that, we'll head north to find the Dwarven Kingdom. What do you think?”

“Yes, let's do that.”

“Then, do you have any suggestions on who the other followers should be?”

“My undead—”

“After you.”

“It's just that I was ordered to listen to you.”

Shalltear's eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing.

“I don't mind —” Shalltear looked to Ainz “—But that would be more than the number you mentioned, Ainz-sama. Would that be all right?”

“We'll do that, then.”

“Then, let's get to work on our own accounts. I'll give you two hours to select your personnel. Keep in mind that you may not be able to return for a while after leaving, and do not think that you can teleport back to Nazarick with teleportation magic. Aura, you need to be particularly careful about this as one of the living. If that's all, let's split up. I have a lot of things to discuss with Pandora's Actor.”

***

After she was sufficiently far away from the supreme being's room that her voice would not reach it, Shalltear clenched her fists and shouted in joy.

Shalltear gazed off into the distance.

“It's been a long time coming… All the work I've been given until now had been so easy that anyone could do it. However… However…”

“Well, it is as you say, to some extent. Still, was that work really important?”

“Nngg!”

Then, she nervously pressed her fingertips together and pulled them apart again.

“Mm~ probably. Ainz-sama said that you were very strong, Shalltear.”

“But when I was in the human city, Demiurge singled me out. He must have felt I was useless. If that was what Demiurge — the greatest mind of Nazarick — thought about me, then wouldn't the others, especially Ainz-sama — whose wisdom surpasses that of Demiurge — feel the same way?”

In that moment, Shalltear moaned wetly with a “Ho…”

“…Haah.”

“Still, that means that the others feel the same way as Demiurge.”

Or rather, that was definitely the case. Aura spoke up before the wide-eyed Shalltear could continue.

“So I should study up before that?”

“I see! …But, what should I do?”

“That – that's right!”

That ought to be okay… right?

Will she behave herself…

Bukubukuchagamsama, please watch over Shalltear, who was made by your little brother Peroroncino-sama!

Ainz travelled to the Lizardman village through a [Gate].

It was not enchanted in any way; it merely indicated that he was their leader.

Frankly speaking, Ainz felt somewhat guilty. After all, he had merely given him a piece of cloth.

Ainz had already been here several times before, since it was a pre-arranged teleport destination. Still, it deeply embarrassed him.

What truly disturbed him was the fact that the facial bones were slightly different from his own. It would seem they were trying to beautify him

As Ainz contemplated the matter, he turned and noticed Cocytus and his Lizardmen kneeling before him.

“—Raise your heads.”

“Thank. You. For. Coming. All. This. Way. Ainz-sama.”

“Umu. Thank you for your hard work. I have received your report on the village. Though I only glanced through it, I did not see any problems, which is good. Your accomplishments here are worthy of praise.”

I didn't do anything, Ainz wanted to say. Instead, he accepted Cocytus' loyal praise with dignified grace. After all, if he had said anything else, it would have devolved into an infinite loop of “Nono,” “Nonono”, “Nononono” and so on. Ainz was quite certain of that.

Thinking back, Albedo and Mare had already received a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown each, Aura had received a watch with Bukubukuchagama's voice recorded into it, Shalltear had been given Peroroncino's bestiary, and Demiurge — he had given Demiurge that demonic statue made by Urbelt.

“Perhaps you might say it is not needed, but it is only natural that rewards and punishment must be handed out as they are deemed necessary. …Tell me, Cocytus, what do you want?”

While Solution's request for “innocent humans” was quite disturbing, a request like Cocytus' was also quite hard to grant.

“…Cocytus. A lack of desire can sometimes be more troubling than greed. I now command you — tell me what you want within a week's time, limited to material objects. Do you understand?”

“Do you understand?” he repeated.

“Umu. That is my will. Alright, then. Cocytus, it is time to move onto my reason for coming to this village. I wish to speak to Zenberu.”

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Cocytus moved behind and to the side of Ainz, and then addressed the kneeling Lizardmen.

Zenberu raised his head with a “Yes”, but there was confusion in his voice.

The Lizardman looked like he had narrowed his eyes.

“My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, but may I ask your intentions for heading to the Dwarven Kingdom?”

“…Zenberu. Seeking. To. Know. The. Intention. Behind. Ainz-sama's. Decisions. Is. The. Height. Of. Disrespect.. All. You. Need. To. Do. Is. Answer. The. Question. Truthfully.”

Ainz wanted to shrink away from the clearly unhappy voice coming from behind him.

Tension filled the air amidst the fearsome silence, which was broken only by the threatening sounds from Cocytus. Not much time should have passed, Ainz thought. when he suddenly realised that Cocytus was about to make a move and stepped in to block him. Not doing so would be dangerous.

“But. Ainz-sama—”

Zenberu's reaction was only natural considering what he had done to this village. Still, Ainz did not let those thoughts show on his face. If Ainz willed it, then no blame could be attached to the servants of Nazarick for their actions. Acting otherwise in front of his subordinates might make them doubt themselves and affect their future activities.

“Is that really true?”

Ainz turned to Cocytus.

“Understood!”

Ainz turned back to Zenberu.

“Naturally. It makes perfect sense. In this world, might makes right. Even so, how shall I say this… I do not wish to repay kindness with malice.”

“In addition, if you launch a surprise attack and begin their extermination after I lead you there, I pray you will forgive me for taking up arms against you.”

Even without checking, he already knew it was the sound of Cocytus tightening his grip on his weapons.

“Well, if that happens, I shall simply have to destroy you as well. Not that I mind… But that is quite a brave thing to say. Have you considered the fact that your betrayal might end up destroying all the Lizardmen in the village as well?”

As Zenberu stared hard at him, Ainz cupped his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Then, he made an announcement.

Zenberu's expression changed.

It seemed odd to be saying this as an undead being himself, but he felt that the Lizardmen were sly.

Since Zenberu did not look like he was going to continue speaking, Ainz carried on:

Whether players were present or not, Ainz did not want to launch straight into hostilities without a dialogue.

Now that they had to vassalize the country which they appeared to have had the best relations with, their name would live in infamy if they ended up waging war on the Dwarves as well.

What would players do if they were wary of the Sorcerous Kingdom?

On the flip side, what would they do if they heard that the Sorcerous Kingdom had signed a treaty of friendship with the Dwarven Kingdom, like a proper, decent nation?

Hypothetically speaking, if a player decided to wage war on the Sorcerous Kingdom, that player would certainly invite entities on his level — most likely other players — to join him in his crusade. However, some of these people might think of the Sorcerous Kingdom as a decent nation. These war-averse people might cite the Dwarven treaty as a reason to stay out of the conflict.

This was the reason why he wanted to place himself on the moral high ground.

It was true that players with World-Class Items were fearsome, and so were players with very powerful classes, like World Champion. That said, if they were alone, they would not be able to defeat Nazarick without using one of the Twenty.

“—I understand that now.”

“I understand, Your Majesty. I will take you to that cave city of the Dwarves where I once briefly resided.”

“Good, I will address Zaryusu now. Please accept my felicitations on the birth in the family. Are both mother and child well?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They are doing fine. It seems my child is about ready to start walking.”

That said, his investigations revealed that the human children in this world developed faster than those in Suzuki Satoru's world in all aspects, be it in terms of teething, speaking or walking on their own. Of course, that was merely something he had come up with after comparing his observations to his recollections of what Touch Me had said in the past.

“Ah, I see. I seem to have considered that from a human's point of view. Children… hm. Currently, I am in the process of building a nation composed of beings from various species working together. If I asked you to live in a nation of humans under my rule for the purpose of advancing that agenda, would you accept?”

“Oh, don't be like that.”

The same thing happened with Ainzach earlier, Ainz mused as he continued speaking.

“I became a Traveler because I felt that things could not go on as they had. I was forced to do so by my circumstances.”

“Yes…”

“Personally speaking, I would not want to travel to a human city. I would feel uneasy about doing so with a wife and child in tow. Even if it was a country ruled by Your Majesty… it would be quite difficult.”

There might be some people who did not want to be protected for their entire lives. But Ainz felt that people who could not accept protection when the circumstances called for it were weak, be they PKs or PKKs.

“Does that mean you only intend to take the children, Your Majesty?”

Zaryusu must have thought that Ainz would forcibly separate the children from their parents.

The faces of the Lizardmen filled with complicated expressions.

“I take it the job of Traveller is not very glamorous among the Lizardmen, am I wrong? I am simply saying that you should broaden your minds. …I am not quite clear on this, but could it be that you and your wife do not intend to grant your child a wider view of the world?”

“That… is hard to say. I would like to have our children live in a village that is safe and does not lack food, but times are different now.”

“I understand how you feel. One cannot expect change from those who are set in their ways. The quicker the change, the more the older generation will whine and reject it.”

“It is as Your Majesty says,” Zaryusu replied. “The elders still complain every now and then.”

Zaryusu looked at Zenberu in bafflement, but even Ainz had picked up on it.

Ainz looked fondly upon Cocytus, who stood by his side.

“Understood!”

“I. Hear. And. Obey. Oh. Supreme. One!”

“Then, Zenberu. I would like to know everything you know. Tell me where you met the Dwarves, what sort of life you had with them, what sort of gifts please them, and so on. Tell me everything.”

“Such. Rudeness—”

Ainz looked around.

Ainz chuckled, and Cocytus spoke again, confused.

Ainz reached out to interrupt Cocytus, and then glared coldly at Zenberu. Then, he used a move he had practiced countless times before the mirror.

Zenberu's body shuddered, possibly out of fear.

“…My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. Your servant has overstepped himself.”

“Before. That. Will. You. Not. Take. A. Seat. Ainz-sama?”

Ainz did not feel fatigue, so he did not need to sit down. However, he could not simply ignore a valuable suggestion like that.

“Understood! Then. Please. Excuse. Me.”

The image of Shalltear overlaid itself on Cocytus from Ainz's memory.

“I. Heard. That. Shalltear. Once. Did. This. As. Well. Therefore. I. Sought. To. Imitate. Her.”

“But. The. Lizardmen. Under. Me. Have. Spoken. Disrespectfully. To. You. Ainz-sama—”

“That. Is. True. But—”

Ainz had tried to talk him around, but Cocytus was proving unexpectedly stubborn. Despite the fact that the undead did not get tired, fatigue filled Ainz's soul. Sensing difficulty all around him, Ainz decided to abandon his resistance and made a pronouncement.

“Understood!”

Sitting down like this in front of others was very — well, to some extent, it was embarrassing.

Ainz bent at the waist. In truth, it was very uncomfortable. In truth, it was very uneven. And in truth, it was very cold.

“Does. It. Please. You. Ainz-sama?”

A bizarrely curious part of him wanted to know what would happen if he did speak his mind, but the thought of Cocytus' reaction was too frightening.

Will I sound like a pervert if I say that, Ainz frantically thought. However, he could not think of anything else to say.

“…”

“Eh… Why, why do you want to know?”

“…Eh?!”

Was Cocytus of a species which allowed the female to mount them during reproduction? Or was he just a sexual masochist?

No, he should have been more decent than that. He might have loved fighting, but he should have been a good man who rarely gave people trouble.

“Is, is that so. That's good.”

“Yes! Then. Dare. I. Ask. What. Your. Answer. Is. Ainz-sama?”

“Is. That. So…”

Ainz could not help but wonder why he was so desperate to comfort Cocytus.

“Th-then! Pay no attention to what is happening over here. Come, Zenberu, tell me.”

According to Zenberu, he had climbed up and down slopes and peaks to find the Dwarves, spending a month in a fruitless search. It was only when he was about to give up that he encountered a Dwarf who came out to explore the surface. After that, various things happened, and he earned the Dwarves' trust and was brought to their city.

After that, he had learned martial arts in the Dwarven city. He left once he gained enough confidence in himself and returned to the Lizardman village.

Zenberu looked a little uncomfortable, but in the end he replied that he could probably do it.

The last thing he asked about was the distance to the Dwarven city.

Given the Lizardmen were not used to walking on land, a week's journey on foot roughly translated to about 100 kilometers.

I should be prepared to stray off course repeatedly.

“…Is this information useful to you, Your Majesty?”

Perhaps they thought Ainz was making a joke, but quiet laughter came from the ranks of the Lizardmen.

“Then, I shall appoint Zenberu as my guide, and we shall prepare to set out according to what he has told me. Aura and Shalltear will arrive soon with their followers in tow, so you should get yourself ready too.”

Ainz nodded graciously to him, and then rose from Cocytus' body.

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He paid no heed to the quiet, mournful sound from below him.

Chapter end