Mare blinked in surprise at the sudden change in mood.
"Oh, do excuse me. Master Demiurge's kindness as he tries to bring
smiles to people's faces excites me so. Please forgive my rudeness."
"Su-sure. It's all right. Yeah."
"He told me they—the demons—are sacrificing themselves to avoid ill
will between the races. What an impressive spirit of self-sacrifice! I can't
even see for the tears!" Pulcinella wiped his mask where his eyes were. Of
course, he wasn't crying, and not only that, he was talking in his normal
cheerful voice and didn't seem the least bit sad.
"…How could people be upset at them?"
"I don't understand it, either. Why would they hate kind Master
Demiurge? But he told me himself. Oh, oh, listen to this. Master Demiurge is
so kind! The other day he said it was a pity the livestock were starving, so he
had them swap their little ones, roasted them whole, and served them up. A
cruel person would serve them without swapping them first, right?"
"I-is that so?"
"Yes, it is! Then, in order that the parents might bid their children
farewell, he called them to the opposite table. I don't believe there is anyone
—outside of the Supreme Beings—kind enough to provide an opportunity to
part with one's family with a smile besides Master Demiurge."
Mare responded to Pulcinella's entranced remarks with a half-hearted
sigh.
He didn't really care what happened to anyone who wasn't from
Nazarick. Two or three seconds later, he felt nothing about the livestock
Demiurge was keeping.
"And when you're starving, even if your brain wants it, you can't stomach
food, so he thought ahead far enough to warn them and make them eat well.
He is truly so kind—"
Mare had the feeling this story would never end, so he quickly
interrupted. "Uh, wh-what happened to C-Crimson? I would have thought
he'd be the one to make deliveries. Where is he? What is he doing?"
"…He? Or she? He probably doesn't have a sex, but when I saw him the
other day, he was lurking near the teleportation gate on the seventh level
while Master Demiurge is gone."
"I—I see."
Mare pictured Crimson.
Crimson, the huge domain guardian who waited submersed in flowing
lava and pulled in unsuspecting opponents to fight in an environment that
gave him the advantage… He was level 90, but since his specs were
optimized for fighting, he was one of the strongest in Nazarick in terms of
pure combat power, to the point where he could even match up against some
of the floor guardians. For that reason, he was an appropriate choice to guard
the seventh level while Demiurge was away.
"Oops, it seems I've stayed chatting too long. I've given you the circular,
so I need to head off to bring smiles to many faces."
"Th-thank you."
Pulcinella responded gently to Mare's bow. "No need to thank me, Master
Mare. Seeing your smile is most satisfying of all." The clown comically
shrugged. "All right. Until we meet again," he said with a wave and
disappeared into the gate to the seventh level.
After seeing him off, Mare opened the folder. With mixed feelings about
not being able to show his sister—superiority but also guilt and immorality—
he scanned the document from top to bottom and blinked a few times when
he reached the end.
This is…less like a notice and more like a message to the guardians from
Lord Ainz.
It was addressed to all the male guardians and included gratitude and
praise for their continued labor. The gist of the message was an invitation:
"Why don't we all go recharge in the baths?"
The participants' names were listed from the top as Ainz, Demiurge,
Mare, Cocytus, and out of the "going" and "not going" options, "going" was
circled for the first two. Normally Sebas's name would be here, too, but he
was currently out in a human city gathering intelligence with Solution.
Let's see, what day…?
The date wasn't set yet, and the document said it would be decided based
on what worked for all the participants, so there was no reason for him to
hesitate circling "going." The message said it was fine to decline, but Mare
definitely couldn't turn down an invitation from his kind, generous master.
Who in Nazarick could?
He took the pencil from the folder and circled the "going" next to his
name.
"Eh-heh-heh-heh." He smiled at the "going" circle, but then his mood
suddenly darkened. "Oh, but… How will I give this to Cocytus?"
Mare could detect their master's wish that this remain a secret among the
men from the way he mentioned multiple times that it wasn't necessary to
inform any of the women, so it was probably best to take it himself.
It would be bad to keep it a secret from Aura…yeah. I mean…I have to get
her to guard the level by herself while I'm…what's that called again?
Receiving affection?
Regardless of what happened when they were leaving on orders, if they
were going to visit another guardian, the dark elf siblings always told each
other where they were headed. The Supreme Beings had ordered both of
them to guard the floor, so it was only natural.
Mare grabbed the magic item hanging around his neck.
"S-sis? Can you hear me?"
The reply was immediate.
"I can hear you. What is it, Mare?"
"Oh, good. U-uh, I need to go see Cocytus about something, so I'm
heading out."
"To Cocytus's place?"
"Yeah, I need to hurry."
"What happened?"
Mare jumped. His voice threatened to crack, but he managed to squeeze
out a normal tone. "N-nothing. It's nothing, but I just have the feeling I gotta
go."
"Hmm…"
She sounded completely unconvinced, and Mare's hands got drenched in
sweat.
But yeah. I can't help it. This is what Lord Ainz ordered me to do.
Apart from the words of their creator, Lady BubblingTeapot, those of
Lord Ainz were the most important out of all the Supreme Beings'.
Prioritizing them was only natural.
"Well, it's fine. Go ahead. But the fifth level is cold, so don't forget to
take precaution against chi— Oh yeah, it's not a problem for you, huh,
Mare?"
"R-right. I'll be fine with magic. So I'll be back later."
If he chatted any longer, he felt like he might say something weird, so he
hurriedly let go of the magic item. It sounded like she was about to say
something, but unfortunately—or perhaps luckily—he couldn't hear what it
was.
"O-okay! Gotta hurry!"
Mare activated the power of the ultra-fancy ring he'd received from his
master.
Right after he teleported, clusters of pure white swarmed him, sticking to
his face. They were snowflakes swirling through the sky.
The white breath he exhaled was swiftly blown behind him—due to the
air, frigid from lapping at the snow, gusting by.
The ice and snow whirled around by the storm wind caused a raging
whiteout. The accumulating snow covered up his tracks.
The weather was meant to waylay invaders, but during peaceful times, it
often wasn't this fierce. Usually a light dusting of snowflakes fell from the
dark clouds; even if it was a gloomy world, one's view wasn't obstructed.
"Umm…" Mare darted his eyes around. He'd used his Ring of Ainz Ooal
Gown to teleport, so he had to be in the vicinity of his destination.
Finding his way, Mare proceeded with nimble movements. He didn't
leave footsteps on the snow. He didn't sink—it was almost as if he were
walking on solid land.
The deserted white world was so quiet he could hear the sound of the
scattering, falling snowflakes. Of course, with his continuously active
supersensory magic, he knew he wasn't alone. It was only because the ones
lurking out of sight knew that he was the guardian of the sixth level that they
didn't show themselves.
Mare reached his destination in that silence.
Before him was an enormous white ball the shape of an upside-down
hornet nest.
Surrounding it were six giant crystals with their sharp points thrusting
toward the sky. Inside them, humanlike figures were visible.
When Mare stepped forward, his foot made a worrying, creaking noise he
didn't like. Looking down, he saw that instead of the ground covered in snow
like up until now, there was slick ice. It seemed fairly thick, but it was
awfully dark underneath, so he understood that the ice was covering a huge
hole.
He stepped onto the ice. He strode forward unhesitatingly, as if he
couldn't even imagine it breaking.
With scary creaking and squeaking noises, he crossed the ice with no
problems and arrived at the white sphere.
"U-uh, Cocytus… Are you here?" He wasn't calling to the gigantic white
ball but to the immense crystals.
In response, monsters that resembled human women came out. There
were the same number of women as crystals, and they were dressed
completely in white. Their skin was deathly pale, and their long hair was
black.
These frost virgins—level-82 ice monsters—were basically Cocytus's
personal guards for his residence, Snowball Earth.
"Welcome, Master Mare."
"U-umm, uh, is Cocytus here?"
"Master Cocytus is currently outside the Great Tomb of Nazarick at the
new lizardman village."
"I-is that so?"
The frost virgin nodded that it was. "If you have a message for him, we
can take it."
Mare wasn't sure what to do.
He had come this far, so he figured if he put the clipboard in Cocytus's
room and left a message with the frost virgin, that should be no problem. But
given the content, it seemed more likely that his master would want him to
hand it over directly.
So how can I get to Cocytus if he's outside?
Leaving Nazarick wasn't forbidden, but there were conditions that had to
be met, and their master strictly prohibited operating independently outside.
From the intelligence they had gathered and analyzed so far, the level-100
floor guardians were unimaginably powerful in this world, comparable to
walking disasters. So it wouldn't be dangerous for Mare, a guardian himself,
to operate on his own. On the contrary, everyone in the outside world should
tremble in fear. But that was reckless thinking considering one key event in
recent memory.
There existed an unknown enemy who had brainwashed Shalltear, which
meant they probably possessed a World Item. There were also signs of other
players here and there.
Those forces were operating at an uncertain scale, so Ainz was being
cautious.
"H-hmm. What should I do?"
To go outside required an escort of at least five level-75 or above minions.
Mare had two dragons under him, but taking them would be a bit too
conspicuous. Asking his sister would be fastest, but when he remembered the
grilling he had gotten just to come here, he knew he couldn't do that.
Then he got a flash of inspiration.
Their number and level were just right.
"Uh, umm… Would you come with me?"
"A-apologies, but we have orders from Master Cocytus to guard this
place. We cannot disobey Master Cocytus unless word comes from Lord
Ainz… Please forgive us!"
"Uh, er, no. That's fine."
There was nothing he could do about that, and when he stopped to think
about it, it made sense. His next best idea was to borrow evil lords from the
seventh level, but if he simply asked them, he would probably get turned
down in the same way as just now. Still, it was true that Demiurge was his
only hope.
In the first place, he wanted to avoid asking anyone who wasn't listed on
the clipboard for help. Secondly, most of the minions in the Great Tomb of
Nazarick over level 80 worked directly under one of the floor guardians;
there were very few free agents.
Under those two circumstances, if he wanted to borrow evil lords, the first
thing he needed to do was get in touch with Demiurge.
But how can I contact him?
The only options for reaching Demiurge outside were dispatching minions
or using magic.
Other than that… Mare recalled the book he had been reading. I wonder if
he has subordinates level 75 or over… But he's not a guardian…hrm. But
he's a guy, so maybe it's okay. If I just have him keep quiet about it…
"Th-thank you. I guess I'll take care of it myself."
"Oh? Understood."
Mare activated his ring. His destination was the huge library on the tenth
level, Ashurbanipal.
9:54 AM Nazarick Time
Mare's field of vision changed instantaneously from the snowy expanse to a
spacious room.
The sophisticated space, done mainly in ebony brown, was dimly
illuminated by orange light. The ceiling curved gently into a dome, and
across from where Mare stood was a pair of giant double doors.
On either side of those doors, which were as large as the ones that led to
the Throne Room, towered ten-foot golems. They were outfitted as samurai
and had been fashioned out of rare metals by one of the Supreme Beings,
which made them far stronger than normal.
"Umm, please open the doors."
In response, both golems put a hand on a door and slowly pushed. A
heavy sound echoed, and Mare proceeded through the opening big enough
for multiple people to walk abreast.
The scene before him was less like a library and more like something else
—yes, it was more like an art museum. The floor and bookshelves were all
heavily ornamented, and the books lining the shelves seemed to have been
placed there as decorations.
Not a speck of dust sullied the polished floor, which featured a beautiful
parquet design. The ceiling was double high, a balcony jutted out from the
second floor, and numerous bookshelves surrounded the space as if peering
in. The ceiling's dome was crowded with gorgeous embellishments
complementing a magnificent fresco.
Here and there were glass-covered display tables with several books lined
up inside. There were any number of light sources, but none of them was
very bright. It was dark enough that a human would have to squint.
One glance wasn't enough to take in the whole room. Bookshelves
obstructed the view.
In the silence befitting a library, the doors slowly closed behind Mare.
With the light from the entrance gone, the room felt even darker. Combined
with the quiet that could nearly be heard as a sound, that gave the room an
ominous atmosphere.
Of course, with his eyes that could see in the dark of night, it looked no
different from midday to Mare, so it didn't seem ominous to him at all.
He walked toward the back at a somewhat quickened pace.
The room he was currently in was the Room of Reason. The library was
split into the Room of Knowledge, the Room of Reason, and the Room of
Evil, plus small rooms for other uses, such as the private quarters of the staff.
Thinking of it that way made his destination seem a bit far off.
On either side of the hallway stood rows upon rows of bookshelves,
packed with countless books.
The books of Yggdrasil could be split broadly into five categories.
First, there was the data on monsters used to summon them as
mercenaries.
Nazarick had three types of monsters. First were the NPCs, created just
like the players. Then there were monsters level 30 and below that spawned
automatically. Finally, there were monsters that were summoned as
mercenaries. These mercenary monsters could be summoned with a ritual
using the book plus an appropriate amount of gold for the desired level. In
other words, they needed the books in order to call upon those monsters.
The second type of book consisted of magic items.
Certain data crystals dwelled only within things that took on the form of
books. Items shaped like books were generally single-cast items. They were
different from scrolls in that while a scroll required the user to be a class
capable of casting the spell it contained, anyone could use a book.
The third type of book was made up of event items. It was common for
the items required for class changes to take the form of books. When Ainz
changed from skeleton mage to elder lich, he needed a Book of the Dead.
There were many others, such as the Martial Arts Study Guide and Strange
Rumors of the Four Great Elementals. Besides class changes, some books
allowed the user to learn new spells.
The fourth type was graphical data.
Those were books containing the graphical data of swords, shields, armor,
and so on. If someone with the right blacksmith skills used one on the
appropriate resources, the corresponding appearance could be created.
The fifth type was novels passed around in the form of books.
Most of them were old, out-of-copyright works from the outside world.
The next largest number were background stories handed out by the admins.
Finally, there were also original stories written by Yggdrasil players. There
was also fan fiction set in Yggdrasil, as well as strategy guides based on
journals.
Most of the Great Tomb of Nazarick's innumerable books were of the
first type, collected in order to summon mercenary monsters. Of course, there
was no reason to have collected so many of them.
In reality, even if they invested all the guild's assets, they wouldn't be
able to summon even a tenth of these monsters. Despite that, the reason they
had so many was that since the books themselves were cheap, a guild
member went a little overboard on a copying spree. The excess books were
also used to hide more valuable items.
Mare gazed sidelong at the books as he walked past.
Then all of a sudden, a ghostlike figure appeared from between some
bookcases to block his path.
It wore a hooded raven-black robe that melted into the library's gloom.
On the belt around its waist, which was threaded with multiple gems, was a
jewel-tipped wand.
Beneath the hood was a whitish face that seemed to have already turned to
grave wax. Its hands were all skin and bone. With every move it made, the
darkness surrounding it wavered slightly.
It was one of the most famous undead casters, an elder lich.
In Yggdrasil, this type was known colloquially as the white faux
millionaire. It was level 30, which made it the second-least-powerful elder
lich. It had close palette-swapped relatives, the red faux millionaire and the
black faux millionaire.
What made it different from an ordinary elder lich was the band around its
left upper arm.
It said, "LIBRARIAN J."
"Welcome, Master Mare." The elder lich greeted him in a hoarse,
difficult-to-understand voice and bowed slowly but deeply. It was a proper
bow in which he placed one hand on his chest.
"U-umm, I came to see the head librarian. Uh, is he in the back?"
The elder lich pondered for a moment and then spoke. "The head librarian
is currently creating scrolls, so he is in the Crafting Room."
"Thank you."
"Allow me to guide you. This way."
"Oh, it's okay! I don't mean to interrupt your work."
"Not to worry. Our role is to be of use to those who visit the library."
Refusing at that point would have been rude.
"Understood. Then please take me there."
A smile appeared on the elder lich's horrifying face, and he set off
walking out in front.
Mare followed, looking sidelong at the elder liches and other undead
casters they passed on their way.
"By the way, shall I put that book back?"
"Oh yes, please."
The elder lich looked at the title of the book as he took it. "The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Was it interesting?"
"Yeah, it was! I'm trying to think of what to read next."
"Oh, I have a recommendation for you. This book is so funny you won't
be able to stop laughing. It's about a murderer who— Oh, here we are."
"Thank you."
Mare opened the door he'd been led to.
The room had originally felt fairly spacious, but it was cramped now, with
huge shelves along every wall.
Lined up tidily on the shelves were countless catalysts: ores, precious
metals, stones with attributes, gems, all sorts of powders, organs of various
animals, and so on. There was also a large amount of parchment—both rolled
and not.
These were all resources for scroll creation.
Of course, this wasn't all the Great Tomb of Nazarick had. There were
many hundreds of times this amount in the treasury.
The resources in this room were just the ones prepared for immediate use.
A fairly large drafting table stood in the center of the space, and a piece of
parchment was spread across it. Standing before the table was a skeleton that
looked like a combination of a human and some animal.
It wasn't very tall—a little less than five feet, perhaps.
Two horns like an ogre's stuck out of its skull, and its hands each had four
fingers. Its feet were hooves.
This strange figure was wrapped in a bright saffron himation. A hoodlike
sheet was draped over its head in a way that its horns wouldn't tear it, and
another sheet was wrapped around its hips.
It also had a silver bracelet with jewels the colors of the rainbow, a golden
ankh around its neck, multiple bizarre rings curled around its finger bones,
and gems studding its himation. All of these were fairly powerful magic
items.
And at its hip, hanging like swords, were several scrolls.
Although its appearance and gear were peculiar, it was a skeleton mage,
one of the early races of undead. It was a being a step below the elder lich
Mare had just met.
But this skeleton mage, Titus Annaeus Secundus, was head of this huge
library.
A Supreme Being created him to be specialized in crafting, not combat.
His total levels were actually higher than that elder lich's.
"Hello, Guardian Mare. I welcome you."
"Oh, hi, Titus. I came to ask you a favor."
"I see. Then let's hear it, shall we?"
"O-okay. Umm, so I'm hoping you can lend me some level-seventy-five
or higher minions."
"Understood. So you're heading outside."
"Hmm? Y-yes, I am. You knew right away, huh?"
"…I would never forget the words of our ruler Lord Ainz. So when I
considered your position, I arrived at the answer immediately. Very well!"
He thought for a moment. "I'll lend you our overlords Cocceius, Ulpius,
Aelius, Fulvius, and Aurelius."
"What? Really?"
"Yes, really. Honestly, their fighting power is a bit excessive for the
library. They would be happier to guard you than to do the dusting here."
"U-umm, uh, thank you!"
"That said, I can't let you take them for free. I'd like you to assist me with
something. We're going to make a scroll."
"Oh! Yes, sir! What do I need to do?"
"You don't have to worry about a thing. All you need to do is cast a tierfour spell at the scroll when I give you the word."
"Wh-what spell should I use?"
"I'll leave that up to you."
Mare looked puzzled. Being left to choose for himself was the most
difficult. Is a common spell fine?
Titus reached a bony hand toward a small desk placed adjacent to the
drafting table. His objective was at a mountain of golden glimmers
—Yggdrasil gold.
Suddenly, some of the gold beneath his hand began to melt. Then, as if it
had a mind of its own, it moved onto the parchment.
The snake of gold that had flowed onto the parchment writhed, and as if a
place for it had been designated ahead of time, it began to spread.
In the space of a breath, a magic circle had been drawn in gold on the
parchment. It was complex but in a delicate way.
"Okay."
Mare, who had been waiting nervously for his turn, heeded the signal and
cast his spell.
He felt his magic getting sucked into the magic circle.
Normally, that would mean the scroll was complete. In any case, that's
what Mare thought.
But then—
Crimson flames.
The unthinkable occurred on the drafting table.
Mare watched in horror as the drafting table blazed up the way the alcohol
ignites when flambéing and vanished in the space of two blinks.
The flames left hardly any trace behind—it was as if they'd been an
illusion. There wasn't even a burning smell.
But the top of the drafting table proved the fire really happened.
On it were the remains of the scroll—charred remains.
As if he had been expecting just such an outcome, Titus snatched up the
burned remnants and took a closer look. "So we can't load it with a tier-four
spell. It seems like it definitely doesn't depend on the skill of the caster,
either." He mumbled about ten-year-olds being no good as he scribbled in his
log.
"Uh, wh-what happened? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, don't worry. In order to conserve parchment, we're trying to create
scrolls using materials we can gather in this world, but the quality is so
awful…"
There were limits on what kind of parchments could be used depending
on the tier of the spell.
For instance, regular parchment could be used for spells up to tier two but
no higher. With the highest-quality parchment, dragon hide, however, it was
possible to make tier-ten spell scrolls.
Naturally, dragon hide was a first-class material that could be acquired
only by hunting a dragon.
And so all the members of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown had hunted them
like crazy, but that was back in the Yggdrasil days. Until they could confirm
the existence of dragons—and other creatures—in this world, Ainz had
limited the use of dragon hide, understandably so.
He wouldn't allow the folly of using up their stores without a way to
secure more. There might come a time when they absolutely needed it.
"No! Not my dragons!"
"Of course not. We wouldn't do that. Your dragons and all the other
summoned beings exist by the will of the Supreme Beings. Naturally, it is
strictly prohibited to harm them."
With an amused look at Mare, who had relaxed, Titus tossed the ruined
scroll into the garbage.
"Uh, so does that mean the regular parchment in this world is no good for
making scrolls?" Mare eyed the charred remains.
"There's a very good chance that's what it means. Well, I don't know. It's
possible that in this world the way I make scrolls is heretical. Apparently, the
way the people here make potions, for example, is quite different."
"B-but you can't say from just one failure that it's the parchment's fault,
can you?"
"Just one? We've done a number of tests on parchment from the outside,
but when we try to imbue any with spells over tier three, it always ends in a
fire. Bursting into flames must be what happens when the magic cannot be
sealed inside the parchment…"
"…But the casters in this world use that parchment, don't they?"
"No, it's possible that the sheet we just threw away wasn't the typical
variety used in this world. Of course, considering all the various countries,
it's not impossible, but… When we tried with the parchment used in the
countries in Nazarick's vicinity…" He held up a sheet with a different texture
from the one they had just used. "…The results were even worse—it could
only contain up to tier one."
"Does that mean humans are good at making the best use of inferior
materials?"
"No. Probably it's a difference of techniques. It's painful to admit, but
perhaps theirs are more polished in a way. Somehow, I want to gain new
techniques and advance beyond them."
"That's great!" Mare respected the head librarian for his spirit of selfimprovement.
"It's all thanks to the great Supreme Being. Now then, Guardian Mare, I'll
lend you the overlords as I promised. Come with me."
10:28 AM Nazarick Time
After leaving his ring behind for safekeeping and passing through the ground
level, Mare teleported with his party to the center of a room in a stone
building.
Stone architecture was sturdy and heavy, but it required a solid base, so it
wasn't suited to the wetlands, and it required architectural technology that the
lizardmen had no way of possessing. Obviously, this building had been made
by a third party—workers dispatched by Nazarick.
The reason they had gone so far as to send personnel over to build the
place was explained vividly by the object enshrined in the back of the room
behind Mare.
He bowed to it deeply. The overlords accompanying him followed suit.
Elevated a few steps up was an exquisite statue of the ruler of the Great
Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown, so lifelike it was as if the man himself
had been turned to stone. The way he was thrusting his staff up at an angle
gave him the air of a ruler and imparted a sense of his majesty to all who saw
it.
A number of offerings had been placed on the altar before the statue. Of
course, to Mare, none of them had any value. They were all fish and sad little
flowers.
But Mare didn't find it offensive.
The offerings had clearly been made out of respect and worship. For
example, the flowers were not the ones blooming on the marsh but rather
varieties picked at the risk of life and limb in the forest. And the size of the
fish far surpassed the average of the ones the lizardmen ate—they were
offering their best.
Mare nodded in satisfaction.
That the rabble should admire his great master made him very happy.
"You've done a good job," he called to the lizardmen who were nervously
watching him.
They were the ones in charge of cleaning this shrine. They had druid
powers—rare among lizardmen—and around their necks they wore medals
with the Ainz Ooal Gown guild crest etched into them.
Really, the difference between Mare and them was night and day; he was
with the conqueror, and they were the conquered, so there should have been
no need for him to thank them. But his deep satisfaction stemming from the
same reason as before compelled him.
Leaving behind the lizardmen as they bobbed their heads to him, he and
the five overlords left the shrine.
Before them lay the marsh and the lizardman settlement. The lizardmen
were more prosperous than before.
Of course, their numbers had decreased in the war, but as a result of the
five tribes coming together, their village was bigger and stronger.
The large area was enclosed by a fence, and several watchtowers had been
built, although it was unclear how, given the uneven ground. Keeping watch
up inside them were bony white beings—probably Nazarick Old Guarders—
armed with bows. There were also Nazarick Old Guarders in the marsh itself.
They seemed to be on patrol to keep out any foreign threats.
"U-uh, I wonder where Cocytus is."
Cocytus stood out in more ways than one. If he was in the village, it
should have been easy to pick him out immediately, and if he was inside a
house, his attendants, fitting the same criteria as Mare's, should have been
standing outside the door. Mare scanned the area with those things in mind
but couldn't see any sign of him.
"Can you ask someone where Cocytus is?"
"Understood. One moment please."
The overlord who replied, Aurelius, returned to the shrine.
Mare looked out over the marsh, the peaceful lizardman village. The
lizardmen didn't seem on guard against the Nazarick Old Guarders. That
went for the lizardman young as well. They coexisted as if it were perfectly
natural.
They don't seem to hold any grudges after being attacked and conquered
by undead, so it must mean Cocytus's policy of friendly relations is working.
Or are lizardmen just a docile species?
Mare absentmindedly wondered about those things until Aurelius returned
a moment later.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Master Mare. The ones working at the shrine
say they don't know where he is but that the chief of the united tribe,
Shasuryu Shasha, might."
"Oh, okay. Then, uh, let's go see him."
Mare set off following Aurelius. They weren't aiming for the village on
the marsh, but rather they walked along the lakeshore to a place just outside
the forest. They could see Nazarick Old Guarders in the trees from a distance.
The party's destination was on the edge of another marsh, a place where a
fairly large-scale construction project was under way.
The water had been dammed, and about ten stone golems were digging.
They carried the dirt to land, after which lizardmen carted it away in
wheelbarrows.
As Mare watched them to figure out what they were doing, a big
lizardman ran over to him, all flustered.
It was a splendidly built lizardman covered in scars, and he was clearly
different from the other lizardmen in more ways than one. The medal around
his neck swung wildly in his panic.
The medals, worn for protection and as a sign of subordination, had no
magic power themselves, but they were proof of being owned by Ainz. And
that was the reason no one in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, under the
influence of the Supreme Beings, could harm the lizardmen for no reason. Of
course, if they deserved to die, that would have been a different story, but
luckily, perhaps, lizardmen knew their place and respected the strong—no
one among them was foolish enough to offend their keepers.
"Welcome, Master Mare. My name is—"
"You're Shasuryu Shasha, right?"
"That I am. I'm honored you know me."
"Oh, I—I heard about you from Cocytus… Uh, do you know where he is
right now?"
Shasuryu began to think. "I'm fairly certain he took several of his
subordinates to go conquer the toadmen. He also took a few dozen lizardmen
so they could observe."
"Toadmen?"
"A toad-like subhuman race that inhabits the northeastern part of the lake.
We don't get along very well. They have the ability to order around large
monsters and magical beasts, so from our perspective they're a difficult
opponent. I heard that in the generation of my father's father, there was a
huge war, and the lizardmen lost so badly that one tribe collapsed."
"F-figures they're strong if they're from the north."
The large body of water was actually more like two lakes stuck together,
shaped like an upside-down gourd. The southern, slightly smaller lake where
the lizardmen lived was half-marshland, half–open water. Not many large
monsters lived there because the water was shallow. In contrast, the northern
lake was deeper and was home to many larger monsters; they tended to be
more powerful than the ones from the southern lake. Of course, to Mare the
difference was negligible.
"These toadmen, they aren't actually tsveiks, are they?"
Tsveiks were the monsters that lived in the poisonous swamp that once
surrounded Nazarick. Mare knew that his sister had a few.
"I'm afraid I don't know about that. Perhaps you can ask Cocytus when
he returns? I imagine he'll be back soon."
"I'll do that. Then I wanted to ask about something else, u-uh… This
seems like quite a big construction project. What are you making? It's not
very close to the village, and it doesn't seem like a fence or something for
defense…"
"We're building our fourth fish preserve."
When Mare heard Shasuryu's detailed explanation, it made sense to him.
It was a good thing that the lizardman tribes had combined, but when they
all gathered, food became a problem. Many of their members had died in the
war, but in this location, they couldn't catch enough to go around. Of course,
if they went back to their old villages to go fishing, the problem would be
solved, but their new ruler, Cocytus, wouldn't allow it.
Regardless of how it would have gone if an entire tribe of adults traveled
the marsh, sending a small number would increase their chances of getting
attacked by monsters. The lizardman numbers were already down, so he
didn't want to lose any more.
Cocytus wanted the lizardmen to thrive, so he had started to work on the
food issue.
First, he brought and distributed food from Nazarick—with Ainz's
permission, of course. Then he struggled to come up with a lasting source of
food for them. It goes without saying that he found Zaryusu's fish preserves.
And with advice from Demiurge, he helped them build preserves that were
even more efficient.
Construction proceeded rapidly, and they already had three large
preserves. This was to be the fourth.
"But you haven't raised any fries yet, right?"
"No, all we can do using our—no, my brother's—knowledge is care for
fish that are already grown to some extent. But using what we learned from
Demiurge, we've built fry preserves and are nearly ready to use them. Within
the next few years, we should be able to support double the number of
lizardmen we currently have with farmed fish alone."
"I—I see. So after a few years, we won't have to bring any more fish from
Nazarick, huh? Of course, I'm sure you'd be able to get some anytime if
there was an emergency."
"We're all exceedingly grateful to Lord Ainz. He's given us so many
fish… But those fish, they don't have any innards. How do they survive? Are
they like those monsters that don't need to eat? But they don't have bones,
either…"
"Those are food created by Lord Ainz and the other Supreme Beings."
The fish Cocytus had brought them came from an item called Dagda's
Cauldron.
"What? They can simply 'create' enough fish for us to live on?" Shasuryu
shook his head. "When Zaryusu and the others visited from the Supreme
Beings' castle, they told us fantastic tales. They said that the Great Tomb of
Nazarick contains multiple separate worlds, that it was the realm of a true
god. So Lord Ainz has the power of a god?"
"Well, yeah!" That should have been obvious by now! Mare cocked his
head in genuine confusion.
Ainz Ooal Gown was the greatest god and their creator.
"I see. Everything is thanks to him. We are very grateful."
"I'll let him know."
3
10:30 AM Nazarick Time
"What a racket. Silence!" Ainz made a sweeping motion with his left arm.
Then he froze and held the pose.
After a moment, he returned to his original stance.
"What a racket. Silence!" He swung his left arm and froze again.
Watching himself in the full-length mirror before him, he made minute
adjustments to the position of his hand.
"…Silence! Here…? No, maybe it'd be cooler to tilt my hand more to the
left?"
He returned once more to his original stance.
"What a racket. Silence!"
Satisfied with his pose, he picked up a notepad sitting on the table next to
him. "Another pose down. Next up, practicing lines for buying time."
He circled with a pen the lines he'd been rehearsing and then turned the
page.
Most of the lines written there were variations on "I'll think about it."
Any that were too roundabout or trying so hard to be cool that they wrapped
back around to lame were crossed out.
Ainz was only a normal guy, so it was hard for him to act like a ruler.
That's why he made sure he was prepared for anything by repeatedly
rehearsing like this. It goes without saying that the notebook was a collection
of lines he had come up with.
It had already been an hour since he had started practicing, but the word
rest wasn't in his dictionary.
Ainz was a supreme ruler, but to be frank, he barely worked at all. The
one at the top had to decide policy, so unless they were dealing with an
emergency or something of high importance, he was free. Albedo took care
of minor affairs, so all he had to do was take a look at reports that came in.
But when he read the reports, he never found anything that worried him,
so he really only had to glance through. It felt like a leader should have a
heavier workload, but as long as he had Albedo and no emergencies cropped
up, he figured it was fine.
That's just how things work in a properly functioning organization. The
one at the top doesn't need to be laboring on the front lines.
Outside of raising morale, there was no reason for the general of an army
to be swinging his sword out in front. It was foolish to take the risk.
Really, instead of doing the adventurer thing, I should be gaining
knowledge—training my brain—so I'm prepared for an emergency. But how
can I do that? Who can I get to teach me—without destroying everyone's
image of Ainz Ooal Gown?
All beings in Nazarick loved, respected, and bowed down to Ainz, their
absolute ruler. Yes, the children—in a way—created by his former
guildmates looked up to him. In the same way a father can't betray the
respect of his children, Ainz couldn't betray the members of Nazarick. That
was why he practiced so hard—he at least wanted to look the part.
Of course, what he was doing embarrassed him.
If it didn't, he wouldn't have locked the door and prohibited maids or his
eight-edged assassin bodyguards in the shadows from entering. Neither
would he periodically grow incapable of tolerating it and dive into his bed
with a mortified cry.
"I need to act…like the highest ruler of Nazarick should…" Anguished,
he flipped through his notebook. There were still many more lines he had
come up with in his spare time. They were never-ending.
Ainz Ooal Gown was an undead, so large emotional fluctuations were
automatically suppressed. Still…
"I want to relax…"
The vestiges of Satoru Suzuki's mind were shrieking in exhaustion. I'm
sick of this!
But— He clenched his teeth. "What am I doing? C'mon, Ainz!" He jeered
at his pathetic wishing for escape and looked back at the mirror with renewed
energy in his eyes.
Beep-beep-beep-beep! Just then an electronic noise sounded.
It was music to his ears. He seized the band on his left wrist to stop the
beeping and sighed in relief. "If time's up, time's up. Yeah. Time's up, so
that's it for now."
He didn't forget to throw the notebook into a box. When he closed the lid,
multiple locks clicked shut. If anyone tried to brute force their way in, they
would trigger multiple attack spells, which would utterly destroy the vicinity.
Its defenses were so tight only someone level 90 with a thief-type class or
someone level 80 or higher who was specced specifically to be a thief type
could open it.
Only after using this serious item did he put the notebook away in space.
He put it into a place with many rare items. High-level thieves could even
steal items that were put away. That said, even if they restrained their
opponent, they couldn't steal everything. The limit was an item or two from a
single player. Still, the prospect of being robbed once or twice was enough to
make Ainz shiver even though he wasn't supposed to feel fear as an undead.
And in this world, some people were born with special talents, so who
knew what might happen? That's why he put the box in with other rare items
—he figured any thief would steal something that looked more valuable.
After putting it away, he reconfirmed something.
Just like a housewife repeatedly making sure the door to the house is
locked before going on vacation, Ainz made his checks and then finally
sighed.
Only after all that was done did he leave his bedroom. He was headed for
the room he used as his office. Greeting him with deeply bowed heads to
show their loyalty were Albedo, a regular maid, and then Mare.
The appearance of the other two wasn't rare, but the boy was unexpected
in this place. Surprised, he crossed the room and sat in his ebony chair by
performing a movement he had rehearsed more than thirty times—a way of
sitting that didn't involve treading on his robe or loudly adjusting the position
of his chair.
Next, he focused on the way he leaned into it. Sitting back too fast, or
with too much of his weight behind the motion, was lame. A king had a
king's way of settling into his chair—probably.
But I have no idea how a king leans back… I'd love to see a king do it
sometime…
Business manners prescribed sitting on the middle of the seat and not
leaning on the backrest, but Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't a businessman.
And so Ainz practiced a way of sitting that he felt must be correct for a
king.
"Raise your heads."
The three of them finally looked up. He found it rather annoying and a
waste of time that they would never raise their heads unless he said
something, but he couldn't disregard their desire to express their loyalty, so
every time he bit his tongue and said the same thing.
"Okay, first I'll ask Mare what he's here for. How about it?"
"S-sir!" His voice cracked a bit out of nervousness.
Ainz smiled. Of course, his fleshless face didn't change shape, but it took
on a sense of warmth.
Perhaps Mare was sharp enough to pick that up. He took a breath and
seemed a bit less stiff. "U-uh, I, umm, brought this for you."
Ainz didn't ask, What is it? like a nastier boss might. If Mare had
something for him, he would simply take it. It was possible he was forgetting
some order he himself had given.
"Oh? I mean—good." The maid stationed in the room today moved to
receive it on his behalf, but Ainz held out a hand to stop her. "Mare, bring it
here directly."
"Yes, my lord!"
Mare straightened his back and came forward to offer the folder.
Ainz took it unhurriedly and looked inside.
This is… Oh, it's the invitation I sent around.
Three guardians had responded in the affirmative.
"Given the order of the names, I expected one of Cocytus's underlings to
bring it. Thanks for going out of your way, Mare."
"N-no, it was nothing! Cocytus was busy, so I insisted on coming instead.
Besides…" Mare stroked the ring on his left ring finger. It was a loving
gesture.
His Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. Well, I am glad he values it, but it's a little
weird to put it on that finger… And why do his eyes glisten so much when he
looks at me?
Feeling someone bristle, he glanced at Albedo out of the corner of his eye.
She wore her usual smile.
His eyes moved to her left ring finger.
As he thought, she wore her ring there, like Mare did. It was as if putting
it there was the correct thing to do.
What was the story? From ancient Greece or somewhere? A long time
ago Yamaiko had told him the meanings behind wearing rings on certain
fingers. Something about how a big artery that leads to your heart is in that
finger on your left hand? And so if you touch something bad for you with it, it
sends a signal to your heart? So in Japan we call it a "medicine finger" and
mix medicine with it…? Does the sous-chef wear his there, too? Oh, this is no
good… He's still looking at me.
Ainz folded his hands on top of the desk. "What is it, Mare? What are you
looking at? Is there something interesting on my face?" He took extra-special
care to make sure he didn't sound angry.
"N-no, I was just thinking how cool you are…"
"I'm…cool?" He unconsciously stroked his face. "Hoo-ha-ha! Quite the
talented brownnoser, aren't you, Mare?"
"It's not flattery!" He shouted so loudly no one would have ever guessed
it was him. "P-please excuse me, Lord Ainz. But I really do think you're
cool. Even just before, when you sat in your chair, it really seemed like the
way the highest ruler of Nazarick should sit."
Ainz sent a questioning glance to the maid. The homunculus, intuiting her
master's intentions, said nothing but nodded emphatically to say, That's
right. He hadn't even looked at Albedo, but she was nodding vigorously to
agree as well. Even her wings were fluttering.
"I see. I'm glad," Ainz replied briefly, stood, and approached Mare. The
boy thought he was going to be scolded, but instead Ainz petted his head.
It was a rough motion but full of love.
"L-Lord Ainz…"
"Thanks, Mare. You always say things that make me happy." He didn't
show any of Satoru Suzuki's feelings, but it's kind of embarrassing. "I'm
always thinking how grateful I should be to my guildmates."
"To the other Supreme Beings?"
Ainz got down on one knee to meet Mare's eyes. "Yeah. I'm so grateful
to them for making the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and you, and everyone. That
includes you, too, of course, Albedo and Cixous."
Albedo's wings stuck straight out as if she was feeling rapturous.
And the maid who had been called by her first name got incredibly
flustered. She was usually so calm and composed that Ainz had to smile at
her distress.
"You are all my treasures." Ainz lifted Mare up. "I wouldn't even want to
give you back to BubblingTeapot!"
"Thank you, Lord Ainz!" Cixous thanked him instead of Mare, tears of
joy streaming down her cheeks. "All of us in Nazarick thank you for
remaining when so many of the Supreme Beings have gone. We may be
inexperienced and offend you often, and perhaps it's rude to say this to one of
our creators, but I will anyway: Please allow us to devote ourselves to you."
"I'll allow it. I believe I've said something similar to Albedo and
Demiurge before, but I am the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, your
master, Ainz Ooal Gown." He was momentarily surprised that he pulled off
these lines he hadn't rehearsed. But when he thought about it, it made sense.
He was only saying what he truly thought, so what was there to even pull off?
Mare hugged him, burying his face in his shoulder.
Good thing I'm not wearing my usual gear, he heard the coolheaded part
of his brain say.
He felt the robe around his shoulder getting wet, but he let Mare be. When
the sniffling quieted, he petted his head and put him down.
He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped Mare's face.
It might have been the careless mopping of someone who had never
wiped someone's face before, but Mare let it happen.
"Okay, Mare. Go wash your face."
"Wh-what are you going to do, Lord Ainz?"
"I have to go to E-Rantel. There's some kind of meeting with the guild
leaders. I've been begging out of them up until now, but I've run out of
excuses. Off I go…"
Ainz checked on Albedo, who was conspicuously quiet. Because her head
was lowered, her hair hid her expression. But the slight trembling he could
detect scared him. It made him think of an active volcano about to blow its
top.
"What is it, Albedo?"
Just then—
"Guh! Hagh!"
—the scenery flew past his eyes as he was struck in the back.
Of course, it didn't hurt. He wouldn't take damage from anything that
wasn't magic. He did feel a slight impact from being hit, but there was
nothing that could be termed pain. Even so, his human vestiges caused him to
reflexively shut his eyes for a moment—despite the lack of lids.
It was so sudden he couldn't quite think straight. His undead mental
makeup shouldn't have been able to be confused, so it had to be Satoru
Suzuki again.
"Nngh, mrrf…"
When he opened his eyes, he saw his eight-edged assassins clinging to the
ceiling. In other words, he realized, I'm lying on the floor, and he tried to get
up, but there was some unknown softness crawling over his body, pinning
him down.
What the hell? I have an item that should give me perfect resistance
against travel obstruction—and that includes holds! I should be freed the
moment I'm restrained… That must mean this is an extraordinarily powerful
hold skill!
The supple creature on top of him was exactly who he thought it was:
Albedo.
"Lord Ainnnnnz!" Straddling him, she sat up.
"Wh-what is it? What happened?"
"Oh, you! We don't have to hold back anymore, do we?" Her eyes opened
wide. Her golden, dilated pupils made his spine freeze.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" he asked, disturbed.
Ignoring him, Albedo reached for the chest of her dress. With a little
grunt, she tried to pull it down, but the garment didn't budge. "Magic clothes
are a pain. You either need to break them with a skill or take them off
normally."
"Calm down, Albedo! Get off me!"
He tried to shove her away, but she was a level-100 warrior. On top of
that, when he pushed her, he felt something tender squish and he couldn't
follow through. Her hands moved and began to remove his robe.
"Don't strip me! Don't move your hips! What the—?!"
"Wh-whoa—whoa—whoa—whoa…"
"This is your fault, Lord Ainz! I controlled myself for so long, but then
you went and said something that made it impossible! This is all your fault!
A little while will be enough! Just a little! A tiny little bit! Take pity on me
for a few moments! It'll be over in the time it takes you to count the eightedged assassins on the ceiling!"
If she had blamed him for rewriting her backstory, he probably would
have lost the will to resist. But Albedo's behavior—put one way, it was like
she was about to devour him—elicited more fear than guilt, so he struggled.
Finally, everyone else, who had been overwhelmed with confusion,
leaped into action.
"Mistress Albedo, you've gone insane!"
"Mistress Albedo, you've gone insane!"
The eight-edged assassins jumped down from the ceiling.
"Get her away from Lord Ainz! No! Don't completely restrain her—the
hold'll get canceled! Drag her away!"
"It's impossible! She's too strong! It makes sense, since she's the captain
of the guardians! Master Mare, give us a hand!"
"Ahhh, okay!"
Ainz was eventually freed, and after slowly rearranging his robe, he
pointed at Albedo, whose arms and legs were being held by the eight-edged
assassins. "Albedo, three days of disciplinary confinement."
The eight-edged assassins dragged her out of the room.
"U-uh, Lord Ainz…are you all right?"
"I'm fine, but…was Albedo always that much of a weirdo? Did she eat
something funky…? I know demon races don't have to eat, but she's still
able to…"
Mare averted his eyes.
"I see… Well, no, hmm. I'm sure there's a lot going on. We can't rule out
work-related stress."
Ainz rose and called to the maid. In an attempt to regain some of his
obliterated dignity, he spoke in a forceful voice. "Call Narberal and
Hamusuke. It's almost time for us to head to E-Rantel."
1:35 PM Nazarick Time
Ainz, astride Hamusuke, pulled the reins and brought her to a stop. He looked
silently at the towering gates of E-Rantel up ahead.
Though the massive gates could repel even a huge army, Ainz wasn't
averse to them. In the video game Yggdrasil, there were plenty more splendid
gates, but these were made not with data but human hands (although the
possibility of magical aid couldn't be ignored).
Before those gigantic steely gates fairly oozing history and hardship, an
emotion he couldn't put a finger on welled up inside him.
Even in Yggdrasil there were guilds that conquered cities. I used to
wonder why people would base their guild somewhere so difficult to protect,
but…now I kinda get it. Maybe conquering a big city is just one of those male
fantasies…
In the Yggdrasil days, fights between guilds over cities broke out all the
time. Most of the members of Ainz Ooal Gown had looked on coldly, saying
they were unable to comprehend it, but a few voices called for them to take
part.
War crazy, huh…?
He didn't really like the phrase, but when he looked back on those times,
they were good memories.
"What is it, master, hmm?" Hamusuke asked, wondering why she'd been
stopped if he wasn't going to do anything.
"Eh, don't worry about it." Ainz's flat tone was meant to put an end to the
conversation. He did it to hide the fact that if it got out he had been
reminiscing, it would have been embarrassing.
"Okay, we're going to the guild, showing up at the meeting for a minute,
and then immediately taking on a monster extermination job!"
They could have gotten a room in E-Rantel, but he didn't have the cash to
spare. Ainz neither ate nor slept, so the only reason for him to stay at a firstrate hotel was to show off his rank as a first-rate adventurer…and to make
connections. But he was already acquainted with the movers and shakers in
this city, to the point where they would welcome him if he visited, so there
was no reason to spend money on an inn.
Plus, even if he took a room, he would only teleport to Nazarick and stay
there doing odd jobs like creating undead until morning. In that case, it was
much smarter to take an extermination job and leave the city right away.
Honestly, he didn't feel there were many advantages to continuing to
operate in E-Rantel.
"Is that so, hmm? You like to battle, that you do, master."
"It's not that I like it. And besides, I say we'll go exterminating, but we'll
get it over with so fast we'll be spending most of the time at Nazarick like
usual anyhow." He bopped Hamusuke lightly on her huge head. "We've got
to train you so you can use weapons, armor—all kinds of gear!"
"I'm always working hard, that I am! Those lizardmen teach me many
things, that they do. In no time, I'm sure that I'll be able to learn a special
move, that I will!"
"Oh? It would be perfect if you learned how to use martial arts. And how
is your training partner doing? Does it seem like he'll learn to use martial
arts?"
"Him, you ask? He's quiet, not much of a talker, that he isn't, so I don't
know. But I don't think he can yet, no I don't."
Yeah, probably not, thought Ainz. He didn't expect that one to be very
talkative. And he expected it to be impossible for him to learn martial arts. It
was only an experiment. But if, on the off chance, the death knight Ainz
created could acquire warrior skills, they would need to make big changes to
their plans. That is, if it was possible for him to get stronger via training, that
might become their highest priority.
"Undead don't sleep or get tired. They can train an infinite amount, so
logically it would be strange if he didn't learn martial arts faster than you.
But if he hasn't yet, then maybe it really is impossible."
"Wait, that I ask! He's doing his best, too, that he is! Even after I teleport
to my residence, he stays, silently working… Don't kill him, that I beg you!"
"…I'm not going to kill him. What kind of monster do you think I am,
anyway?"
"Indeed. There is no one kinder than Lord Ainz in this world. He's even
showing mercy and allowing a sad creature like you to live."
Narberal's icy comment from behind them on her horse caused Hamusuke
to shudder.
"Nabe, we're almost to E-Rantel. Call me Momon from now on."
"Understood."
"And Hamusuke is an important figure in our plan to strengthen
Nazarick… Treat those who work for the good of Nazarick accordingly.
Know that this applies beyond Hamusuke as well!"
"Sir! My apologies!"
He wanted to say, And stop calling humans ticks and lice, but she didn't
listen when he reproved her, so he'd given up on that of late. If it was part of
Narberal Gamma's character to say those things without even realizing it, he
didn't want to trample on the wishes of the guildmate who created her.
"Okay, let's go."
"Yes, that I say!"
Ainz proceeded atop Hamusuke.
Several people were in line at the gates. That the examination to enter the
country was stricter than the examination to exit was only natural; the guards
inspected cargo quite thoroughly. For that reason, if there were peddlers or
traveling merchants in the queue, it could take quite a while to get into ERantel.
"I guess it won't take too long…"
"Wouldn't they let you go ahead?" Narberal quietly asked as they lined up
behind a few other travelers, including some who looked like adventurers.
She was right. He had passed an extremely annoying inspection the first
time he went through, but as his renown grew, the exams had grown simpler
and simpler until now he essentially got a free pass. Not only that, but
sometimes he was even allowed priority entrance.
Raven Black wasn't special in this regard; many teams mythril or above
were treated the same way. The consideration was given so as not to
displease the city's trump cards.
If they really wanted to do me a favor, they'd get rid of the entry taxes…
Considering how much adventurers earned, the fees were extremely
cheap, but for Ainz, who was bringing in the lion's share of foreign currency
to Nazarick, it was a cost he didn't appreciate. That said, he didn't simply use
a flying spell to go over the walls, either.
Momon was a hero. That meant—
"I shouldn't cut in line—unless there is some extenuating circumstance
and I need to get in quickly."
Still sitting on Hamusuke, he noted Narberal's bow of acknowledgment
out of the corner of his eye and gazed absentmindedly at the line ahead.
"We're really not moving, though…"
Just like a giant traffic jam, the line of people wasn't budging.
"What the…? It seems like they're checking a wagon, but they're doing
an awfully thorough job. Wait, they're just surrounding it, not inspecting it.
Did they find something illegal? 'Scuse me." He addressed the countryman
ahead of him.
"Wh-what can I do for you?"
"No need to get so flustered. I'm just wondering if you know anything
about why the line isn't moving."
"I don't know the details, but they took a village girl to the guardhouse.
Then all of a sudden…"
Ainz listened to the man's story but didn't end up learning much. He
craned his neck to get a look at the guardhouse. Focusing his ears, he could
hear irritated voices.
Suddenly, he was curious.
When he first came to this city, he had been asked several questions at the
gate, but he had gotten through more easily than he expected—to the point
where his impression was that in this world they were surprisingly kind to
drifters like mercenaries, adventurers, and travelers. Now, however, it seemed
like that wasn't actually the case, so he wondered what kinds of questions
they were asking the village girl.
Now Ainz had the rank of adamantite, which was valid in other countries
as well, so apparently most places would admit him.
That was precisely why he wanted to know what kinds of questions she
was being asked. There could be times in the future where he infiltrated the
city not as Momon but under some other guise. His aim was to be prepared
for that by getting information ahead of time.
"Wait here a minute. I'll see what's going on."
"I'll come with you."
"That won't be necessary. I'm just taking a quick look."
He got off Hamusuke and walked toward the guardhouse.
All the soldiers yelped in surprise when they saw him. There wasn't a soul
in E-Rantel who didn't know who Momon the adamantite-rank adventurer
was.
Taking care to appear confident, he arrived in front of the guardhouse.
Inside, he could see a village girl sitting in a chair as well as a caster and a
soldier who appeared agitated.
"We'd like to enter the city already… What are you doing?"
"Ahhh!"
Both men emitted an identical yelp to the soldiers outside. The village girl
looked his way, dazed.
"I-if it isn't Sir Momon! Do excuse us!"
"What in the world are you—huh? That girl…"
I've seen that face somewhere before. He searched his hippocampus—not
that it existed—for information about her.
"Yes! There was a suspicious girl here, so it took some time to investigate
her. We apologize for inconveniencing y—"
As he was thinking how annoying the man's voice was, the girl's name
came to him in a flash. "Enri, that's right. Enri Emmott, right?"
"Uhh, umm, who might you be? …Oh, wait. Y-you came that one time
with Nfirea, right? I don't remember speaking to you, but…perhaps you
heard my name from Nfi?"
Suddenly, Ainz put a hand over his mouth in spite of himself. The one
who had met Enri was the masked caster Ainz Ooal Gown. Now he was the
adamantite-rank adventurer clad in raven-black armor, Momon.
Shit! I just talked in my normal voice! This is bad. I gotta get out of here.
But why is she here? If she's looking for me—or rather, for Ainz Ooal Gown
—that'll be trouble. I should get the details from her.
It didn't seem like she had figured out his identity from their interaction
just now, but he still had to consider the possibility. He didn't really think she
would be able to recognize a voice she had heard briefly several months ago
now through armor, but one could never be too careful.
Ainz waved over the caster. He figured the caster knew more than the
soldier.
He pulled him out of the guardhouse and took enough distance that their
voices wouldn't carry.
"So…that girl is a friend of an acquaintance. Can you tell me what's
going on?"
He wasn't lying. Ainz and Momon were acquainted with Nfirea.
The caster's eyes widened. It was an expression similar to surprise but
different in some way. It was as if he had connected the dots, like he had
solved some puzzle in his head.
"I see… So that's it…"