The Lizardman Heroes

by Kugane Maruyama

  They stepped now into the marsh in perfect alignment, crimson capes fluttering behind them. They proceeded without speaking, crunching the ice under their feet. They really were in perfect order, maintaining their intervals as they advanced across the marsh, then crossing their lances with the warriors opposite them.

  The alternating lances formed a corridor leading up the rock.

  “A path for the king…?” Zenbel was exactly right.

  The caster of death stepped into the corridor of undead. No one knew when the figures following him had appeared.

  In front stood the caster, whose power was now impossible to fathom. He was clad in a robe so black it appeared to be cut from darkness. The staff in his hand radiated a dark-red aura. Inside it, anguished human faces would form, warp, and dissipate. The face beneath the hood was skeletal. A crimson color flickered in his vacant orbits. He was equipped with an abundance of magic accessories impossible for Zaryusu to comprehend and walked forward with the majestic gait of a king.

  Attending slightly behind the King of Death was a woman in white. Her appearance was humanlike, but a few things suggested otherwise. Like the wings at her hips.

  “Could that be…a demon?”

  Demons.

  A moniker that encompassed beings from the netherworld, such as fiends, which caused destruction with violence, and devils, which caused depravity with their wits. They were the height of wickedness; the purpose of their existence was to ruin every intelligent, good person. In other words, these monsters were synonyms for evil.

  Zaryusu had heard of their kind on his travels: how horrible they were, how about two hundred years ago a monster worthy of being called the King of Demons—an evil spirit—came with its underlings and nearly destroyed the world.

  In the end, the Thirteen Heroes defeated them, and even now scars from that battle remained in some places.

  If undead were beings that hated the living, then demons existed to torment them.

  Behind the demon walked a pair of dark-elf twins, followed by a silver-haired girl. Then came a strange monster that glided through the air, and finally a man like a human with a tail.

  The strange monster was the only one who didn’t seem immensely powerful—all the others were enough to make the entire length of Zaryusu’s tail quiver. His wild instincts were urging him: Run away as fast as you can!

  The party walked silently up the stairs beneath the pennons. They stepped on the undead soldiers with zero hesitation and ascended to the top of the giant rock like champions.

  The King of the Dead at the front of the line moved his hands.

  Upon the sudden appearance of a tall throne that sparkled raven black, he sat down.

  The ones behind him, who appeared to be aides, lined up and turned their gazes to the village as if they were watching for something. But they didn’t do anything else.

  What in the world is this?

  A few lizardmen glanced at one another anxiously. They decided to leave the decision-making to the cleverest one present.

  “Uh, er, what should we do, Mr. Zaryusu? Should we get ready to run?” The voice contained not the slightest will to fight. The lizardman’s tail was drooping helplessly, speaking volumes for his internal state.

  “No, no need for that. Think back to the time with the elder lich. This caster seems way more powerful than that, right? He should have no problem ignoring this distance and unleashing an attack right now. He probably…has something he wants to say.”

  The lizardman seemed to understand. Without taking his eyes off the advancing attendants, Zaryusu continued observing the immensely powerful monster on top of the rock as if he were one of the masses looking up at his king.

  He was determined to not miss a thing.

  At this distance he was able to observe quite a lot of detail, and their eyes even met.

  Was the King of Death observing him, too? The lack of hostility from the dark elves was surprising. The silver-haired girl had a smug grin. The demon was horrifying in how kind she seemed. He wasn’t sure about the strange monster. He couldn’t sense any emotion from the eyes of the man with the tail.

  After enough time had passed for them to observe each other, the King of Death once again brought his free hand up near his chest.

  Several lizardmen reacted by flailing their tails in distress.

  “Don’t be afraid. Don’t show the enemy that shameful display!” Zaryusu’s reprimand cut like a knife, and the lizardmen in the area all straightened.

  Multiple black hazes appeared before the King of Death—twenty, to be exact. The swirling mists swelled to about five feet high. Before long, myriad faces had formed within them.

  “Those are…” Zaryusu recalled the monster that had come to the villages and the undead he’d encountered on his travels.

  He’d given a rough explanation back in Crusch’s village—how it was really only possible to damage this type of insubstantial monster by using enchanted weapons, weapons made of certain metals, magic, or certain martial arts.

  Even with all the lizard tribes put together, they had only a handful of magic weapons. In other words, it would be hard to take out even one of this particular type of undead. And their opponent could spawn twenty of them like it was nothing.

  “I guess that’s what it means to be the ruler of death…” I can see why that elder lich, who was plenty powerful in his own right, would devote himself completely to this being, Zaryusu thought, losing heart.

  The caster on the rock murmured something and waved his hand in a way that said, Go!

  The undead flew to surround the village and said in unison, “We relay the words of the Great One. The Great One would like to speak with you. The one who shall represent you will step forward immediately. Know that taking too long will only displease the Great One.”

  Upon making their declaration, the incorporeal monsters flew back to their creator and master.

  “Huh? —The heck? That’s all?” Zaryusu’s mouth gaped idiotically. So he used those powerful undead just to tell us that?

  But what he really couldn’t believe was what happened at a signal from the ruler of death, when the silver-haired girl brought her hands swiftly together.

  The moment her hands connected…the hazy undead ceased to exist.

  “Whaaat?!” Zaryusu was so surprised he shouted in spite of himself.

  They hadn’t returned the summoned monsters but just wiped them out.

  Eliminating undead like that was something the priest class could do. Usually they had enough trouble just exorcizing them, but with a big enough disparity in power, it was possible to annihilate them. But doing so to a large number would be much harder.

  In other words, the silver-haired girl was equal to the King of Death despite being his follower. The other followers lined up with her were probably just as powerful.

  “Heh-heh-heh…” Zaryusu couldn’t stop laughing. Of course he couldn’t. What else was there to do but laugh? This stark power imbalance was just—

  “Zaryusu!”

  “Oh, brother!” Hearing the voice from below the wall, Zaryusu looked down to find Shasuryu and Crusch.

  They climbed up and examined the caster’s party.

  Crusch crammed herself between Zaryusu and Zenbel. She nearly caused Zenbel to fall, but he decided to let it slide.

  “So that’s the enemy boss? Just looking at him makes me start to expect a knife in the back. He looks like the elder lich you guys beat, but…he’s probably way stronger, huh?”

  “…Did you finish on your end?”

  “Mph, pretty much. Crusch and I are both out of magical energy. And from what those messengers said…we have to take care of that first. About that…will you come with me?”

  For a few moments, Zaryusu just regarded Shasuryu in silence. Then he nodded emphatically.

  For a split second, Shasuryu made a pained expression, but before anyone else could notice, his usual face returned. “Sorry.”

 
“No worries, brother.”

  With that, Shasuryu hopped off the wall. The thin ice over the marsh broke, and a splash rang out. “Okay, we’re off.”

  “Be careful.”

  Zaryusu gave Crusch a tight hug and then hopped down into the marsh after his brother.

  Zaryusu and Shasuryu walked over, crunching through the ice. As they exited the village gate, Zaryusu felt the King of Death’s gaze on them as if it exerted physical pressure. And from behind, he sensed concerned looks—the strongest one must have belonged to Crusch. He desperately suppressed the intense emotions that made him ache with longing.

  Abruptly breaking their silence, Shasuryu spoke. “…Sorry.”

  “Why, brother?”

  “…Because if this talk goes badly, we’re sure to be killed as an example.”

  Zaryusu knew that. That was why he’d squeezed Crusch so tightly.

  “…Considering how many there are of them, I couldn’t let you go alone. Besides, they’d probably think we were making light of them if we only sent one.”

  Zaryusu was a lizardman people knew and an appropriate second for the dialogue, but caste-wise he was a traveler. If he were killed, it wouldn’t greatly affect lizardman solidarity.

  Even if a hero died, as long as the chiefs were still around, the lizardmen could fight. It would be a shame if they lost Frost Pain, but he couldn’t have left it behind—he needed it to withstand the chill coming off the frozen lake.

  The pair walked in silence—one step, then another closer to death.

  When they reached the bottom of the undead stairs leading to the throne, they called out. If the throne had been set back from the edge, they might have gone up, but since there was no room for them, it probably wasn’t the King of Death’s intention to have them climb the stairs.

  The king would stand on higher ground.

  Lizardmen didn’t have the custom that many other races had, that superiors should be elevated. Of course, considering they’d come for a discussion, one could say this treatment was rude.

  In other words, it could mean only that their enemy had called them there under the guise of a dialogue but had absolutely zero interest in talking to them.

  But really it was presumptuous of them to expect equal treatment. Certainly Zaryusu and the others had won the previous battle, but one look at the enemies lined up on that rock and they had to admit, even if they didn’t like it, that their win was meaningless. It’d been nothing more than child’s play.

  “Here we are! I am the representative of the lizardmen, Shasuryu Shasha. And this is the strongest lizardman!”

  “Zaryusu Shasha!”

  Still, there was no sense from their voices that they were trying to curry favor. They knew it was foolish. It was their last bit of pride. That battle may have been child’s play to their enemy, but they couldn’t let the pride of the warriors who had died be for nothing.

  There was no reply. The king on his throne only gave them an openly appraising once-over; there was no sign of movement.

  The one who answered was the demon with black wings sprouting from her hips. “Our master doesn’t believe you’re in the appropriate posture to hear him speak!”

  “…What?”

  In response to their confusion, the woman called to the one like a man with a tail, who was standing next to her. “Demiurge!”

  “You will bow down.”

  Suddenly Zaryusu and Shasuryu got down on their knees and plunged their heads into the muddy marsh. They couldn’t help but think it was the right thing to do.

  Frigid, muddy water clung to their bodies, and the broken ice refroze.

  They essentially couldn’t get back up. No matter how much strength they put into moving, they didn’t budge. Their bodies were robbed of all freedom, as if a giant invisible hand were pressing down on them from above.

  “Don’t struggle.”

  The moment this second command reached their ears, somewhere in both Zaryusu and Shasuryu a new brain grew—one that would listen to someone else’s orders—and they sensed themselves moving according to it.

  Seeing the two weakened lizardmen bowing humiliatingly into the mud, the demon lady seemed satisfied and spoke to her master. “Lord Ainz, it appears they’ve assumed the listening posture.”

  “Thanks… Raise your heads.”

  “You are permitted to raise your heads.”

  Moving the only part of their bodies that they could freely, Zaryusu and Shasuryu looked up as if in awe of his supremeness.

  “I…am the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown. I offer you my thanks for assisting with that experiment earlier.”

  Experiment? We lost that many of our friends and he calls it an experiment?! Violent emotion at the horror of it blazed up as a flame in Zaryusu’s heart, but he held it back. It was still too soon.

  “Now then, what I’d like to discuss is…you entering under our rule.”

  Shasuryu was about to say something, but the caster Ainz stopped him by raising a hand slightly. Realizing nothing good would come of ignoring him and speaking, Shasuryu obediently kept quiet.

  “But I’m sure you don’t want to be ruled by the army you just defeated in battle. So we’re going to attack you again in four hours. If you can claim victory yet again, I promise to withdraw entirely. I’ll even pay an adequate amount of reparations.”

  “…May I ask a question?”

  “That’s fine. Ask away.”

  “Will the one attacking be you…Sir Gown?”

  The silver-haired girl behind him moved her eyebrows slightly, and the lady demon’s smile intensified. Perhaps they didn’t feel the address was up to their master’s level. The reason they didn’t do anything about it must have been because he didn’t respond.

  Paying no attention to them, Ainz continued, “Ha, no. The one attacking is a trusted aide of mine…just one man. His name is Cocytus.”

  Hearing that, Zaryusu was assaulted by despair, as if the world were crumbling. If the enemy were going to attack in numbers, the lizardmen might have had a chance—that is, maybe it would have been more of the same unpleasant army from the day before. In that case, they would have had a slim chance of winning.

  But that chance was gone.

  It would be a solo attacker.

  An army that had lost once already, after displaying this much force, would send a single man to attack? Unless it was some kind of punishment for the attacker in question, they had complete faith in him.

  Someone a being with unfathomable power trusted… There was only one thing that person could be: another with unfathomable power—such that the lizardmen stood no chance of winning.

  “We’ll surren—”

  “Don’t be boring and say you’ll surrender before you’ve even fought. C’mon, let’s fight a bit. We’d like to taste a proper victory.”

  As if robbing Shasuryu of his words, Ainz crushed the end of his sentence.

  In short, you mean to make an example of us? You scum, Zaryusu snapped in his head.

  As the stronger power, they would expunge the reality of their loss with a massacre. In other words, what was about to occur was ritual sacrifice, nothing less than a trampling of the lizardmen in order to rob them completely of their will to rebel.

  “That’s all I wanted to discuss. I’ll be watching in four hours, so make it entertaining!”

  “Please wait! Will this ice melt?”

  Win or lose, it would be brutal for the lizardmen to live on the frozen lake.

  “Ohhh…right.” He’d forgotten. His tone was that flippant. “I just didn’t want to get all muddy walking in the marsh. Once we get back to the other side, I’ll cancel the spell’s effects.”

  “Wha—?!” Both Zaryusu and Shasuryu gasped in shock, unable to believe their ears.

  He froze it because he didn’t want to get muddy?!

  The expression This can’t be! wasn’t nearly strong enough. The power imbalance was too great. This was a being who
could bend the powers of nature like it was nothing—and for any stupid whim he wished.

  This is who we’ve been up against? Both Zaryusu and Shasuryu were assailed by the fear of lost children.

  “All right, farewell, lizardmen. Gate.” Having said everything he’d come to say, Ainz waved his hand slightly. A hemisphere of darkness appeared before the throne, and he disappeared into it.

  “Good-bye, lizardmen.”

  “Later, lizardmans.”

  “Fare ye well, lizardmen.”

  The two women and single boy who had been in attendance addressed them disinterestedly and followed their master into the darkness.

  “U-umm, er, well, take care.”

  “Eggshell teal, clay-ebony-cinnabar-lime-white. ”

  The dark-elf girl and the strange monster were swallowed up by the darkness.

  “You may go free. Well, give us some fun, lizardmen.”

  The man with the tail was the last to disappear, and when his gentle voice echoed out, the weights holding down the pair of lizardmen melted away.

  Left suddenly alone, still prostrate in the mud, Zaryusu and Shasuryu no longer had the energy to rise.

  The freezing chill of the marsh didn’t even bother them anymore. The shock to their minds was far more intense.

  “Dammit…” An uncharacteristic utterance coming from Shasuryu. It contained a mixture of emotions.

  When Zaryusu and Shasuryu returned, the chiefs of each tribe, who had climbed up on the mud walls to evade the ice, were there to meet them. There were no other lizardmen in the area.

  They’d probably figured they would need to discuss in secret. So Shasuryu probably thought he didn’t need to hide anything. He spoke frankly, relaying every last detail of the so-called “discussion.”

  There was no big reaction to his heavy tale; everyone’s breath just caught slightly. They had probably guessed what sort of “negotiations” would take place.

  “Got it. ’N what about the ice? We can’t fight if it doesn’t melt.”