The Two Leaders

by Kugane Maruyama

  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 first-rate 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 E-Rantel.

  “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…”

  What’s “it”?! Ainz bit back the jab and waited.

  “She kept saying she was just a village girl, but she was concealing an immensely powerful magic item shaped like a horn. We thought it was suspicious that she would be carrying such a thing, so we were trying to get the details.”

  “What kind of horn? What does it do?”

  “Well, its power is to…”

  After hearing the man’s story, Ainz suddenly looked up at the sky—to escape the reality that it was the item he had given her.

  When he had given it to her, he didn’t have any idea what kind of items were commonplace in this world; he just wanted her to protect herself. Who could have guessed it would cause trouble for her later? He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but neither did he feel like he could abandon her.

  I guess I should help her. This isn’t my fault, but I should take responsibility for giving her that item… It would be worse to ignore her and have it fall into someone else’s hands… Besides, if she gets taken prisoner…

  Nfirea knew that Momon and Ainz Ooal Gown were one and the same. Under these circumstances, if he heard Enri’s story, he would think that Ainz abandoned her.

  That would definitely make him resent me. I wouldn’t care if he was just any worthless human, but he’s extremely valuable to me. I can turn this issue to my advantage! If I save her, Nfirea will be grateful. I gotta tighten my chains on him little by little…

  Ainz spoke in what he felt was a calm, dignified voice. “You don’t need to worry about her at all. I know her character well. She’s not the kind of person who will cause trouble, so please let her through. Can you do that for me?”

  “Of course. We would even let a criminal in if they were someone you knew and you vouched for them.”

  “Is that so? Well, thanks. And then, sorry to trouble, but do you think Raven Black could also go in ahead of the line?”

  After getting permission to enter, Ainz returned to Narberal and Hamusuke.

  “We’ve been cleared to enter ahead of the others. Let’s go through the gate.”

  He rode Hamusuke past the people in line. The travelers waiting their turn noticed him, but when they saw his raven-black armor, Hamusuke, and Narberal, they looked away in resignation—they had seen the status gap between Ainz and themselves.

  With deep, reverent bows from the soldiers guarding the gate, Ainz and his party passed through it and entered E-Rantel.

  “Okay, Nabe. I have a favor to ask you.”

  “Understood. Your wish is my command.”

  He wondered how this loyal attitude looked in the city between fellow adventurers, but he knew saying anything would be pointless, so he continued with his order. “Talk to Enri, the girl on the next wagon that will come through the gate, and find out why she’s here.”

  Next, he looked for a place to hide. He wanted to avoid any further conversation with Enri himself.

  He glanced around the area, decided ducking behind a stack of wooden crates would suffice, and had Hamusuke dash over there. The two of them appeared so suddenly, the soldiers working there got flustered.

  “Do you have a moment, sir? I’d like to ask you about these crates,” Ainz asked one of the soldiers after confirming that his position wasn’t visible from the gate. Of course, he had no interest in the crates. It was just an excuse so they wouldn’t shoo him off for being in their way.

  “Y-yes. Thank you for taking an interest, Sir Momon. These are crates of a vegetable called kinshu from the Grandel domain. It’s…”

  Ainz listened to the soldier’s earnest explanation, occasionally muttering a vague “I see” or “Really?” He was rather unengaged, but the soldier took no offense and continued explaining. About the time Ainz was learning a great deal about different ways to prepare kinshu, he sensed Narberal appear behind him.

  “—Sorry to interrupt you in the middle of your explanation. I appreciate all the useful information you’ve given me, but my friend is back, so I need to go,” he declared unilaterally and had Hamusuke start walking.

  “So what did you find out?”

  “First, she wanted me to thank you. Then she said she has three aims: to sell herbs, to check at the shrine if there are any people who want to move to her village, and finally, to visit the Adventurers Guild.”

  “The Adventurers Guild? What kind of request is she going to make?”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t find out that much. Should I catch her and force her to tell me?”

  “No, no need. We’re headed to the Adventurers Guild anyway. We can probably just ask someone there.”

  He figured it wasn’t about wanting to thank Ainz Ooal Gown directly. If that was the case, she could have said it to Lupusregina when she visited…

  “Oh, right. Nabe, have you gotten any special reports from Lupusregina lately?”

  When he saw her shake her head, his brow—not that he had one, of course—furrowed.

  Originally, he had stationed shadow demons in the village, but in order to deepen friendly relations, he sometimes sent Lupusregina instead. He had instructed her to report immediately if any problems occurred in the village, but he hadn’t heard anything yet.

  So he was under the impression that Carne wasn’t having any issues.

  Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to report that Enri had gone to E-Rantel on her own, but worry appeared in Ainz’s mind like a dark cloud.

  “I thought Lupusregina was the kind of person who took her job fairly seriously, but what do you think, Nabe?”

  “It’s as you say. She comes off as frivolous due to the way she talks, but it’s only an act. She’s a crafty, brutal maid.”

  Crafty and brutal were not compliments. He furtively searched her face for any trace of negative emotions, but her imposing expression contained only respect for her teammate.

&nb
sp; “So, master, is it all right to go to the Adventurers Guild as planned, hmm?”

  “Yeah. You know where it is, right? Okay, Nabe, get on. No need to take your Animal Statue: Warhorse out again.”

  After Ainz took Narberal’s hand and pulled her up behind him, Hamusuke sped up as if she’d been raring to go. Ainz was no longer mortified to swagger down the streets atop the giant hamster. On the contrary, he loved that she could understand him and that he could give her orders. Riding her was like taking a taxi.

  Eventually, the Adventurers Guild came into view. At the same time, he saw the wagon from earlier, as well as Enri disappearing inside the building.

  “Dang… Hamusuke. I’m going in the back entrance. Take me around the other side.”

  “Understood, that it is, master!”

  Adventurers weren’t usually allowed in the back door, but adamantite ranks could get away with anything. That said, it was still his first time. Taking excessive advantage of his privileges would have been bad for his reputation.

  He went in the back and asked the first guild employee he saw to take him to the head of the guild’s office. Luckily, perhaps, he was in.

  “Oh, Momon! Thanks for coming!”

  The head of the guild, Ainzach, welcomed him with open arms, grabbing and enveloping him in a forceful…hug. Ainz was wearing armor and a helmet, so it didn’t bother him, but if he had been only lightly dressed, he would have rather avoided it. The embrace was warm in too many ways.

  After giving him a friendly pat on the back, Ainzach slowly pulled away. “You haven’t been coming around lately, so I’ve been lonely! Now take a seat on the sofa. We can have a nice chat until the other members of the meeting arrive.” The head of the guild gestured at the sofa cheerfully, like he was welcoming a good friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

  “Thank you.”

  When Ainz sat down, Ainzach sat next to him.

  The space between them was negligible. It made it hard to breathe; their knees were even touching.

  “Momon, we’ve known each other so long. You can relax with me, you know.”