But can you command a military with a mind-set like that? That’s concerning.
Ainz knew it was a worry he didn’t need to have, but nonetheless, that was what he was thinking when Gondo walked up to him.
“All right, Your Majesty. I’m going to head home for a little while.”
“Okay, and you’ll get to work on what we discussed?”
“Of course. I’ll split it up and give them out. The timing we originally discussed is still fine, right? If anything comes up, I’ll contact you via magic.”
Gondo thrust out a fist, and Ainz bumped it. This rapport must have been the result of all the chatting they did on the way over.
He sure talked forever…
Gondo’s conversations were one-directional and seemed like they would never end. It was probably because Ainz had shown some interest in the disappearing art of rune crafting, and the dwarf had been so isolated for so long that the dam just broke.
Ainz had the same feeling—of wanting to talk to someone with the same interests. He keenly understood how Gondo must have felt. But it wasn’t out of kindness that he listened to the dwarf blather on.
Gondo patted the magic pack on his back as he headed off.
The supreme commander seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he didn’t call out to stop him.
“What should we do now? Shall we open the door in a little while to check on the results?”
The commander must have been expecting that question from Ainz. He seemed to already have an answer in mind, as he replied immediately. “It would be rude to keep the sovereign of a nation like yourself waiting here, Your Majesty. First, I’d like to take you to the regency council, where you can inform everyone of your proposal.”
“You don’t need to see what’s happened?”
“Introducing Your Majesty should come first. We sent a message to the regency council that the kuagoa were attacking. I imagine they’re groping for a solution even now. I’d like to bring them a fresh report before they panic and issue inappropriate orders.”
“I see. In that case, I have no objections. Take me to them.”
“Understood. But I fear Your Majesty’s magical beasts will cause chaos among the people. I hate to ask, but would you have them stand by here? If you’ll teach us how, we’ll be sure to look after them…”
Ainz glanced at Aura, and she nodded.
“Okay. Then, let’s have them stand by over there.”
Ainz pointed to a corner of the garrison compound, and the supreme commander nodded.
“Also, there’s no need to take care of them. We’ll handle it. And I’ll only bring three people with me.”
Ainz chose to bring Shalltear, Aura, and Zenbel. He ordered the others to wait with the beasts.
The commander looked somewhat relieved. He must not have wanted undead swaggering around town.
“Then, shall we go?”
“Yes, please.”
Ainz and his party followed the commander openly through the dwarf city. They got enough weird looks that it stung, and he was disappointed to see mothers who saw his face hiding their children indoors.
Certainly, he could have taken measures to not stick out.
If he had worn a mask, there definitely would have been fewer stares. But he had a reason for not concealing his face.
Ainz wanted their arrival to be public knowledge. He couldn’t imagine there were players here if the dwarves had needed help from a foreign country to deal with the kuagoa attack. But it was possible there were low-level players around, or maybe items that players had left behind.
Like those magic-sealing crystals…
That’s why Ainz wanted to leave evidence of his visit. It was so he wouldn’t be attacked with an item like that. It was likely no one would try to do away with him if he approached them like this.
Additionally, he hadn’t decided what sort of ambassadors he would send, but he could certainly imagine using undead. It would be good for the dwarves to get used to seeing them.
“The kuagoa assault came so close to breaking through and yet no one seems tense,” Ainz said. A dwarf who had come out of a pub red in the face with an arm around a friend gaped at him. The dwarves obviously reeked of booze.
“The citizens don’t know the kuagoa are attacking.”
“Is that…all right?”
Aren’t you taking this crisis a bit lightly?
The commander must have understood what Ainz was thinking. “It’s simply that they came so fast, information hasn’t reached the general populace yet. It’s up to the regency council, but I expect that within the next hour, everyone will know.”
“Hmm. Well, I did tell my minions to retake the bridge, but if we do that, will the city be safe for now? That’s something I need to take into consideration if I’m going to be trading with this country.”
“It’s difficult to say. That depends on how many attackers have come, but we also don’t know how committed they are to this invasion. After retaking the bridge, we’ll have to strengthen our defenses and try to figure out what route they took.”
Ainz smiled internally.
It seemed there were still more chances for him to shine—to make this city indebted to him. Having the death knights take the bridge would be fine.
As he was happily walking along, he was assailed by a sudden shock.
“What?!”
Ainz’s voice made the supreme commander jump. “Eeegh! Wh-what’s the matter, Your Majesty, King of Darkness?”
“N-never mind. It’s a personal issue. Nothing to concern yourself with.”
The severity of his voice said, Don’t ask any more, and the commander’s questions dried up.
Ainz’s reply was out of character because he was entirely preoccupied.
The two death knights he had created, which were supposed to be on the outskirts of Fehu Jura, had vanished.
There was only one thing that shocking truth could mean.
The death knights had been defeated.
Huh?!
Compared to Ainz, a death knight was weak. But in this world, they were tough enemies even for a country’s finest warriors. If someone could defeat two of them, they had to be formidable. And both had even disappeared at the same time.
Did they get defeated simultaneously?
Was it an area-of-effect attack?
Had a powerful individual slain them with a devastating blow?
No matter what the answer, the culprit had to be an enemy more powerful than the mysterious caster he had met in the royal capital.
If it was an individual, and they took out two defense-type death knights at once, they had to be over level 40.
“Have I found someone?”
The supreme commander glanced up at him in response to his murmur to himself, but Ainz had no intention of speaking with him.
The first thing that came to mind when Ainz thought of an unknown power was naturally another player. If it was another high-level player like him, they would have no trouble killing two death knights.
So the player’s not with the dwarves but with the kuagoa? Is it possible they have something to do with the one who brainwashed Shalltear?
A scorching flame flared in his chest.
The embers he had banked grew with this fuel. But it was suppressed immediately.
No, it can’t be. If there was a powerful player, they would have been able to conquer the dwarf city sooner. There’s a higher chance that the suspect is a strong person originally from this world. But I can’t say for sure. This will require a change of plans, huh…?
Ainz wanted the war between the dwarves and the kuagoa to drag on.
The existence of a clear threat could drive the dwarves under Ainz’s umbrella. But maybe leaving the kuagoa alone—that was to say, giving them time—was dangerous.
If they were a race that occasionally produced powerful specimens… This time they had gotten only his death knights, but who knew how far they would be able
to reach in the future? It was better to collar or eradicate them now, while he still could.
The ideal would be to take over the kuagoa and secretly manipulate them to continue threatening the dwarves… But one false move and the jig would be up. Might be safer to drop that idea.
“Your Majesty, the regency council is just over here.”
Ainz looked in the direction the commander was pointing and saw a fairly large—for dwarves, naturally, but also for Ainz—building.
The commander exchanged a couple of words with the soldiers guarding the door, allowing them to pass unchecked.
Surely only the supreme commander’s authority could get an undead past a security check despite the way they stared at him wide-eyed.
“Your Majesty, I’m going to report everything to the regency council. My apologies, but would you mind waiting for a little while?”
There was no reason for that to bother him. Besides, Ainz needed him to report in that this undead newcomer had already helped out the dwarf country.
“All right. Where should I wait?”
The commander glanced at one of the soldiers guarding the door, and the dwarf stepped forward. “I-I’ll show you to the waiting room.”
“Oh? Thanks.”
The dwarf, whose voice and body were both trembling slightly, led Ainz to a cozy little room. Actually, considering the average dwarf height, it probably wasn’t supposed to feel small at all. With Aura or Shalltear as the standard, it was plenty spacious. But their party included Zenbel, who was huge. His mere presence made the space feel tighter.
The fact that the soldier had led them to this room after seeing Zenbel meant it was either the largest they had or a room for their most honored guests. In fact, it was so gorgeously furnished, the statues seemed liable to start moving.
Ainz knew from his experience making the Avataras in Nazarick what a pain it was to create such intricate sculptures. It was often the case that something seemingly perfect from the side would look weird from the front.
Ainz picked up one of the statues—a dwarf riding a lizard.
You can understand with just one look why everyone says the dwarves are so skilled. I wish I could make stuff like this… I don’t know if I could remake the Avataras or not, but maybe I could improve if I trained? Anyhow…
Zenbel seemed to feel out of place, so Ainz spoke to him. “I’d like you to stay with us a bit longer, Zenbel.”
“Oh, Your Majesty, I would actually appreciate it if you would leave me here, if possible. To be honest, talking with important people tires my head out.”
Zenbel was speaking a bit strangely. His tone was slightly different from what he’d used while they were traveling. Maybe he was speaking more formally because they were in the dwarf country?
“…Weren’t you once the chief of a tribe yourself?”
“Mistress Shalltear, there’s such a thing as strengths and weaknesses, ya know—I mean, I’m sure you’re aware. And causing trouble for His Majesty would be unforgivable, right?”
Ainz understood what Zenbel was saying, but he shook his head. “No, you’re coming with us. If anything happened and you were too far away, I wouldn’t be able to protect you. I can’t imagine we’ll run into danger, but only a fool lets his guard down. And it’s possible that we’re in the palm of our enemy’s hand right now. Keep that thought in the back of your head at all times.”
“Yes, my lord! I’ll burn it into my memory!”
Ainz didn’t believe the dwarves would try to harm someone who assisted their country, but he figured an extra warning never hurt.
What’s gotten into Shalltear? That was a great reply she made, but did something happen?
“S-so then, Your Majesty, what should I do?”
“Hmm? Just obediently follow our instructions. And no matter what happens, don’t start a fight.”
Zenbel meekly acknowledged, and Ainz nodded at him.
“Okay then. Aura, Shalltear, sorry, but can you see if my clothes look all right?”
Once the two of them had checked his clothes as well as their own, the dwarf soldier came to lead them to the regency council.
•
Ainz was shown to the room where the dwarves were waiting.
He walked proudly in full gear. With his back straight and his chest thrust out, he cut a kingly figure. And where someone else might have worn cologne, he instead activated a black halo and aura. No one could take him lightly once he had done all that.
Instead of carrying a scepter, he wore a gaudy wand on his hip. The spell it contained was tier one, but he had no intention of casting it, so he didn’t expect that to be an issue.
When he had looked at himself, he felt that perhaps he had deviated somewhat from his original goal of proceeding in a friendly fashion, but Aura’s and Shalltear’s reactions were excellent.
Still, those two thought too much of him, so he was still anxious about whether their opinions were really to be trusted or not.
That’s why he asked what Zenbel thought.
Faced with a question about a topic outside his realm of expertise, Zenbel seemed confused, but he said, “Go in like that and they’ll definitely respect you,” so Ainz had trusted him and proceeded without any changes.
But all the dwarves he had met seemed surprised and on edge. That made him nervous, but it also could have been considered an appropriate reaction to a king’s appearance.
“His Majesty the King of Darkness has arrived.”
He could hear the dwarf announcing him beyond the door.
Then it opened, and Ainz entered.
There were eight dwarves inside the space that resembled a conference room.
He had heard from the supreme commander each of their identifying physical characteristics, roles, and names.
The chief of the great earth shrine, despite the title implying otherwise, was in charge of all magic affairs whether faith related, arcane, or otherwise.
The chief of the smith shops mainly supervised blacksmith production.
The supreme commander, who had brought Ainz here, handled everything to do with the military and police. There was a time when he had commanded a huge army, but now there were barely a hundred soldiers in total, so he laughed that he didn’t feel worthy of the title anymore.
The chief of the food industry managed food and other non-blacksmithing products.
The chief of administration dealt with all the affairs the other chiefs didn’t.
The chief of alcohol’s existence was a measure of exactly how much dwarves loved to drink.
The chief of caves and mines, who mostly oversaw mining matters, was one of the most influential members.
The chief of the merchant council handled foreign affairs. At one point, the merchant council had been its own organization, but due to the decline in the number of merchants and generally lower trade activity, the title remained in name only.
Those were the eight members of the regency council.
Ainz slowly examined them. Seven of them gaped back at him. Then his eyes met those of a somewhat tired-looking dwarf—the supreme commander.
Ainz feigned composure, but inside he was completely bewildered. Hey! I can’t tell these guys apart! You can say his beard’s a bit shorter but that doesn’t help if they all look the same length to me! Was the commander lying? Or can he actually tell the difference? What should I do?
In Zenbel’s memories, all the dwarves had the same face, so Ainz had assumed that Zenbel couldn’t tell them apart because he was a lizardman or that it was a personal issue with facial recognition. But that wasn’t the case.
I’m sorry I doubted you, Zenbel. You showed me the truth, huh?
How many times had he lamented the fact that this world didn’t have the custom of exchanging business cards? Feeling the same way today, Ainz braced himself.
It was time for the presentation he had been practicing. Only this time he had two of the guardians and a subordinate of his subordinate watch
ing from behind him. He couldn’t afford to mess this up.
…Maybe I shouldn’t have brought them.
Worrying about it now wouldn’t do him any good. The die had been cast.
However, though he had prepared himself, the conversation failed to start. It had been a good minute since they had arrived, and no one had said a word yet.
What’s going on? If this was a meeting at a company, usually you would first introduce everyone to the guest. Isn’t the supreme commander the go-between here…? I don’t really want to be the one to start. I’m not familiar with court etiquette, and I’m not keen on exposing my weaknesses.
Apparently, court etiquette dictated that the king didn’t speak directly to those below him, and anyone wishing to speak directly to him needed permission. In other words, the king’s person was just that inviolable. Did that mean that if Ainz spoke first, the dwarves would look down on him as a king?
He felt it could go either way.
That said, considering this country’s situation and what I’ve done for them, I highly doubt anyone would dare belittle me. And if anyone did, maybe it would be better not to deal with such idiots.
Having made up his mind, Ainz decided to get things rolling. “I am the leader of the Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown, King of Darkness.”
The dwarves began to move as though their power buttons had been pushed.
“S-so good of you to come, Your Majesty, King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. Would you first please take a seat? Your attendants may sit over there.”
Ainz nodded and sat at the head of the table with a practiced air of kingly dignity. Shalltear, Aura, and Zenbel took the seats behind him.
“All right, Your Majesty. Allow us to introduce ourselves. First, I am this country’s—”
And the dwarves each introduced themselves.
Apparently, Ainz had started the conversation off right, but he couldn’t help but be irritated.
Sure, all eight of them could give him their names at once, but his brain’s notepad was full. He was listening, but pairing titles with names and looks was proving difficult.
It was easy enough to remember the names, but when he had to remember their roles as well, that was when he started to have trouble. Was it the chief of caves and mines or the chief of mines and caves? Ainz quickly became confused.
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