“Is there some way we could set Momon and the King of Darkness against each other? Maybe using the citizens of E-Rantel…?”
“It’s dangerous. Much too dangerous. We might end up with both Momon and the King of Darkness standing against us.”
“That’s exactly right. We’re suffering a great many losses at present. Though they’ve been resurrected, the members of the Black Scripture, the destruction of the Sunlit Scripture, the loss of the crown, the deaths of the shrine princess and Lady Kaire… It will probably take decades to recover. I doubt we need to be grilling meat beneath a sleeping dragon’s nose.”
“Right. To begin with, we must avoid a two-front war.”
The hostility in the room ballooned instantaneously.
“Those grimy traitors?”
“Damn elves.”
The Theocracy was in the middle of a war with the elf country in the woodlands to the south. Originally the two countries had a cooperative relationship. But ever since that fell apart, the Theocracy had been using all its energy to wage war against the elves.
At present, they had succeeded in building a forward base near Crescent Lake, where the elven capital was situated. The plan had been to destroy them within a few years, but it wasn’t working out.
“Should we pause the war with the elves for the time being?”
“Don’t be stupid. How much blood do you think we’ve shed thus far? And in the first place, we’ll never be forgiven if we don’t avenge her.”
“That girl…” The old man who spoke winced.
She always ended up getting treated like a child because of her appearance—though she was actually older than everyone present.
“What about her?”
“She’s standing by in a room nearby as usual.”
“Hmm. We have to give her a chance to avenge her mother, too.”
“Indeed. It would be too pitiful if we didn’t. Once her revenge is complete, perhaps she’ll be calmer, too.”
Everyone in the room wore a sad expression.
“…Honestly, I’d like to give the high priests of that time a piece of my mind. I can’t believe they raised the poor girl to have a personality like that.”
“Once you say that, let’s end it by remembering that it was the fault of those savages in the forest. Even the high priests thought it was a bad idea to take her from her mother.”
“…It’s a tricky thing.”
“But if we send her, it’s possible that the dragonlord awakens.”
“I doubt that the power of the gods, Ruinous Beauty, would reach one who uses primeval magic, though it reached the Catastrophe Dragonlord.”
“Shall we use it on the King of Darkness?”
Silence descended on the room. The idea had been on all of their minds, though they didn’t say it.
“…It wouldn’t be a horrible move. But I’m quite concerned, given that we still don’t know how powerful his underlings are.”
“If we could charm without limits, there would be no issue…”
“That’s disrespectful! How could you complain about the great treasure the gods left? The gods who protect humanity and gave their lives for us! Have you gotten so full of yourself?”
The reproaches flew, and the old man who had spoken hung his head. “It was irreverent of me.”
“Watch what you say!”
“Let’s get back to the topic at hand. Am I correct in thinking that we’re all against using Ruinous Beauty on the King of Darkness?”
“It’s too risky.”
“If the Catastrophe Dragonlord appears, we could use it on him and use him as our advance guard…”
There was no point in wishing for things they couldn’t have.
“Well, we probably have no choice. Regarding the elves, let’s send a messenger to that dragonlord and try talking.”
“But we have no idea what kind of demands they’ll make!”
“Well, let’s be flexible and at least listen to what they have to say. For the girl’s peace of mind.”
No one objected. They were all in various postures of contemplation.
“Hee-hee.” Someone chuckled, and the rest of the room’s eyes gathered. “Hee-hee. That’s so kind of you…even though everyone who knows what happened at the time is dead.” It was a nasty thing to say, but the tone was completely different. “We, including her, are a band of friends who protect weak humanity from the other races. I’d like some abuse of authority to be permitted when it’s about saving our friends.”
“If no one dies, I won’t stop you…”
The generalissimo’s response evoked a wry smile.
“Wouldn’t it be better to spread this knowledge more widely than word of mouth between individuals can? Someone with power shouldn’t have any trouble unless they go into hiding afterward. Once word gets around, information will come together quickly.”
The often-proposed plan was said to have originated hundreds of years ago. And it was always rejected in the same way.
“The fewer people who know that our world is a fragile boat hurled into the wide ocean, the better. Or that we might get a bad storm every century or so. How would anyone be able to sleep at night? The strong can’t simply lurk in the shadows forever. They stick out even if they simply go about living their lives.”
“If that’s true, then what will that former high priest do?”
“I don’t know, but there’s a good chance of something… Perhaps some kind of ace move is in the works.”
“Maybe the former ninth seat, Storm-Wind Distance-Runner, knows something…”
“This is no good. It’s happening so near us this time. It’s a pain in the extreme.”
There were several audible sighs.
“What about asking the retired Black Scripture members for help rebuilding our strength—no, tightening up our watch? As reinforcements to send to the Dragon Kingdom. If we sent them, there wouldn’t be many deaths.”
Since the Black Scripture was always leaping into dangerous situations, the chances of dying were high. But as long as there was a corpse, resurrection was possible. The only issue was that being brought back from the dead used up a lot of life force. Returning to pre-death levels of power required time and training. It was natural that those people would choose to retire.
Of course, there were also those who quit when they started feeling their age, but in either case, they were given priority for the jobs they were interested in. Some chose not to work and lived a life of debauchery, but in the majority of cases, the gazes of their multiple wives and the Why don’t you work, Daddy? from their children compelled them to get back in the game.
It was necessary to train those people to get their combat senses back, and there were some who could never hope to return to the level they were at in their prime, but they were still definitely more reliable than some random person.
“For now, let’s tell them what’s going on and what we would like. Just don’t expect them all to take up their weapons again.”
“Of course not. It would just be an appeal. And for anyone who actually responds, we’ll have to offer even better compensation than they wish for.”
“They should get paid as much as we do.”
Ironic laughter erupted.
Their salaries were a joke.
In the Theocracy, salaries began to decrease above a certain rank. It was a self-purification measure to ensure that the people at the top weren’t tainted by greed. The result was that most of those who climbed up that high were there to dedicate themselves to their country and the people.
The laughter stopped and the high priest superior spoke. “Very well, everyone. Shall we move on? Raymond, if you please.”
Chapter 3 | The Baharuth Empire
1
The day Albedo left for the Re-Estize Kingdom was sunny. Ainz was in the yard of his residence to see her off.
There was a line of five luxurious carriages. The one Albedo was riding in had her luggage
in it. Of the others, one was filled with presents for the king. They were gifts meant to show the power disparity between the kingdom and the Nation of Darkness. Twenty-six Death Cavaliers created by Ainz surrounded the procession.
It would have been simpler to use Teleport to travel, but that wasn’t the method they chose.
Part of Albedo’s mission was to show off the might of the Nation of Darkness. That was why she used monsters instead of horses to pull the carriages—it was a demonstration.
“Well then, Lord Ainz. I’ll be away for a little while.”
“Right, be careful. We haven’t found the guys who brainwashed Shalltear. We can’t rule out the possibility that they might be plotting to mind control you and deal massive damage to Nazarick.”
“Of course, my lord. I’ll make sure not to let this leave my person.”
She cradled a World Item.
“With that, you should be safe from World Item brainwashing, but we don’t know for sure that what our opponent has is a World Item. And in the first place, don’t forget that although it’s the strongest anti-material World Item, it isn’t terribly useful against personnel.”
“Is that true? My main weapon is a portable version of this that looks different…”
“It’s not as powerful as a specialized god-tier weapon. Well, considering that it can’t be broken and won’t degrade, it is quite strong, but you know. My point is: Don’t let your guard down because you’re strong. Not that I think you would make that sort of mistake, Albedo.”
Come to think of it, Ainz had never sent Albedo outside before.
He had always stationed her in Nazarick to protect the rear. So Ainz was worried in much the same way he would be sending a child on their first errand.
“Stay wary. Don’t let your guard down. If anything seems even the slightest bit dangerous, withdraw at once. Do you have a teleportation item? Some of them take time to activate. Do you have one that allows you to move instantaneously? Some enemies have attacks that prevent teleportation. Have you decided how you’ll deal with those? Some enemies will distract you with a decoy and sneak up on you. Don’t get tricked by your enemies’ strengths. I heard you’ve been doing some combat training so you’ll be able to handle more, but you still have a lot to learn. And besides that…”
Wishing he had given the same advice to Shalltear before he sent her out, he considered how he would fight her if he was the PKer, all the while speaking rapid-fire.
How many different attacks had he explained? He realized that Albedo was looking at him awfully happily. Then he came back to his senses with a start.
What a terribly embarrassing way to act.
Ainz cleared his throat.
“Let’s leave it at that. This is you we’re talking about, Albedo, so I’m sure you’ve prepared countermeasures for each of these. I’m sorry to have kept you. You can go. Come back safe.”
“Understood, Lord Ainz.”
“I don’t mean to ask as you’re leaving, but has Demiurge—? Ah, never mind.”
“Are you sure?”
Ainz nodded.
He really wanted to ask if any word had come from Demiurge. Albedo wasn’t against his plan with the Adventurers Guild, so he wanted to ask Demiurge, but he could do that in person when he returned. Albedo seemed curious, but perhaps sensing that he wasn’t going to reply, she returned to her usual calm expression.
“All right, Lord Ainz. I shall do a job worthy of the captain of the guardians.”
“You always uphold the dignity of your title, Albedo.” As soon as he said it, he thought of the times he had been tackled, but this wasn’t the time to bring it up. “One last thing: I know you have immunity to sickness, but in this world, there might be illnesses that can infect you. Take care of yourself. I heard it’s easy to catch colds when the seasons are changing.”
In the world where Satoru Suzuki lived, there had been four clearly defined seasons.
He suddenly wondered how Blue Planet would have reacted if he was here. He probably would have had the same sparkle in his eyes that Albedo did…setting aside the question of whether he could even make such an expression.
With that smile like a flower in full bloom, Albedo made a proposal. “Lord Ainz! I know a wonderful way to ward off sickness!”
“Oh?”
He was surprised that she knew a preventive measure specific to this world.
Albedo shouldn’t have had any contact with Nfirea the apothecary. Was it knowledge from Yggdrasil or Tabula Smaragdina? His curiosity piqued, Ainz waited for her to continue.
“A kiss!”
“…………A kiss?”
“Yes, kissing relieves stress and activates the parasympathetic nervous system. If the parasympathetic is more active, your immunity increases. A kiss will keep you from getting sick!”
“Now that you mention it, I seem to remember hearing something like that before.”
He remembered someone saying something about the parasympathetic nervous system back when he was playing Yggdrasil. That must have been what he was thinking of. But he couldn’t imagine it was valid in this world as well.
“So a kiss!”
Albedo closed her eyes and puckered up.
A fish face.
He thought it would be a waste of her beauty, but actually, it didn’t detract as much as he expected. I guess beautiful women are beautiful no matter what kind of face they’re making, thought Ainz, though it was a bit beside the point at the moment.
Ainz decided that was enough escapism and began to think.
He wanted to tell her no way, but it was clear from a glance that she wanted a kiss. Since she was about to go on a business trip, he wanted to fulfill her wishes to some extent. And ignoring the request of the daughter of Tabula Smaragdina would pain his heart.
Ainz held Albedo’s chin and kissed her forehead. That said, he didn’t have any skin. So he didn’t have any lips. So his kiss consisted of pressing against her with his front teeth. And since he didn’t have any spit, either, it should have felt just like a dry, hard object touching her.
It was just so…so-so that he could only hope she would endure it.
I haven’t eaten anything, but I still wish I would have brushed my teeth.
When he took his hand away from Albedo’s chin, his eyes met hers, which were popped wide open.
“Wh-what’s the matter? I thought on the lips would be a bit much, so I kissed your forehead, but should I not have?!”
“…I never thought you would choose me.”
Before Ainz could ask what she meant by that, round droplets formed at the corners of Albedo’s eyes.
“Fwaaaaah!”
She burst into tears. And she wasn’t faking it—she was actually crying.
Ainz was so flustered that his mood was forcibly calmed for the first time in a while, and he flailed a bit—because how would he know what to do?
When he made Albedo cry in the Treasury, he came up with something comforting to say right away. But he had no idea how to console someone crying from a kiss. What would that stud the emperor do? he thought, but he hadn’t witnessed any scenes like this during his spying.
“Albedo, please don’t cry.”
He wanted to glance at today’s Ainz duty maid behind him for help, but this was already a pitiful scene, so he didn’t want to make himself any more pathetic.
“Albedo, don’t cry.”
He embraced her and patted her back.
After a little while, she sniffed. It seemed like she had stopped crying.
Relieved, Ainz released the hands around her back.
“Are you all right, Albedo?”
“Yes, Lord Ainz. My humble apologies for that shameful display.”
Though her face was stained with tears, she was wearing a great smile.
There could have been only one reason she cried.
Realizing what a horrible thing he had done, he felt little stabbing pains in his nonexistent stomach. If he hadn’t
thought, Well, the game is almost over…, he never would have made her cry like this.
“Okay… Well, it must be about that time. If there isn’t anything else, you should get going.”
“Understood, Lord Momonga!”
The curtains in the window of the carriage opened, and he could see Albedo waving. Ainz waved back.
It was like a scene he’d seen on TV of people parting as a train pulled away.
The carriage slowly began to move and the escorts followed.
After watching the carriage until he couldn’t see it anymore, he spoke solemnly.
“Forget all that just happened.”
“Understood.”
Ainz walked past the maid as she bowed. He couldn’t see what the look on her face was.
2
The Fresh Blood Emperor, Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, was at his wits’ end.
Not for the past couple days but all the time lately.
This was the man who had never gotten confused or panicked no matter what nobles he purged, what empire-destabilizing plot of rebellion he heard of, or how bad relations with neighboring countries got, but faced with this unsolvable problem, he could only hold his head in his hands.
“You! You bastard! Drop dead! Die and rot!”
It was possible to kill an opponent with a curse, but Jircniv didn’t have that power. For that reason, his shouts were merely insults, but if he could kill the hateful man who had been giving him so much mental and gastric trouble the past few months, he almost wanted to train up and learn the technique.
“…No, wait. Maybe ‘live’ is actually correct. Should I say, ‘Get wrecked!’ instead? I heard that priests can destroy undead with holy power.”
He was even thinking such nonsense as that.
The reason Jircniv’s stomach hurt so much, the reason that when he woke up in the morning, so much of his hair stayed on his pillow—it all stemmed from the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown.
He didn’t have a fail-safe way to address the problems the King of Darkness had caused.
The first issue was the imperial knights who had died in the fight on the Katze Plain.
There were 143 of them. If they had fought the enemy head-on, that level of attrition would be par for the course. But the dead from the Katze Plain self-destructed.
The Ruler of Conspiracy Page 18