Overlord, Vol. 11: The Dwarven Crafter

Chapter 1 | Preparing for an Unknown Land

1

After returning from the empire, Ainz entered his E-Rantel office and sat back in his chair.

He had been out trying to recruit adventurers for the Nation of Darkness’s guild, but it would probably be some time before the results of his efforts became clear. In the meantime, he had to get ready to receive anyone who answered his call.

First, he would need a school to train the adventurers. The guild office would serve as a fine location. Constructing dorms for those who came from afar to study was the least he could do. For teachers, he could use the adventurers who had remained in the country.

I should talk to Albedo about how to best organize administrative divisions and some other things, but…more importantly, I wonder why he asked to become a vassal himself? Albedo and Demiurge are going to be so confused…

Ainz couldn’t understand Jircniv’s line of reasoning at all, which was why he had no idea how to explain what had happened to that wise pair. Why would Jircniv propose such a thing? It was possible that Demiurge had been making things happen while Ainz wasn’t looking.

I guess I should talk to Demiurge first. Ahhh, I want to go somewhere far away and let them handle it while I’m gone. Would that be so wrong…?

He heaved a sigh internally. The anxiety and confusion made his nonexistent stomach ache. And when he thought about what would happen when those two returned, his suffering only got worse.

Ainz shook his head and took his mind off his future troubles by thinking about the important information he had gained in the empire.

“…Runes, huh?”

This unknown world was dotted with things he knew from
Yggdrasil
, such as the signs of other players and the existence of World Items.

To those things, he had recently added one more thing: a writing system from Satoru Suzuki’s world called runes.

He had concluded that the reason people from the Theocracy summoned angels from a religion in Satoru Suzuki’s world was because it had been magic in
Yggdrasil
.

But then where did runes come from? Why were they present in this world? Were they the same as the runes from Satoru Suzuki’s world? Or did the automatic translation here simply render magic characters of a coincidentally similar shape as “runes”?

…The dwarf country is based in the Azerlisia Mountains not far from here. I need to investigate this more closely. I suppose…I have to go?

Naturally, before returning from E-Rantel, he had asked Fluder about runes.

The only things he had been able to find out were that the dwarf sovereign who came from the country in the mountains had the class “rune crafter,” that the empire purchased weapons and armor from the dwarf country, and that the availability of magic items inscribed with runes had ended about a hundred years ago.

This was all important information but not what Ainz wanted.

Yggdrasil
didn’t have a rune crafter class. If it’s a class specific to this world, and if a fusion of techniques from the two worlds might be possible, then we need to check it out. But who should go?

It was a simple matter of visiting the dwarf country and asking about the runes. Since the topic was related to rune crafters and their technology, it might be difficult to convince them to talk, but in the worst-case scenario, Charm could be used to extract info.

As long as he dispatched someone who could use psychic magic or abduct a dwarf for interrogation back at Nazarick, Ainz figured anyone would do. But what if it was a player who was behind the runes? It was possible that whoever brainwashed Shalltear could be lurking out there.

I’d like to gather some more intel before diving in, but if even Fluder doesn’t have much, I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to find any.

Ainz stood up from his chair.

Immediately, the woman standing by in the room began to move. Her animated face and masculine cropped hair suited her very well. This was Decrement, the maid on Ainz duty for the day.

Ainz held up a hand to stop her and slowly paced the room while he deliberated. As he performed the logical calculation between the pros and cons, memories from long ago appeared unbidden among the numbers he crunched. A crisis in unmapped territory, the joy of discovery, the sorrow of a failed quest—each of those recollections brought up the faces of his old guildmates and the things they said. That was all it took for even the memory of being wiped out to paint the inside of his empty skull a dazzling array of colors.

By the time he had finished tucking away in his heart the tender emotions that had suddenly emerged, his thoughts had come together.

…This is a situation where I’ll probably need to dive in even when I’m fully aware of the dangers involved.

The guild Ainz Ooal Gown was that sort of organization.

Some might disapprove, saying it’s wrong to treat reality like a game where lives weren’t at stake, but who could guarantee that sitting around and waiting wouldn’t result in a missed opportunity that would ultimately cause Ainz Ooal Gown to fall behind?

After Ainz decided to investigate runes directly in the dwarf country, the next issue occupied his mind.

Who should go?

Who would be best?

Should I ask Demiurge and Albedo for their thoughts? No, if I do that, then I’ll lose the chance to send the one with the most combat power.

Ainz was talking about himself.

It wasn’t something he bragged about, but he was sure no one in Nazarick had as much magical resistance to whatever they might run into than he did. Frankly, going by himself would be the most effective strategy. But if there were hostile players hanging around, it would be a fool’s errand.

…If it’s just a few, I can make sure we all get away, so I should bring some people who can buy us the time I need to prepare our retreat.

The first to come to mind were the floor guardians.

Level-100 NPCs would be able to buy Ainz time to escape, even against players. But he wondered if it was really okay to use the precious children of his old friends that way.

What about high-level minions led by an undead officer? No, they can’t respond the way NPCs built from scratch can.

Unlike the lovingly crafted NPCs, minions came with the advantage that he could abandon them without hesitation in a pinch. But they also came with cons: a narrower range of skills and a doubtful ability to problem solve.

The NPCs were a perfect choice if he ignored the emotional component. Ainz hadn’t tested whether a player like himself could be resurrected, but it was definitely possible for the NPCs, as he had proven with Shalltear.

Ainz returned to his chair and sat down.

“Hmm…”

He brought his hands up in front of him and pressed them together, lost in thought as he sought the optimal plan.

But even after thinking for a while, he wasn’t able to come up with an answer.

I guess no matter how hard an idiot tries, they’ll never come up with a genius idea…

With a self-deprecating smile, he turned his gaze to Decrement.

“If I told you to die for me, could you do it?”

“Of course, Lord Ainz. If it was your order, I would gladly die,” she declared without a moment’s hesitation.

“Does that go for the others as well? They don’t think I’m a lousy master?”

“I believe everyone would unhesitatingly accept death, as well. There shouldn’t be a single one who wouldn’t. We were created by the Supreme Beings, and we exist only to serve you. No matter what orders we are given, it is our greatest joy to obey.”

“I see… Ah, I was only asking out of curiosity. No deeper meaning there. Forget I brought it up.”

As Decrement bowed her head, Ainz made up his mind.

He would mobilize the NPCs.

He took out a map of the area.

It was a fairly comprehensive map that incorporated the results of Aura’s surveys. The interior of the Tove Woodlands was especially detailed, and Ainz was confident no other map was as thorough. Unfortunately, since the scale wasn’t clear, he couldn’t say it was perfect, but having this map still made it far less likely he would get lost.

Ainz put a finger on E-Rantel. Starting at that city, he traced a line north through the woods. That distance would be no problem at all. The forest itself was already largely under Nazarick rule, and not counting the presence of unintelligent beasts and monsters, there were only a few subhumans and grotesques left to subjugate before their control was complete. The giant underground cavern said to span the entire forest’s length was something he would leave alone for the moment, but he could take it over anytime in the future if it would bring him some benefit.

His finger reached the lake shaped like an upside-down gourd at the edge of the map.

North of there lay the Azerlisia Mountains. An unmapped world.

“The unknown…”

Ainz cracked a smile.

He had spoken of tasking adventurers with seeking out the unknown. To be the first one to set forth would make for good promotional material.

“To the Azerlisia Mountains in search of the country of the dwarves…”

It sounded like a commercial for a TV show.

Wiping the smile off his face, Ainz considered the idea seriously.

What was the benefit of him personally going to a place where players might be lying in wait?

Surely the King of Darkness going in person was a show of good faith.

He likened it to a CEO paying a visit to another company. In Satoru Suzuki’s experience, that got results.

And unlike some of his subjects, who believed anyone who didn’t hail from Nazarick was a lower life-form, Ainz was a moderate. That meant he wasn’t a bad choice to serve as the negotiator with the dwarves—although he couldn’t claim to be a good one.

Besides Ainz, another option was Pandora’s Actor.

Intelligence, problem-solving skills—he had everything it would take.

But…

Then who would run the nation?

He didn’t even have to ask anyone to know the answer.

It would be Ainz Ooal Gown himself.

There was absolutely no way he could run the nation.

He screamed internally. He screamed over and over.

If that was the alternative, then he felt he had a better shot at handling the negotiations with the dwarf country.

And once he arrived, he could teleport thereafter. So if they said anything too difficult for him, he could play the
I’ll take that back and consider it with the team
card. And if they said they wanted a decision on the spot, all he had to do was run away.

He had plenty of techniques for making an escape.

Last time there was business to do, I had Ainzach with me, but this time I’ll be taking the brunt of it. This’ll be better than having a boss breathing down my back for results, at least.

Ainz grinned as the salesman Satoru Suzuki. Then he changed smiles.

And…if it takes longer than expected, maybe I can leave the issue of vassalizing the empire up to Demiurge and Albedo. Then I’ll make them propose a draft of the agreement! Yes! There’s no helping it. I mustn’t shirk my business!

Having desperately worked to rationalize his thoughts, Ainz ran into another issue.

Who would he bring with him?

He crossed his arms and frowned.

He would have liked to take either Albedo or Demiurge, but they were both project leaders on critical matters. If he recalled them, their plans could fall through.

Aura and Mare were decent choices. And since they were humanoids like the dwarves, maybe they wouldn’t be seen as a threat.

Choosing Cocytus would be tricky. Because the destination was a steep, chilly mountain range, he was a solid option, but he was in charge of the Tove Woodlands and the surrounding area. In other words, he was also a project leader. Ainz preferred that he concentrate on that. Besides, Cocytus’s radically different appearance might make the dwarves anxious.

Sebas wasn’t a bad choice. Currently, he and his aide were assisting Ainz with the management of E-Rantel, but since Pandora’s Actor was there, too, maybe it was fine to pick him. But that made Ainz nervous about fighting power.

Gargantua and Victim were out of the question. Other NPCs came to mind, but considering the role was to guard him, most didn’t make the cut.

Then, I guess it’ll be Aura—and Shalltear.

The magical beasts Aura commanded would make perfect shields. In the worst case, he could abandon the beasts and make a run for it with Aura. And Shalltear had the highest level of solo combat ability, so she would be a great trump card against even the strongest enemies. He had a personal reason he wanted to use Shalltear, as well.

If they ended up facing an army, it would be better to have Mare along, but in any encounter with a player, their priority would be to withdraw, not annihilate the enemy, which meant it was probably better to leave Mare at home.

Right as Ainz was thinking,
In that case
, about to make a decision, a Message arrived in his head.

“—Lord Ainz.”

“Oh, Entoma.”

“Yes. I went with Mistress Shalltear to the lizardman village. She wants to send a lizardman bearing Master Cocytus’s report on the status of the village and is asking for permission to open a Gate. Is that all right?”

Cocytus sometimes delivered written reports on his policies and the general state of the village.

Reading them didn’t give Ainz any particular feelings or ideas, so he usually just responded with
Nice work
. Really, he would have liked to tell him he didn’t need to submit anymore, but reporting in to the boss was the correct thing to do, and that was important when it came time for the boss to take responsibility.

“Go ahead and open a Gate at the designated area… Oh, wait. We have defensive spells deployed. Cast it in an hour”—Ainz took out a watch and checked the time—“at 13:46. I’ll make sure to have the spells canceled for two minutes at that time.”

The building Ainz was currently in wasn’t defended as thoroughly as Nazarick, but it still had a magic field that prevented teleportation and so on that was kept charged with the MP of high-level minions. The barrier used so much mana that the minions had to rotate several times a day. It was quite the obstacle. Naturally, the teleportation of allies was blocked as well.

Because unlike in
Yggdrasil
, friendly fire was on.

This made it necessary to disable the defenses to let someone teleport in. Of course, once the spells were canceled, enemies could enter, too, so in order not to get “bombed” (in
Yggdrasil
slang), the barrier was only ever open for a narrow, prearranged window of time.

“Understood. I’ll inform Mistress Shalltear.”

The Message ended, and Ainz said, “Okay,” as he stood up. “…I’m counting on you to choose my clothes. A lizardman is coming as Cocytus’s messenger, so make sure it’s something that won’t embarrass me.”

“Yes, my lord!” Decrement’s eyes blazed with flames of passion.

So she’s the same as the others, huh?
Ainz thought. It wasn’t the sort of thing a guy with no confidence in his fashion sense could say aloud.

Ainz brought Decrement along, and while they were on the move, he relayed orders to an undead he had temporarily created. Needless to say, his command was to alert the undead guards stationed at the main hall where the Gate would open that a lizardman was coming.

Once the undead was on its way, Ainz considered the utility of these undead he had created.

If the undead could report back to him, he would have been able to create a worldwide intelligence network, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t work. Even when Ainz was able to directly instruct them, he received only vague replies in return. And under circumstances like the present, where he had created so many undead, it was hard for him to keep track of them all. He ran the risk of accidentally giving orders meant for one undead to a totally unrelated one.

Perhaps someday he would be able to develop some kind of system, but for now, it was impossible.

Maybe in the future, Pandora’s Actor can manage that sort of work for me, but unless he’s taken on my form, the undead he creates won’t be anything better than scarecrows. We’ll have to solve that issue first…

As Ainz was thinking that he would have to get the perspectives of the wise Albedo and Demiurge before giving the idea some serious thought soon, he arrived at his dressing room.

Maids awaited him in a line as usual, their eyes sparkling. Decrement’s were actually bloodshot.

Ainz asked where Aura was as the maids dressed him.

Today’s outfit was snow white.

Ainz was used to darker colors, so it felt flashy.

When they adorned him with precious metals, like a huge golden necklace, he was so shiny that he worried crows might attack.

The feathers jutting out from his back were a mystery.

He wanted to ask if the maids had mistaken him for a peacock or something, but when he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, everyone seemed incredibly proud of themselves. None looked remotely worried. Moreover, not one of them seemed the slightest bit pessimistic. Their eyes were all syrupy and their cheeks flushed.

Like schoolgirls gazing at their favorite pop idol.

Is this actually good? Women like this sort of thing…? I really have no sense of style…

While Ainz was feeling glum inside, the maids finished dressing him.

Checking himself out in the mirror, he saw he had feathers protruding from underneath his arms as well. The sight reminded him of a certain monster from
Yggdrasil
.

What was it called? An archaeopteryx…? I’m pretty sure there was a dinosaur familiar like that for druids.

When he crossed his arms, the feathers made a racket.

But what would they say if he told them this outfit wouldn’t do? He had no doubt that the first reaction would be,
What’s wrong with it? Please tell us what kind of clothing you prefer going forward
.

“Okay!” Ainz gave up on all that. “Let’s go!”

•

At the appointed time, Ainz sensed the Gate opening in the center of the hall.

He had disabled all the building’s defenses, but due to Delay Teleportation, a spell he had used during his battle with Shalltear, there was no presence within the gate yet.

Delay Teleportation temporarily hindered all teleportation in the vicinity of the caster and introduced a lag of several seconds between the time the teleporter disappeared and the time they reappeared—precious moments that were usually used by the delaying side to gain some distance or prepare an attack. The other effect was allowing the caster to know how many people were teleporting and where they would arrive.

Now he sensed one teleporter.

Entoma and Shalltear were either not accompanying the messenger or they were coming later.

Delay Teleportation didn’t cancel teleportations but merely delayed them. So after the set time elapsed, a dark dome expanded over the spot where Delay Teleportation had indicated it would.

A lizardman timidly emerged.

He—
probably…yeah, it has to be a he
—examined the room until his eyes met Ainz’s, a king sitting on his simple throne.

“O-oh, it’s the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. Do excuse me.”

Ainz couldn’t hide his surprise at the kneeling lizardman’s cultured mannerisms. The one named Zaryusu stood out from the rest of his kin, but the way this lizardman talked was impressively polished. He seemed used to speaking like this.

This must be the product of Cocytus’s training.

That’s what Ainz idly thought, but he had more important things to do.

He had already been tipped off by Delay Teleportation, but after confirming that no one else was coming through the Gate, he told the death knight standing by to reactivate the defensive magic item. Seeing the death knight nod and walk away, Ainz turned to the kneeling lizardman.

Decrement spoke with such perfect timing that Ainz swore she must have been waiting for this exact moment. “Lizardman, you have been granted an audience.”

Her attitude was entirely different from when she had been selecting Ainz’s clothing.

She seemed calm and capable.

Many would probably take offense if a palace maid spoke to them that way. It wouldn’t be strange to find visitors who secretly sneered at the sight of a mere maid standing beside a king. Or perhaps they would pity the Nation of Darkness for being so lacking in manpower that it was necessary for a maid to fill such a role.

But thanks to the education this lizardman had received from Cocytus, he knew that the NPCs’ standing was higher than that of a minion of any level, so he probably didn’t find Decrement’s attitude strange.

Ainz had Decrement tell the lizardman to rise.

What a pain. We could just talk normally without all this ceremony, but…I guess when in Rome…

It didn’t sit well with the vestiges of Satoru Suzuki’s mind, but Ainz could only accept the reality of his situation.

Unaware of Ainz’s inner struggle, the lizardman rose obediently. If he was being honest, Ainz couldn’t tell lizardmen apart. If they had different-colored scales or something unique about them—like a brand or one arm thicker than the other—it was a different story, but this lizardman looked like all the others.

Ainz ordered Decrement to ask his name.

“Lord Ainz permits you to state your name.”

“Thank you! I am the former Razor Tail tribe chief Kyuku Zuzu.”

Ainz had never heard that name before.

Was it better to be honest about that in his response, or should he feign some prior knowledge? Between these two choices, Ainz went for the third option—to do neither. In other words, he nodded benevolently and advanced the conversation. He was nervous about the report he had received from Cocytus last time.

Ainz ordered Decrement to ask why the lizardman had come.

This is so obnoxious!

This was pretty much how it went anytime he had an audience with someone of much lower status, like a subject.

As long as it doesn’t make anyone belittle the Nation of Darkness, I want to talk about decreasing these annoying formalities ASAP…

While Ainz grumbled internally, Decrement relayed his command to the lizardman. “Lord Ainz permits you to state the purpose of your visit.”

“Yes, ma’am! The ruler of our village and unifier of the lake, Master Cocytus, asked me to deliver something to his master, the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the King of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown.”

That was one long-winded explanation
, thought Ainz, who surprised himself by managing to not yawn and instead gesture to Decrement with his chin. She walked to the lizardman and accepted a sheaf of papers. Then Ainz took the obnoxiously unnecessary step of receiving the papers from Decrement before he was finally able to open the document.

Inside were a bunch of things scrawled in Cocytus’s handwriting. There was quite a lot, meaning it would take too long to read everything on the spot.

Ainz reorganized the papers and called a death knight guard to hand it the documents. Then he finally spoke directly.

“Good work.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

That was all he could say, but it was such a boring way to end things.

Without standing up from the throne, he continued addressing the lizardman. “Now, then. I’m going to ask you some questions not as the King of Darkness but as Cocytus’s master. Getting a subordinate’s perspective directly can deepen my understanding of things.”

The lizardman’s gaze wavered a bit. He seemed unsure of how to respond to being spoken to directly. Ainz wasn’t great at reading lizardman expressions, but that was the feeling he got anyhow.

“Relax. This is unofficial. It’s like a dream that will remain in no one’s memory once you leave this place. I’ll forgive you even if you say something impolite.” He said it less for the lizardman’s benefit and more for Decrement and the nearby death knights.

“Let’s get started. Zaryusu was in the Great Tomb of Nazarick until recently. How is he?”

“Thanks to you, Your Majesty, he’s doing well. A healthy child was born and the couple seems content.”

“Oh, I see! I sent him back home because the baby was due, but it’s already been born, has it? I see, I see. I’m very happy to hear the couple’s relationship is good as well.”

There had been married people in the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. They crossed his mind for a moment. If someone’s wife was in a bad mood, that was enough—like magic words—to make it so no one would complain even if he logged off in the middle of a quest.

Smiling at the nostalgic memories—not that his face moved—Ainz asked another question. “And is the baby white?”

Zaryusu’s wife was that white lizardman. That was quite a rare type, and it stimulated Ainz’s collector spirit, so he remembered her well.

“Indeed, Your Majesty. No matter which parent the child took after, we would expect an exceptional lizardman, but this time the baby must have inherited more strongly from the mother’s side, because it’s pure white.”

“Ooh… So it’s a single—” He was about to say
lizard
, but he closed his mouth.
Person
was probably the best bet in this case. They probably wouldn’t say anything either way, but that didn’t mean it was okay to use the wrong word. If a slip of his tongue caused troubles for Cocytus’s government, he didn’t know how he could possibly apologize.

“Just one little person?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. A single child.”

“Hmm. Just one, huh?”

Apparently, they didn’t give birth to multiple offspring like reptiles. Still, if the relationship between the parents was good, maybe they would have more.

Ainz felt the collector’s impulse in him awaken. He almost wanted to ask for one, but he would feel bad taking a child away from its mother.

But lizardmen had a custom of travelers branding themselves and leaving the tribe. If Zaryusu’s offspring grew up to be like him, perhaps Ainz could train the children as adventurers.

The guild of Ainz’s dreams was a place where people from all races belonged. If an extremely rare lizardman joined, maybe it would be good advertising in the same vein as an attending idol popularizing their school.

“So how are mother and child doing? Are they getting the proper nutrients?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We’re grateful for your kindness. Both are healthy—the baby is doing so well that we’re bound to deal with a lively little scamp in the future.”

“I see, I see. Well, isn’t that wonderful news. I should send a present to celebrate the bright future of this newborn. But even I don’t know much about how to celebrate a lizardman birth. What do you think would make for a good gift?”

It wouldn’t be very interesting to send a birthday fish in place of a cake. If possible, he wanted to give them something that would endure.

“We don’t have the custom of giving gifts to celebrate a birth, but…I think Zaryusu would be happy to receive fighting equipment.”

“Equipment…? Hmm.”

Really, I wanted to give them something that would make the wife happy as well, but armor would protect her husband’s life, so maybe it’s not a bad idea.
As he was thinking along those lines, Kyuku spoke up timidly.

“May I ask a question, Your Majesty, King of Darkness?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you think so highly of Zaryusu?”

I value him as the father of a rare lizardman and nothing else.
But he couldn’t very well say that. Ainz racked his brain for something else to say. “…He’s a great man. I heard he got exceptional results during his training in Nazarick. That’s why, I suppose. Superior people who are loyal deserve to be treated well.”

“Thank you for answering, Your Majesty. We’ll work to devote ourselves even more fully to you.”

“Yes, that’s the spirit. Don’t forget it.” With an arrogant nod, Ainz tried to think if there was anything else he wanted to ask this lizardman. A truly adept leader would probably question him about the village and compare it to Cocytus’s report to see if there were any discrepancies. But there was no way Ainz was capable of that.

He was about to tell the lizardman to go when he suddenly thought of something. “This doesn’t have anything to do with your village, but do you know about the dwarves who live in the Azerlisia Mountains?”

The lizardman village was located in the foothills of that mountain range.

“Yes, I’ve heard of them.”

Ainz had posed the question with zero expectations, but
unlikely
wasn’t the same as
impossible
. Mildly surprised, Ainz ordered the lizardman to share what he knew.

“I’m afraid it’s only what a friend told me, but he said the dwarves are a race that often builds cities inside the mountains where they mine, that they use the various ore they dig up to craft all sorts of weapons and armor. Some of the items are even fashioned from an extremely rare metal.”

“An extremely rare metal, you say?” Ainz imagined himself gulping. As a player who loved rare items, those words were terribly alluring. “Have you ever heard the name of the metal?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I haven’t.”

Ainz felt somewhat let down, but at the same time, he reminded himself that it wasn’t right to have absurd expectations.

As the adventurer Momon, he had collected information about various metals, but he had never heard of one sturdier than adamantite. Even orichalcum and adamantite were considered extremely rare. This mysterious metal had to be similar.

With that in mind, he could hardly contain the anticipation raging inside him.

Perhaps a people who lived as one with the land dealt in metals that even Ainz would consider incredibly rare.

If…yes, just if. I don’t think it’s possible, but
if
the prismatic ore from
Yggdrasil
exists here, and if the dwarves are mining it, then what? Hypothetically—and it’s a big hypothetical—if there’s prismatic ore in this world, then I could test whether it’s possible to reveal that secret item from
Yggdrasil
, the Caloric Stone.

The Caloric Stone, a World Item, could be acquired by collecting a large amount of prismatic ore and using a certain amount of each type. It was extremely difficult to do, but the guild Ainz Ooal Gown had managed to succeed one time.

It was their discovery of a celestial uranium vein that made this possible. Normally, the first thing a guild that found a new mine would do was extract everything and get it to market, a feasible strategy because the mines in
Yggdrasil
replenished slowly over time even when they were completely cleared out. Ainz Ooal Gown had intended to do the same.

By an incredible stroke of luck, they acquired a World Item instead.

Right as they watched the price of prismatic ore skyrocket after off-loading a tiny bit onto the market, the rest of the ore they had stockpiled in the Great Tomb of Nazarick underwent a natural reaction.

Ainz could still vividly recall the strange feelings he shared with his guildmates when they discovered the item sitting in the vault that had become nearly empty after they lost almost all their prismatic ore.
This is something to be happy about, right?
Yes, he remembered the exact moment they exchanged confused glances and raised a hollow cheer.

Then, after using the Caloric Stone, they tried to get another one on purpose; after all, single-use World Items could be reacquired using the same method. Unfortunately, their celestial uranium mine was stolen, so that plan went up in smoke.

Watching the guild that had stolen the mine make a killing on celestial uranium, Ainz and the others snickered half out of exuberance and half because they didn’t want to admit their loss, thinking,
They’ll never be able to get the World Item that way!

As Ainz steeped in his memories, a sinister smile came over his face, and he laughed…………

What idiots. The only way to amass enough ore is to establish a monopoly. There’s no way you can get the item if you keep selling on the market. Or maybe…

He remembered something Squishy Moe had said at the time.
“There must be celestial uranium mines besides the one we discovered. Maybe they attacked ours to distract everyone from the fact that they already found one.”

But immediately after bringing up the possibility, Squishy Moe had rejected his own idea—because they had quickly found out that the other guild had stolen the mine by using the World Item Ouroboros to lock Ainz Ooal Gown out. It seemed dubious that the rival guild thought it was worth using one of the Twenty just to acquire a way to obtain the Caloric Stone.

Ainz shook his head to clear away thoughts of the past. Still, it was impossible to rid his mind of everything.

…Even if the dwarves don’t know about prismatic ore, there’s a good chance they know a lot about a variety of metals. There might be things they never tell the outside world! I could use a spell like Charm to— Whoops, I’m getting ahead of myself. I can’t just pile daydreams on top of daydreams. There’s the matter of the runes, too, so this is definitely something I should move on right away.

Only then did Ainz realize the lizardman was staring at him. Apparently, he had been holed up in his own world for a little while.

“…I seem to have gotten a bit lost in thought. So who did you hear about the dwarves from?”

“From another tribe leader, Zenbel.”

“Oh! Him, huh…? Hmm. I wonder if Frost Pain was made by the dwarves. Could Zenbel have given it to Zaryusu because they’re friends?”

He had heard the history of the sword from Zaryusu, but he wanted to confirm it with someone else.

“The legendary weapon has been passed down since ancient times, so it’s not from Zenbel.”

“I see…”

This was the same story he’d heard before. But it was possible that the lizardmen as a whole were unaware of Frost Pain’s origins.

I’ve already seen multiple examples of equipment in this world that would be impossible to make in
Yggdrasil
. Like that one guy’s weapon that could pierce my passive defensive skills…

In this world, magic gear was created by having a caster enchant gear forged by a blacksmith. In other words, to make powerful gear, a brilliant caster was arguably even more important than a brilliant blacksmith.

But there were exceptions. The weapons Clementine had wielded could have been made according to the magic knowledge Fluder had, but Gazef’s sword was different. Though he wasn’t sure, Fluder’s best guess was that the magic items Gazef once possessed either came into existence naturally by passively absorbing mana or were created using dragon magic.

But that might not be correct, either. There are still plenty of things Fluder hasn’t figured out. Maybe dwarves have the means to craft those sorts of weapons. I realize I’m expecting too much, but…

Equipment in
Yggdrasil
, with the exception of certain items like Guild Weapons, had a data capacity based on the amount and quality of the metals used in the item’s construction, plus the skill of the crafter. Data crystals could be slotted into items up to whatever capacity they had. For that reason, the rarer the metal, the stronger the gear.

Crafter
was the key word, though. This world’s dwarves seemed similar to the ones found in
Yggdrasil
. In the game, dwarves got racial bonuses for craftsman-type classes, making them popular among people who wanted to play as a character who produced things like weapons or armor.

Perhaps these dwarves had knowledge about crafting that Fluder wasn’t aware of?

And maybe runes are one of those things? Hmm. It might be a good idea for me to get some dwarves. The librarian is experimenting with scrolls using the materials Demiurge provided. Nfirea has potions covered. Fluder is working on magic tool development. And I can task some dwarves with armor and weapon crafting.

Ainz smiled in satisfaction at the various experiments underway to strengthen Nazarick. But the thing he had to remember was that if the Six Gods were players, he could very well be six hundred years behind.

Developing new technology might take years—no, it could easily be decades or even centuries. Only a fool lets their guard down.

Considering how even someone like Ainz had been able to figure this out, it would hardly be a surprise if someone had beaten him to the punch and started already. Rulers had to discard any baseless notions that they were somehow special.

If there are people thinking along the same lines as I am, chances are good someone’s already paid the dwarves a visit. At this very moment, the dwarves could be conducting research and crafting gear for another player or teaching them about runes… Should I see what Albedo and Demiurge think and make military preparations before heading out?

Up until a short while ago, Ainz had previously considered making the visit with a crack team consisting of just Shalltear, Aura, and himself. Now that the dwarf country was a higher priority, he felt the need to revamp the entire plan and start from square one.

He could collect information about the dwarf country and plant a spy to further gather intel. It would be important to set up magical surveillance at the same time.

But there was no telling how long that would take.

If the player who brainwashed Shalltear was lurking nearby, giving them time could be extremely dangerous. If Ainz stayed on the defensive, his opponent would have the initiative if they chose to go on the offensive. The best way to avoid that would be to launch his own attack first.

…Time to make a move. We need a diplomatic corps. We’ll enter the dwarf country as ambassadors. And if a player attacks us, that’ll provide enough justification for us to retaliate. Then it becomes a simple matter of digging the knowledge out from under the rubble.

Ainz silently listed his priorities for when he would meet with the dwarves:

1. Confirm the presence of any players.

2. Investigate runes and their origins.

3. Acquire dwarven blacksmithing technology, as well as their knowledge of ore and items.

That about summed things up.

Easier said than done, though, since it was unlikely the dwarves would share anything with Ainz just because he asked nicely. It was only natural to guard technological secrets. Information was an extremely valuable resource worth protecting.

If a player in
Yggdrasil
was sharing info all over the place, they would have undoubtedly gotten a stern talking-to from Squishy Moe.

…What if we bought their gear as a nation and sold it to our adventurers for a slightly lower price? Wouldn’t that be extremely appealing? But in order to make that a reality, I have to establish friendly relations with the dwarves. I could have them work as slaves in Nazarick, too, but that’ll be a last resort. Really, I’d like to persuade them with a deal similar to what I offered Ainzach.

Still, Ainz couldn’t count his chickens before they hatched.

“…Lizardman. Is Zenbel familiar with the dwarf city?”

“Yes. He told me he lived there for a short time.”

“I see. Do you think he would be able to lead me there?”

The lizardman thought for a moment, then cocked his head. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I’m afraid I don’t know. I think if it was an order, he would certainly do his best. But it has been several winters since he returned from the dwarf city, so I’m not sure how clear his memories are…”

“Ah… Magic will take care of that, so it’s no issue.”

If he used Control Amnesia, Zenbel’s memory would come back, even if hazily.

Praying that Ainzach or Fluder knew something about all this, Ainz dismissed the lizardman.

2

Two hours after meeting the lizardman…Ainz internally heaved a sigh in his room.

He was reviewing his Message exchange with Fluder and Ainzach.

Why do I have to personally go over there in order for them to believe it’s me? Especially Fluder. I would have thought he’d be used to it by now, but I guess not.

When Ainz had contacted the two via Message, they were so suspicious that he was forced to teleport and speak to them in person.

Their apologies were so similar that if Ainz didn’t know better, he might’ve thought they had planned it all out in advance, echoing each other when they implored him to use Message only in an emergency. Putting Ainzach’s reasoning aside, Ainz was almost certain that Fluder simply didn’t want to deal with anything that might distract him from studying the book he had received, but Ainz was wise enough to not bring that up.

Though he knew about the tragedy that had been caused by Message, Ainz struggled to understand why people doubted the spell to this day. Sadly, Ainz didn’t have much choice but to acknowledge their requests. After all, it was true that they stood to lose the most if they were deceived. All he could do was count the MP he used teleporting as a necessary expense.

His gloomy mood also stemmed from their discussion. If he had at least gotten some solid information out of them, using Teleport would have been worth it, but that wasn’t meant to be.

Ainzach knew there was a dwarf country somewhere in the Azerlisia Mountains, but he didn’t know where. The kingdom apparently had virtually no state-level contact with the dwarves, and if there was any, then it would be limited to small-time deals struck by the mining city of Re-Blumrushur. Even if some back-and-forth was happening, it was difficult for an outsider to get involved because that relationship was connected to the city’s profits.

The talk with Fluder had essentially gone the same way.

Ainz had asked him about the dwarf country’s culture and government, but he hardly knew anything. The elderly caster had heard that a dragon once caused horrific damage to a dwarf city, but he didn’t know the name of the place, where it was, or the identity of the dragon.

Evidently, Fluder hadn’t been very interested because he never looked into the incident. He did offer to check the details and talk to the person most likely to be informed about it in the empire, but Ainz refused.

Waiting for that would take too long, and since Fluder’s betrayal had been discovered, Ainz felt that having him conduct an investigation might invite trouble.

In the end, the only lead left was the lizardman Zenbel.

I suppose I should send those two a Message and bring up the dwarves.

“First up is Shalltear… Hmm. ‘The right person for the job…’”

It was a great idea but also harsh.

Ainz closed his eyes—not that he had any—and turned his thoughts inward for over a minute. The next time he opened his eyes, he cast Message.

“Shalltear Bloodfallen.”

“Lord Ainz! Where shall I open a Gate this time?”

The fact that that was what the strongest floor guardian, the only one to guard multiple levels, asked him made him kind of sad, and he felt guilty that casting Gate was the only work he had been giving her lately.

“No, this time I have a big job for you.”

“A b-big job?”

“Yes. You’ll accompany me and provide security.”

Several seconds of silence followed.

The pause was long enough that he started wondering what was wrong, especially since there was no way she hadn’t heard him. That was when Shalltear’s voice rang out, sounding frenzied due to her unbridled enthusiasm. “I shall fulfill this duty even if it’s the last thing I do!”

“A-all right. I’ll explain in more detail, so come to my room in E-Rantel.”

If he didn’t specify, it was possible she would end up at his quarters in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. It had already happened once. He had told Narberal via Message to come to him, but she never showed up. When he cast the spell to contact her again, he found out she was in Nazarick.

Ainz felt the misunderstanding had been his fault, though, for giving unclear orders. He took extra care to avoid repeating the mistake.

“Yes, my lord! I shall set out with all due haste!”

“Also, I’m planning to have Mare take over your surveillance duties inside Nazarick. I’ll send him by later, so if there’s anything you need to explain to him, do it then. Factor that in…and come when it’s convenient. I’m not planning on going anywhere, so I’ll be waiting for you here.”

“Understood! I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, shall carry out your orders immediately!”

“This handover is crucial. Don’t give him half-baked instructions because you feel like you’re keeping me waiting. I’ll have him go to your room, the Adipocere Burial Chamber.”

“Certainly! I’ll take this time to write down what I need to tell him!”

“And this goes without saying, but give your ring to Mare.”

“Of course! I’m well aware that I’m only borrowing this ring!”

It was more that taking the ring outside of Nazarick was extremely dangerous. As long as the Rings or the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown didn’t get stolen, it would be possible to buy time against enemy incursions until all the guardians could be recalled. For that reason, with the exception of the one Ainz carried secretly and those in use inside Nazarick, the rings were hidden in the gold held inside the treasury.

The reason Ainz carried a ring despite the incredible risk was because if nobody had one and the entrance got blocked off somehow, they wouldn’t be able to get in anymore.

“Very good. Then, make your preparations.”

“Yes, my lord! And what should I bring when I come to your room?”

“A natural question. But you don’t need to bring anything. I’m going to explain what I have in store for us, and then I’ll give you some time to get ready.”

“Understood!” Her passionate reply disappeared the moment the spell ended.

Next, Ainz Messaged Mare. The only thing he had to say was what he had already mentioned to Shalltear, that Mare would be taking over her duties in defending the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Upon hearing Mare’s tiny but reassuring reply, Ainz ended the Message.

Finally, he contacted Aura.

“Aura. It’s me.”

“Lord Ainz! What can I do for you?”

“Well, I want you to accompany me to the dwarf country.”

“Understood! What should I do?”

“First, I want you to come to my room in E-Rantel. Then we’ll wait until Shalltear arrives.”

“Shalltear?!”

Her shrill yelp made Ainz thankful for his mysterious ears that could hear despite the lack of eardrums. “Lower your voice, Aura.”

“S-sorry, Lord Ainz!”

No, I told you to lower your voice
, thought Ainz, but he kept that to himself.

“Are we going to the dwarf country to destroy it?”

“No. Where do these terrifying misunderstandings come from? I want to try a friendly approach first.”

“Oh, I see! So you’re already thinking about what to do if the friendly approach doesn’t work, right?”

“Aura, you—”

“Lord Ainz, I’m here!”

“What? You mean you’re outside my room?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The voice was followed by a knock at the door.

Ainz winced as Decrement went to answer.

“Lord Ainz, Mistress Aura is requesting permission to enter.”

When he waved a hand to allow, the maid stepped away from the door.

““Hello, Lord Ainz!””

Aura’s voice echoed itself.

Ainz greeted the dark elf girl in return.

“Okay, let’s talk over there.” He pointed at some sofas they could sit on facing each other and then turned to Decrement. “Get Aura something to drink, will you?”

“Understood, Lord Ainz. The drinks I can have ready immediately are apple juice, orange juice, lemon squash, tea, and coffee.”

As per Aura’s request, Decrement set a cup of apple juice on the table between the sofas the pair was sitting on.

Ainz told her she could drink and then said, “First, regarding your question about whether we’re going to destroy the dwarf country, I want to make something clear. Shalltear’s strength in combat is part of why I chose to bring her along, but that’s not the main reason.”

“What?!” Aura’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Her reaction reminded him again how limited people considered Shalltear to be.
At the same time—
Suddenly, he couldn’t stop smiling.

He was reminiscing about the relationship between BubblingTeapot and Peroroncino.

Whenever anything happened, BubblingTeapot would ask him,
Is my dumb little brother causing you trouble?
Even when Ainz told her he wasn’t, she would say,
That can’t be true!
much like Aura’s reaction a moment ago.

Ainz got the impression that their relationship seemed to live on in Shalltear and Aura, making it impossible for him to contain himself. Memories came fluttering down like snow, filling his heart with euphoria. The joy building inside him was released externally as a burst of laughter—or that’s what would’ve happened if his emotions weren’t automatically suppressed.

“Damn it,” he swore quietly at his fun being ruined. He knew it was spoiled of him to find the emotion suppression ability useful when it benefited him and a bother when it got in his way. Still, it wasn’t easy to set aside the annoyance of having the memories of his guildmates interrupted.

“U-ummm…Lord Ainz…is something wrong?”

But all his displeasure died down when he heard the timid girl’s voice. He shouldn’t have been visibly upset enough for a child to notice so easily. Ainz took a deep breath and smiled at her.

“No, sorry. It was nothing. Getting back to the topic at hand, I’m bringing Shalltear along this time to test her suitability. Shalltear was created as the strongest of the floor guardians. If she had fought correctly back then, even I wouldn’t have been able to beat her.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“No, it’s true. If I were Shalltear, I would have created Einherjar from the start. Then, while my opponent was busy fighting my double, I would have prepped for combat, using as many spells as my mana would allow, and then followed up with skills. Then I would have figured out a way to activate Blood Frenzy and gone in for close combat with the Pipette Lance while my attack strength was boosted.” Ainz smiled awkwardly. “If she had come at me like that, I would have withdrawn with zero hesitation.”

Discounting skills, Ainz was a little stronger in combat than average out of all the players. Then, Shalltear’s class build and gear choices were a little weaker than the best. If her gear were complete—with all god-tier items—then she would probably be the middle of the best. And if she could change gear depending on her opponent, she would probably secure a place in the highest ranks.

“But that appraisal of Shalltear as the strongest is hindering her growth.”

“Huh?”

“The most advantageous way to employ Shalltear is to use her like an arrow to chip away at the enemy’s resources. Let her fly and task her with rampaging through the enemy camp. But is that really the right thing to do? It may be the most obvious strategy suggested by her specs, but does that really make it the best?”

“I’m not entirely sure… But if you think so, Lord Ainz, then it must be the right thing to do.”

In terms of the flow of conversation, a response like that put Ainz in a tough spot. He was thinking it wasn’t the right thing to do, so the proper adult thing for Aura to do would have been to draw that opinion out of him. Of course, it was more natural for a child to be obedient.

“O-oh? I was thinking maybe it isn’t. What I mentioned is only the optimal way according to her abilities. For Shalltear, with her experience, it might not be the best at all.”

Ainz had grown as a warrior. No, it was more accurate to say he had learned how to take full advantage of his abilities. Even if his physical strength didn’t improve, he could still develop in other ways.

Unlike back in the days when they were mere data, the NPCs of Nazarick now had hearts and minds that allowed them all to think for themselves. That was true for Shalltear as well. The Shalltear of tomorrow would certainly be different from the Shalltear of today.

“Instead of repeating the same things over and over, I should have her attempt different things so she can grow… She may very well make mistakes. It’s not that I want her to, but even if she does, those around her can back her up. That’s why I’ve called on you, Aura.”

Aura probably got along with Shalltear better than Mare, and he figured Aura would be good at taking charge.

She had been listening quietly, but now she nodded firmly.

“…But if we move too far away from her contractual obligations in the name of giving her more varied experiences, that’s wrong as a company—er, organization.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…Well, for instance, it would be unforgivable to force her to do things she didn’t want to do.”

“Obeying your commands is why we exist, Lord Ainz!”

“…You don’t think it’s wrong to make Shalltear do things that go against what Peroroncino intended? If my orders contradict what Bubbling-Teapot wanted, how would you feel about following them, Aura?”

“Urk! That, uh…” She lowered her eyes nervously. She probably couldn’t say
That would be a problem
in front of Ainz.

“That’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to make a point. Anyhow, I’m going to have Shalltear take on a bunch of trials and see how she grows. That’s why I’ve chosen to bring her along.”

“I see! Such a deep, complex reason—brilliant as always, Lord Ainz!”

Those at the top must challenge those below to allow them a chance to grow.

This was the policy of a manager in a business book Ainz had read after being transported to this world.

The reason he hadn’t been able to give Shalltear chances to grow until now was because the stakes had been too high and also his general lack of time. But now—no, there was no chance
except
now.

“The rest I’ll explain once Shalltear gets here. I don’t want to say it all twice.”

Just as he finished speaking, a knock sounded on the door, and Decrement checked to see who it was. “It’s Mistress Shalltear.”

Apparently, the one they were waiting for had arrived. Ainz ordered Decrement to show her in.

“Shalltear Bloodfallen, at your service!”

Ainz had been about to say,
Good of you to come
, but he froze when he laid eyes on her. He blinked for a few seconds and then asked, “Wh-why are you in full gear?”

She wore full plate armor and carried her Pipette Lance.

“My lord! I’m prepared to protect you now! I shall utterly annihilate any who dare to defy you!”

Ainz eyed Aura to ask what they should do about eager and wide-eyed Shalltear. He couldn’t exactly fault her thought process.

“Agh, aren’t you being a bit impatient? You could listen to what Lord Ainz has to say before jumping into action.”

Shalltear pouted at Aura’s teasing. Before they could get into it, Ainz held up his palms to warn them.

“Shalltear, I can see where you were coming from, and it certainly wasn’t a mistake. But what we’re doing this time is a bit different. Forgive me for not explaining well enough.”

Ainz hurriedly explained the objective of their journey to the dwarf country and establishing friendly relations.

It confused Shalltear. “A-are you quite sure you want me for that?”

“…There are several reasons I chose you. Protecting me is one of them. But the most important one is to have you gain experience. I feel like I can’t leave this job to you due to Blood Frenzy, but that’s just me. But if I let you try it out, maybe we’ll find that you’re actually suited to it.”

Shalltear’s eyes gaped. “Understood, Lord Ainz! I’ll be sure to achieve results you can be proud of!”

“…Very good, Shalltear. For this assignment, you’ll be working under Aura. She’ll be your superior, and you will follow her orders.”

“Understood!” Shalltear bowed her head.

She seemed a little too high-strung, but that was better than lacking motivation. He just didn’t want her to spin her wheels going nowhere.

“Now then, I appreciate your zeal, Shalltear, but let’s rein it in a little… All right, time to think about who to bring with us. Thoughts?”

“Lord Ainz, may I ask something?”

Surprised at the voice coming from somewhere he didn’t expect, he turned his attention to Decrement, who was perfectly composed.

“What is it? You have something?”

“Yes. If you’re going to the dwarf country, Lord Ainz, I think it would be advisable to bring several of us maids along as ladies-in-waiting. Rulers have been accompanied by staff to take care of their incidental needs since ancient times. In fact, if you don’t have ladies-in-waiting, they may make light of you in the dwarf country.”

“I see… You do have a point.”

Ainz had gleaned from his spying the fact that Jircniv traveled with several carriages, and in one of them were well-dressed women. They must have been the people who took care of the emperor wherever he went. If they had all stayed at Nazarick, he could have investigated further, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Well, perhaps it was rather impolite of him to have allowed the emperor’s party to leave right away without hosting them for a night. Ainz had ultimately deferred to his guest’s wishes because no matter how many times he offered accommodations, Jircniv had stubbornly insisted on leaving. Maybe the polite thing to do would have been to convince him to stay.

There was even a chance that if they had gotten along better at that time, Jircniv wouldn’t have proposed his nation becoming a vassal state when they met at the arena.

Whoops, I’m off on a tangent… What Decrement said does make sense, though. But…

He recalled her data. Though each of the forty-one regular maids had different faces, their data and equipment were the same.

The grotesques known as homunculi didn’t excel at anything in particular and were extremely weak, being level 1. In terms of ability points, they were stronger than a level-1 humanoid, but if the two fought, the homunculus’s chances of winning were only about 60 percent.

The maid outfits they were equipped with had a decent amount of defense but were still only upper grade. Even if that made them tough by this world’s standards, a
Yggdrasil
player would find their gear as flimsy as paper.

To be blunt, there was no way he could take them into the dwarf country about which they knew almost nothing and where players could be lying in wait for them.

“It’s unfortunate, but I can’t do that. If I need attendants—Shalltear, would it be possible to bring some of your vampire brides?”

“You needn’t even ask. All in Nazarick are subordinate to you, Lord Ainz. Simply say the word.”

“I see. Decrement, your proposal is very natural, but the problem is that you’re so weak, I would be anxious for your safety in unknown lands.”

“I’m aware of the danger!”

Ainz held a hand up as a request for her to remain calm. “Your attitude—the way you all devote yourselves to me—gives me joy. So I tell you what I’ll do. Once we confirm the dwarf country is safe, I’ll send for you via Teleport. Until then, let’s leave the work to the vampire brides.”

Decrement opened her mouth a few times, but no words came out, and she bowed her head. Ainz preferred that she understand herself rather than just accept his orders, but it seemed like that would be difficult.

He looked away from her. He had no other methods with which to persuade her, and no matter what she said, he wasn’t going to change his mind.

It didn’t cost much to resurrect a level-1 NPC. But that wasn’t the issue.

Who would ever want to expose their friends’ children to danger?

“So, Shalltear, let’s bring—hmm—six vampire brides. And let’s round up another thirty knights. Five of them will be Hanzos I recently summoned.”

He had chosen the number thirty at random. He figured that was an acceptable number. Or maybe it was because that was the number of players on a team.

“While we gather party members, I’m going to get in touch with Cocytus. Yes. I’ll go ahead of you two and talk to him. Once you’ve finished organizing the party, use Gate to come to the lizardman village. Then we’ll head north to look for the dwarf country. How does that sound?”

“Roger!”

“Your wish is my command.”

The two guardians agreed to his plan. Ainz had hoped one of them would present a better idea, but nothing came up. He didn’t think these two were flunkies who would blindly agree, but it did make him nervous when the only response to anything he proposed was a
yes, sir
—since it wasn’t as if he was confident in his own thinking.

“So do you have any proposals for the entourage?”

“If we took my magical beasts—”

“My undead could—”

The pair began talking at once and their eyes met. He thought it would devolve then and there into a fight, but Shalltear was the first to look away.

“Go ahead.”

“…What’s wrong? Did you eat something weird?”

“I was ordered to follow you as my superior on this mission.”

“…Mm, that’s kinda creepy.”

Shalltear’s eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t say anything.

“Then, what about having twenty-five of your undead ride my beasts?”

“I have no objections, but…” Shalltear turned to Ainz. “That makes the total greater than the number Lord Ainz decided. Is that all right?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then, let’s go with that.”

It seemed like the pair had reached an understanding, so Ainz spoke up. “Okay, time to get cracking. I want the party members selected and ready to go within the next two hours. Don’t make any plans that assume you can teleport back to Nazarick at any time. Outfit yourselves with the intention of not returning for a while. Aura, take extra care, since you’re a living being. All right, you’re both dismissed. I need to let Pandora’s Actor know what’s going on.”

And I have to Message Albedo, too
, he mentally noted.

•

“Finally! It’s finally time!” Once they had gotten a short distance from the Supreme Being’s room, where he wouldn’t hear them, Shalltear clenched her fist and crowed. “Now’s my chance to make up for my mistake and show everyone that Shalltear Bloodfallen is worth having around! That took forever…” She stared off into the distance.

Aura could tell how emotional she was from her unusually casual tone. Shalltear had already been punished for her error, and Ainz had even told her in the Throne Room that it wasn’t her fault. But as a fellow floor guardian, Aura understood the urge to wipe the mistake from her record so much it hurt. But she was nervous.

“The wait has been so long… All I’ve been getting are simple jobs or duties anyone could do. But… But…”

“True. But I do think all the jobs Lord Ainz ordered you to do were important.”

“No doubt, what you say is correct. But there’s a scale of importance.”

“And I’m sure protecting Nazarick is high up on that scale. Manning the first line of defense against any intruders is a job I don’t think Lord Ainz could assign to anyone besides his most trusted guardian.”

“Ngh!” Shalltear wasn’t sure how to respond. She fidgeted, tapping her fingers together. “Is that what Lord Ainz really thinks?”

“Well, maybe. He did say you’re really strong.”

Shalltear smiled from ear to ear. Her reaction put Aura at ease. Prior to this, she had been worried that if nothing changed, Shalltear would eventually end up doing something excessive and cause trouble for Ainz. If that happened, she wasn’t sure how she would apologize, and she would feel bad for Shalltear, who would have put so much thought into it only for it to go nowhere.

“And when we were in that human city, Demiurge warned me—only me. He thinks I’m incompetent. If the greatest mind in Nazarick thinks that, then there’s a good chance that the others, including Lord Ainz, who is even wiser than Demiurge, probably feel the same, don’t you think?”

“I dunno. Isn’t it precisely because he knows more than Demiurge that he doesn’t see you that way?”

“Ahhh.” Shalltear exhaled hotly. “Lord Ainz is always so brilliant.”

“Phew.” Aura sighed.

She felt slightly tired. But she didn’t feel like telling Shalltear in a straightforward way would have much effect when she was nearly at her wits’ end like this, so it was worth attacking from a different angle.

“But the others with the same amount of knowledge as Demiurge must think that way.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

Or rather, it was definitely true. Shalltear’s eyes popped wide open, so before she could say anything, Aura continued. “Lord Ainz wants you to experience lots of different things so he can find out what you’re suited for, right? So you can jump right in, but it might impress everyone, including Lord Ainz, if you study beforehand.”

“Study beforehand?”

“Yeah. I mean, you’re about to accompany Nazarick’s most elite being. Maybe you can learn something from the way he does things.”

“Aha! But…what should I do?”

“Shalltear. You’re already on the right track.”

“Oh! I see!”

Aura couldn’t think of anything immediately, so she left it all up to Shalltear, but she did wonder momentarily if things would work out all right. Still, the ball was already in Shalltear’s court.

Please do something that makes sense…

She prayed to her god, the Supreme Being BubblingTeapot.
Lady BubblingTeapot, please watch over Shalltear, your brother Lord Peroroncino’s creation!

3

Ainz traveled to the lizardman village using Gate.

The Hanzos accompanied him for protection. Of the five of them, one had red cloth wound around his right arm.

It wasn’t enchanted or anything, merely indicating that he was their leader.

Ainz simply thought they would be easier to manage that way, but the leader was far happier than expected. It was obvious from a glance that he was grinning beneath his mask.

All Ainz had done was hand over a scrap of cloth, so he felt a bit guilty.

Guarded by those minions, Ainz appeared in a location facing a statue of himself.

This was the designated teleportation point, so he had seen it numerous times, but he never got over the embarrassment it roused within him.

In Satoru Suzuki’s world, there were the occasional statues of founders. But wasn’t it embarrassing if the statues were created while they were alive?

What bewildered him even more was that one part of his face was different. It must have been changed to depict him more beautifully.

Do I look cooler with cheekbones like that? I have no idea. Whose aesthetic sense are we going by here anyway?

With those things partially occupying his mind, Ainz turned to the prostrate Cocytus and lizardmen.

As he gained experience role-playing a ruler, he had gotten used to these over-the-top displays. But as a regular member of society, Satoru Suzuki didn’t like them. But he recognized it was a demonstration of their loyalty to him, so he couldn’t ask them to stop.

“Raise your heads.”

With complex emotions swirling inside, he permitted them to rise, and it was like they finally came back to life.

“LORD AINZ. I THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THE WAY HERE.”

Cocytus was still on a knee, so Ainz gestured for him to stand. “Mm. Thanks for all your hard work. I got your report. I took a quick glance and nothing seems wrong, so that’s great. You’re doing a praiseworthy job.”

“THANK YOU! EVERYTHING IS MADE POSSIBLE BY YOUR POWER, MY LORD.”

I didn’t do anything, though
, Ainz thought as he accepted Cocytus’s flattery. If he said anything, he knew from experience it would just turn into a back-and-forth of,
No, not at all. No, no, really. No, no, no, seriously.

“…Even so, a good job deserves a reward.”

He had given Albedo and Mare Rings of Ainz Ooal Gown, while Aura had received a watch that featured BubblingTeapot’s voice, and Shalltear now possessed Peroroncino’s Encyclopedia of monsters. He had also bestowed upon Demiurge a demon statue that Ulbert had made.

Additionally, Ainz had offered the lives of the lizardmen to Cocytus, but he felt like it was about time to give him a proper reward.

“You say you don’t need anything, but rewards and punishment keep all in order. Those who don’t reward cannot punish. Now, Cocytus, what is it that you desire?”

“B-BUT, LORD AINZ. THERE IS NO GREATER REWARD THAN SERVING YOU.”

If Cocytus wished for something similar to Solution’s request of innocent humans, that would be an issue in and of itself, but his reply was equally problematic.

Someone from the guild had once said that anyone who answered the question
What do you want to eat?
with
Anything’s fine
only to later whine
Yeah, Italian would have been better
was a stereotypical pain in the ass. Ainz agreed completely. Everything was a hundred times easier if people simply stated what they wanted.

“…Cocytus, understand that sometimes having no desire is worse than being greedy. I’m giving you an order. You have one week to tell me what you want. Let’s assume it will be some sort of physical object. Understood?”

Cocytus looked a bit troubled, but Ainz ignored that and repeated, “Understood?”

“IF THAT IS YOUR ORDER, LORD AINZ.”

“Yes, it is. Now then, Cocytus, I’m here to talk to Zenbel.”

“MY LORD! I’VE SUMMONED HIM HERE. PLEASE GO AHEAD.” Cocytus moved to a position diagonally behind Ainz. Then he called out to the kneeling lizardman. “ZENBEL. YOU WILL ANSWER LORD AINZ’S QUESTIONS. REPLY TO HIM DIRECTLY.”

Zenbel raised his head and said, “Yes, master,” but his voice contained a measure of uncertainty.

“Very well, let’s get right to the point. I want to visit the dwarf country. I’d like for you to act as a guide. Can you lead me there?”

Ainz got the sense that the lizardman’s eyes narrowed.

He didn’t know much about lizardman expressions, but even if he didn’t know exactly what emotion it was, it didn’t seem like a very positive reaction.

“If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty, may I ask for what reason you plan to travel to the dwarf country?”

The moment he finished speaking, a threatening clicking noise came from behind Ainz. “…ZENBEL. IT’S TERRIBLY RUDE OF YOU TO QUESTION LORD AINZ’S MOTIVES. ANSWER ONLY WHAT IS ASKED OF YOU.” Cocytus’s tone was the same as always, but he was clearly offended.

The disgruntled voice came from behind Ainz where he couldn’t see, which made him want to shrink away.

It rattled Ainz a great deal even though the emotion wasn’t directed at him, and yet, Zenbel maintained his silence. He watched Ainz’s reaction and didn’t shift his gaze one bit.

It was painful how quiet things had become. The only sound was Cocytus’s threatening clicking. Tension suffused the air. Not much time had passed, so when Ainz sensed Cocytus about to make an impatient move, he held up a hand to stop him. At this rate, the situation could become dangerous.

“It’s fine, Cocytus. Zenbel hasn’t done anything to offend.”

“BUT, LORD AINZ—”

“I said it’s fine, really. Now, then… I have to admit I’m a bit sad, Zenbel. I can’t believe you would misunderstand me to such an extent.”

Well, it’s only natural he would react this way, given what I did to the lizardman village
, Ainz thought without giving any external indication of it. If he decided it was so, then any action by any member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was in the right. If he didn’t display that attitude before his underlings, they would begin to worry about their own conduct going forward.

“Zenbel, I’m not going there to harm the dwarves. I want to build friendly relations with them.”

“Really?”

“WHY, YOU—”

Ainz turned toward Cocytus. “Cocytus. I’m happy for your loyalty, but I’m fairly certain I told you there’s no problem. No matter what Zenbel says right now, pay it no mind and forget it.”

“YES, MY LORD.”

Ainz wouldn’t go as far as ditching formalities entirely. Whenever a CEO said something to that effect, it was a trap.

Ainz turned back to the lizardman. “It’s true, Zenbel. I’m happy to swear so on my honor as Ainz Ooal Gown. I’d like to build friendly relations with the dwarves. It goes without saying, however, that a conflict could arise depending on how they react. I hope you can understand.”

“Of course. That makes sense. And it makes sense that might makes right. I just don’t want to repay kindness with pain.” Zenbel paused and took a breath. It reminded Ainz of the breathing technique warriors used when switching from defense to offense. “And if it turns out you’re plotting to destroy them the moment we get there, then sorry, but I’m taking their side.”

Ainz heard a clicking sound behind him, so he said, “It’s fine,” over his shoulder. He knew without a doubt that Cocytus was going for his weapon.

Sheesh
, he thought as he stared Zenbel down haughtily. It seemed like Ainz’s practice had paid off, because Zenbel’s whole body tensed up.

“Well, if that comes to pass, I’ll simply destroy you along with them…but still, that’s quite brave of you. Have you considered that if you disobey me, all the lizardmen here could be killed?”

“…You’re the king. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

Ainz put a hand to his chin and answered Zenbel’s restrained question. “You seem to be misunderstanding something: I approach all things by weighing the pros and cons. I wouldn’t normally destroy an entire organization because of one rebel, but if the cons of that rebellion continuing in the future outweigh the pros, I’ll annihilate it without hesitation. Did you think I was simply a benevolent being with no brain?”

Zenbel’s expression changed.

But Ainz couldn’t divine any information from the lizardman’s face.

It might have been strange for an undead such as himself to say so, but he felt lizardmen were unfair in their own ways.

How could Ainz be expected to understand the expressions of other races? He was nothing but an undead creature who had only the limited experience of the human Satoru Suzuki to rely on.

Zenbel showed no signs of speaking, leaving Ainz no choice but to continue. “Relax. Even if you revolt against me, I won’t be destroying this village. It’s not as if a mass rebellion would occur. Plus, given your personality and history, it’s obvious how you would react. I get that you would choose your old friends—or were they your saviors? In any case, I’ll say it again: I’m not traveling to the dwarf country just to demolish it for no reason.”

Regardless of whether players were there or not, Ainz didn’t want to resort to force without at least talking first.

Things weren’t going well with the neighboring countries at the moment.

The country he should have been on the best terms with was trying to become a vassal state—
what is that about anyway?
If he ended up at war with the dwarves on top of that, his nation would be seen as a force of pure evil.

If possible, he wanted to sign a treaty of friendship with the dwarves and demonstrate to other states that the Nation of Darkness could be as diplomatic as any other country. Then he would be able to cobble together some justification for putting a check on the players who might be lurking around somewhere.

What would players who were wary of the Nation of Darkness do?

The most likely action would be to paint it as an evil state and try to destroy it in the name of justice. But if Ainz signed a treaty with the dwarf country? Then what would happen?

Some people would think he had forced them to sign, assuming it was gunboat diplomacy. Even then, at the very least, observers would have to see that the terms of the treaty were fair.

For instance, if another player appeared in the future, they would surely team up with someone on the same level as them—probably another player—to fight. And some people might consider the Nation of Darkness as a party worth a request for cooperation. But if the battle was against someone Ainz wasn’t interested in fighting, he could use the treaty with the dwarves as an excuse to not join in.

Maybe it was a self-centered idea, but if his side and the other ended up fighting before they were ready, and they lost, maybe it would set the bomb of
I told you I didn’t want to fight!
off internally.

That was the point of creating a justification.

What Ainz feared was player teams, not individual players.

Certainly, a player with a World Item was threatening, as was a player with one of the powerful classes like world champion. But as long as it was a lone player and they weren’t wielding one of the Twenty, there was no way the Great Tomb of Nazarick would lose.

“See? No need to worry.”

“—I understand.”

“Great. So, Zenbel, I can count on you, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll lead you to the underground dwarf city I once stayed in.”

Ainz nodded benevolently and then turned his gaze to Zaryusu.

“Next, Zaryusu. I was happy to receive news about the birth of your child. I also hear that both mother and baby are doing well. Is that right?”

Zaryusu replied with what was probably a nervous expression. “Yes, Your Majesty. Quite well. The baby will be up and walking before long.”

“Wow, so soon!”

That’s how Ainz reacted, but after researching the topic, even human children in this world crawled and walked earlier than the one he had come from. Of course, his only frame of reference was what he had heard from Touch Me.

“Do you think so? I’m pretty sure it’s normal…”

“O-oh, right. I had assumed it was similar to humans. Children… Hmm. Right now, I’m in the middle of building a nation where people of various races can come together and live side by side. If I asked you to move with your family to a human country I rule as a part of that effort, would you be willing?”

“If Your Majesty orders it, I have no choice.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

Zaryusu might not have intended for his response to come across sarcastically, but that’s how it sounded to Ainz.

Ainzach made the same sort of comment
, he thought as he continued. “I want to know how you personally feel about the idea. You were away from your tribe as a traveler, yes? In other words, you must think differently from other lizardmen. That’s why I’d like to understand how you feel and what kind of things are on your mind when you’re faced with a changing world.”

“I only became a traveler because I felt like I couldn’t go on the way things were. I felt trapped.”

“Nevertheless, your experiences abroad should have made you more worldly. I’d like you to think about what it would be like for you to go to a human country compared to a regular lizardman. How about it?”

“Yes, sir…” Zaryusu thought for a little while and then said, “Personally, I don’t feel like going to a human city. I’d be too anxious to bring along my wife and child. Even if it’s Your Majesty’s nation, I feel like coping with the sudden changes would simply be…incredibly hard.”

Anyone would be anxious if they were forced to live in a brand-new world after being torn away from everything they knew. Who wouldn’t want to cling to the familiar? Especially for a man with a family, it made sense to think that way.

Some might call this a life of defense, but Ainz felt that a person who couldn’t go on the defensive when necessary was weak. That went for PKers and PKKers as well.

“I see. Then…do you think your future children will get used to the idea?”

“Does that mean my children would be brought there, Your Majesty?”

Ainz sensed that the atmosphere had become critical.

Maybe Zaryusu thought he meant separating children from their parents.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m building a country where all sorts of races can coexist. I simply thought that as a first step, I could create a place where human, lizardman, and goblin children, all different races, could play together… And I do think you guys need to examine the greater world and not limit yourselves to the boundaries of this lake.”

The lizardman seemed to be having complex feelings.

“Do you mean…that we should have more children who will be travelers?”

“It doesn’t have to be on the same level as the travelers of the lizardman tribes. I’m just saying you could stand to gain more knowledge of the world in a casual way… I wouldn’t really know, but don’t parents want their children to broaden their horizons?”

Zaryusu made a strange face. “…Well, this is complicated. Really, I’d like them to stay in this village where they can live safely and not worry about food, but are you saying that times have changed?”

Perhaps the complexity of Zaryusu’s reply stemmed from his feelings as a parent? If Ainz put himself in his shoes, maybe it was the same as hoping that the NPCs would live happy lives? When he hit on that idea, he found it easier to empathize with Zaryusu.

“I understand your hesitation. Change is difficult for people set in their ways to keep up with. And the faster the change happens, the more the elderly try to find reasons to reject it,” Ainz said with a shrug, and Zenbel and Zaryusu seemed to smile.

“It’s just as you say,” said Zaryusu. “That’s exactly how our elders were. They still grumble sometimes.”

“But what he’s saying is that you’re one of those old people now, Zaryusu.”

Even Ainz could tell that the look Zaryusu turned to Zenbel with was disappointment.

“’Cause I’m a parent now? Well, I guess that’s how it goes.”

Ainz turned to Cocytus with kind eyes. “Anyhow, I have to make sure I say this much. Cocytus, I have an order for you.”

“MY LORD!”

“If Zenbel turns against me, do not harm any of his fellow lizardmen in this village.”

“UNDERSTOOD, MY LORD.”

Ainz nodded in satisfaction at Cocytus’s low bow and fixed his eyes once again on Zenbel. “So, Zenbel. I want to learn everything I can about what you know. How did you meet the dwarves? What are their lives like? What kind of presents would they appreciate? Tell me whatever you can remember.”

“Righty-ho, Your Majesty.”

“WATCH YOUR MOU—”

“It’s fine, Cocytus. If we were in public, I’d take his head off, but…” Ainz looked purposefully around the area. “This isn’t exactly public. So this time we’ll laugh it off. I like to think I’m at least that open-minded.” Having said that, he chuckled slightly, and Cocytus murmured in confusion.

“L-LORD AINZ…”

Ainz held a hand out to stop Cocytus and turned a cool eye on Zenbel—at an angle he had practiced over and over in the mirror.

“But, Zenbel. Remember this: Cocytus has been embarrassed by your tone and feels guilty toward me now.”

The shudder that ran through Zenbel’s body must have been fear.

It couldn’t be excitement, right?

“…My apologies, Your Majesty. I got cocky for a moment.”

“That’s fine. You should thank Cocytus, the supervisor of this village. I wasn’t going to do anything… Anyhow, that’s enough pointless chatter. Will you start telling me about the dwarves?”

“BEFORE THAT, LORD AINZ, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT DOWN?”

Ainz hesitated at Cocytus’s suggestion.

His body didn’t fatigue. So he didn’t need a chair. But he didn’t want to ignore such a kind offer.

“Sure. I’ll take a seat. I don’t need anything special, Cocytus. Anything I can sit on is fine.”

“YES, MY LORD! PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT.”

Cocytus got down on his hands and knees.

A memory of Shalltear overlapped with the sight of him.

“…I don’t actually need to ask, but just to be sure… What are you doing?”

“I HEARD THAT SHALLTEAR DID THIS ONCE. I DECIDED I COULD AS WELL…”

“That was to punish her. There’s no need for you to do it.”

“BUT ONE OF MY LIZARDMAN CHARGES WAS RUDE TO YOU, LOR—”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m fairly certain I said I wasn’t worried about that. Did you not hear me?”

“NO, BUT—”

Are you serious?
With that thought in his mind, Ainz tried to persuade him, but Cocytus was stubborn. Even though Ainz was an undead who didn’t get tired, he began to feel exhausted. Finally, he was sick of everything and uneagerly declared, “Agh, fine. I’m going to sit now, Cocytus.”

“MY LORD!” Cocytus’s reply was extra spirited.

Sitting in front of other people was extremely—well, a bit embarrassing.

But hesitating would be even worse. It was perfectly natural for him as an absolute ruler to sit on his retainer.

So he did. Frankly, it was uncomfortable. Frankly, it was bumpy. Frankly, it was cold.

Not only that, but the ragged breath Cocytus was emitting in his bizarre enthusiasm was whiter and cloudier than usual. It flowed across the ground at Ainz’s feet like the kind of fog that emerges when dry ice becomes wet.

It was like a cheap attempt to manufacture magnificence and, thus, incredibly uncomfortable.

“HOW IS IT, LORD AINZ?”

Horrible.
But he couldn’t very well say that.

Not that he didn’t have a perverse curiosity about what would happen if he did, but he was scared of how Cocytus might react.

“Pretty good…,” he said, making him feel like some kind of perv. But what else could he say?

“SO BETWEEN SHALLTEAR AND ME, WHICH IS BETTER?”

“…” Ainz really had no idea what to say. What kind of answer was he supposed to give?

“Huh…? Wh-why would you ask that?”

“MY LORD! I FEEL AS THOUGH I MAY REQUIRE TRAINING FOR THOSE WHO WILL RIDE MY BACK IN THE FUTURE.”

“……………What?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Did Cocytus’s race mate with the female on the male’s back? Or did he have a masochistic kink?

Takemikazuchiii!

No, the warrior was more normal than this. He loved combat, but he was a good person who didn’t cause very much trouble.

So was this just Cocytus’s personality? Ainz felt shocked, as if he had discovered someone’s fetish without meaning to.

“I—I see. Good for you.” He had no idea how to act.

“THANK YOU! SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

“It’s a bit uneven, but, well, not so bad that I can’t sit on you. Still, in that sense, Shalltear was more comfortable.”

“OH…”

“Ngh! No! I mean, you have your own good points. The, uh, chilliness… Yes, this chilly surface is perfect for summer.”

Ainz wasn’t exactly sure why he was trying so hard to console Cocytus.

“I SEE! BUT… HMM…”

“W-well, we don’t need to worry about that. Zenbel, let’s hear what you have to say.”

“Uh, okay.”

Summarizing what Zenbel said, he had climbed into the mountains searching for the dwarves, wandered around lost for a month without finding them, and eventually decided it was impossible, but just when he was about to give up, he encountered a dwarf out exploring the surface. After a certain series of events, the dwarf trusted him and guided him to the dwarf city.

A certain series of events
apparently meant that the dwarf was apprehensive at first due to Zenbel’s appearance, but after some talking, he managed to gain the dwarf’s trust.

In the city, Zenbel learned various technologies while living with the dwarves, and when he gained enough confidence in his craft, he parted ways with them and returned to his lizardman village.

The most important thing was whether or not he could actually lead Ainz to the city.

In reply to that question, Zenbel made a face like it might be difficult but said he probably could.

The dwarf city was located within an underground cavern that was inside a mountain, so as long as the shape of the mountain hadn’t changed, Zenbel was fairly confident he could get them there.

When Ainz heard that, he recalled an underground city in
Yggdrasil
and got a little excited.

The last thing he asked was how far away the dwarf city was.

The answer was that following the route Zenbel took in reverse would take about a week of hiking in the mountains. That would bring them to the northern edge of the lake.

Lizardmen weren’t built for walking on dry land, so if it took Zenbel a week, the actual distance was maybe around sixty miles.

The unfortunate thing was that Ainz only had Zenbel’s memories to go by and couldn’t use a map to find a shorter route.

I should probably be prepared to get lost any number of times.

It reminded Ainz of adventuring in
Yggdrasil
, bringing out a broad smile.

“…Was that helpful?”

“It was indeed. I’m not opposed to these sorts of journeys where you advance through darkness by only a lantern’s feeble light. It psychs me up.”

Maybe the lizardmen thought he was joking? They laughed a bit.

Ainz didn’t feel like correcting their mistake. It was probably hard to understand for anyone who didn’t have experience in
Yggdrasil
.

“Okay, Zenbel will serve as our guide. We’ll make preparations based on the information we’ve just received. Aura and Shalltear are arranging for an escort. You get ready, too.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Ainz nodded benevolently and stood up from Cocytus.

He ignored the quiet murmur of disappointment from below.