Текст книги "Overlord Volume - The Two Leaders"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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“...I didn’t come here to wipe them out, I need to chat with them in a friendly manner... Hey, you ogres there, sorry for interrupting your meal.”

The two ogres looked at Ainz in unison and roared. Echoes were loud in the caves, so Ainz wasn’t able to tell where the roar in response came from, but it probably came from the depths of the cave.

“What a loud doorbell, how tasteless... Aura, fall back.”

Watching the ogres become more agitated, Ainz sighed. He understood that they had no intention of conversing with him.

“Skeleton! Skeleton! Bad!”

The ogres came before Ainz with their murky words, swinging their clubs.

“Anyhow come—” The ogres raised their clubs high and swung down “in house—” as they attempted to send Ainz and Aura flying. However, their non-enchanted clubs would never be able harm them. “Say sorry—” The ogres struck again.

Ainz head was clobbered hard and his vision shook a little. It didn’t hurt, but it still made him mad. Anyway, Ainz would kill anyone invading Nazarick in a fit of rage. When he thought about it that way, it was only natural that they would attack him, so he took it without complaint.

An envoy of peace would lay down his arms and wait for the situation to unfold.

The ogres arriving afterward didn’t have clubs, and simply reached for Ainz and Aura with their bare hands. They probably wanted to grab him after seeing that clubs were useless. Ainz furrowed his brows for a moment, although that gesture couldn’t be seen since he was a skeleton. It was fine for them to grab him, but Ainz saw through the darkness that the hands of the ogre reaching for him were covered in blood.

“Filthy.”

Ainz immediately took a staff out of thin air and swung it. It wasn’t imbued with any special magic, only an enchantment that increased the blunt damage it dealt. The head of the ogre reaching for him exploded. The ogres were splashed by the splattered brains and blood, and stepped back after dropping their clubs.

“You, you no skeleton…”

“It is troubling to think of me as a skeleton. I am here to meet your boss, the Giant of the East. Can you get him to come here? Well, he will probably come anyway if I wait.”

Ainz waved to shoo them away, and the ogres sprinted into the depths of the cave.

“Ara ara, I showed them the difference between our abilities too soon.”

Ainz touched the place where he had been hit by the clubs as he made his way slowly down the slope. This seemed to be their dining area, with the remains of numerous corpses lying everywhere. Ainz and Aura continued walking while avoiding those places.

“I messed up, I accidentally used too much strength because it was annoying. I was planning to negotiate with them before the talks broke down and it turned into a massacre…”

“This can’t be helped! Those lowly ogres wanted to touch Ainz-sama after all!”

“I am happy to hear you say that. Punitto Moe-san also said ‘throwing a punch to get the other party’s attention’... Or was that Warrior Takemikazuchi?”

“It can’t be wrong if these are the words of the Supreme Beings!”

Those two had extremely different views, so who said it? Ainz tried to recall when a large number of monsters flooded out of the cave. All of them were much taller than humans.

“A bunch of trolls huh. I thought the part about giants was just a ruse, but there appears to be some truth in it.”

Trolls had long noses and ears, with an exceptionally ugly face. Their large bodies were deformed, and thus nauseating. They wore clothes that looked like the skin of tiger-like creatures, with the beast’s heads hanging on their shoulders. Well over two metres in height, they had strength far exceeding that of ogres. Only fire and acid could stop their powerful regeneration abilities. Altogether, there were six trolls and fourteen ogres.

Ainz paid the most attention to the troll at the head of the group. It had a superior physique as compared to the other trolls and its confidence could be seen clearly on its ugly face. With leather armour made from the hides of several animals and a great sword that was larger than the one Ainz used in the guise of Momon, it had also better equipment than the others. The sword seemed to be a magic item, with some form of liquid flowing back and forth in the groove right in the middle of the sword.

“About the same as Hamsuke?”

“Looks like it.”

So this troll was the Giant of the East. Ainz observed carefully, wondering what kind of troll it was. Trolls were monsters with many different subraces, with unique adaptations depending on the place where they were found. For example, there were volcano trolls that were resistant to fires, sea trolls that could swim nimbly and breathe in the ocean, mountain trolls with monstrous strength living in the mountains and the rare toll troll, which lived under arched bridges. They could increase the variants of their species almost at will.

And so, what was the specialty of the troll before Ainz? Trolls which adapted to caves were called cave trolls, but they were different from what he saw before him. A troll that he saw for the first time in this world– this ignited Ainz’ collector spirit.

The Giant of the East was a rare variant. It had survived countless battles and had adapted to battle, a troll specializing in battles. Ainz dubbed it a war troll, a rare specimen even among the many types of trolls. Its combat abilities were exceptional compared to other trolls its age. Its body might be smaller than those of mountain trolls, but its muscular body and fighting ability were far superior to them. Its weapon wasn’t something that could be wielded with just brute force, but a sword. It was knowledgeable enough to know that clubs were subpar weapons. It was a troll that had awakened as a warrior.

“So you are the Giant of the East?”

When the other party didn’t deny it, Ainz pointed slightly to the right of the troll.

“I would be really happy if you are the Serpent of the West. Are you?”

Normal beings would think that there was nothing in the direction Ainz was pointing, but Ainz could see as clear as day that a heteromorphic being was there.

“You probably think you can hide using invisibility, but I have seen through it. You can stop your futile actions now.”

After dispelling its invisibility, a monster appeared in that empty space. It was indeed a serpent. No, it only had the shape of a serpent. The upper body was that of a frail old man while the lower half was a snake. Such monsters existed in the game and Ainz stated its race immediately.

“A Naga. It might be mistaken for a snake, but isn’t that an exaggeration? No, a title like Virtuous King of the Forest exists too, so it makes sense.”

“To see through this one’s invisibility, could it be—”

“—Why are you here, skeleton!”

A loud voice reverberating within the cave drowned out the words of the Naga as the Giant of the East took a step forward. With someone worth speaking to in front of him, Ainz faced the creature head on.

“First, let me clarify, I am not a skeleton. Correct your misunderstanding.”

“If not a skeleton, what are you?! I permit you to state your name before the King of the East, Guu!”

“...Guu?”

Ainz couldn’t understand what he was saying momentarily. Since it spoke like a king or a tribal chief, that was probably its name.

“I see, Guu. Apologies for the late introduction, my name is Ainz Ooal Gown.”

The cave echoed with laughter.

“Fuhahaha! The name of a coward! Not a powerful name like mine, your name is ugly!”

Following these words, the giants laughed along in an annoying way.

“Cow—”

Aura who had taken a step forward was stopped by Ainz.

“It’s fine. Don’t get angry over something so trivial, stay cool. We are here to talk as ambassadors of friendship. For future reference, could you explain why you think I am a coward?”

“Ahh, mysterious undead, long names like that are proof of cowardice.”

The Naga standing by the side explained to Ainz, a sarcastic smile on his wizened face.

“The ideas of worthless people. What about you, do you think my name is cowardly too?”

“No such thing, this old one has a long name too. This old one is the Serpent of the West you spoke of – Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun. Oh, invader Ainz Ooal Gown. This old one thinks their brains are not matched with their bodies, but there are pros and cons to them ruling over this forest.”

“...You have just saved your life.”

The Naga was shocked by Ainz’s comment. He wanted to ask further, but the giants were still laughing.

“What are you weaklings doing here!? To get eaten!? Bones are crunchy and delicious too! I will start from the head!”

“I am the one building a fort in the middle of the forest with undead and golems. Don’t you know?”

The atmosphere changed as Guu and his lackeys emitted fierce hostility, while Ryaryus was on guard.

“I know! Annoyance! If not for the nagging of the snake, we would have killed you long ago! Save me much time, cowardly black shortie!”

“What a quick conclusion. However, I am here to negotiate with you.”

Ainz gestured at them to kneel.

“Swear fealty to me if you want to live.”

“You stupid! We won’t listen to cowards! Eat you here right now! And the brat behind!”

“Guu, he is the one behind that terrifying building, it is dangerous to insult him! And that is a dark elf behind him! They were the lords of this forest before that demon tree came. They are strong– he is not listening.”

Ainz couldn’t take it anymore and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Your bark is worse than a dog, meat bag. How about this: I, the one with the cowardly name, will have a one on one duel with you, who has a powerful name. You won’t be scared and run away right? If you do, lower your head onto the ground and I will rear you like a slave.”

“Interesting! Me enough to fight you! Tear you to pieces, and eat!”

“Very good. This is your choice. The negotiations have broken down. Aura, go a little further away. I want to play with it by myself.”

Ainz had just finished when the sword cleaved down towards him. Guu attacked with his three-meter long sword. Ainz didn’t move and took the blow directly.

“—Huh?”

“What is the matter? You think this is unbelievable?”

Ainz remained still as Guu’s face twisted from surprise. He swung horizontally this time. Like before, Ainz took the hit straight on.

“Muu!?”

After retreating a few steps, Guu looked at the sword in his hand, and then at Ainz. He then turned his back to his foe and walked to the other giants.

In the next moment, the sword struck his troll subordinate. The sword cleaved in through the shoulder and split the troll easily, spraying blood everywhere.

With a loud, stupid sound, the giant roared in pain.

Seeing the state his subordinate was in, Guu nodded his head in satisfaction, confirming that there was nothing wrong with the weapon.

“I see, this is the regenerative power of trolls. It is really surprising to see it in action.”

The open wound healed swiftly, just like watching a video in reverse. He did that because he knew about his fellow troll’s ability, but Guu had a sinister face, as if he was ready to inflict another wound onto his subordinate on the floor.

“Deciding the fate of the weak is the privilege of the strong. However, I am... very unhappy.”

Ainz stepped forward, no longer in the mood to play. Guu gripped his sword tightly with both hands, waiting for the slowly advancing Ainz.

“Guu! This fellow, Ainz Ooal Gown is too unnatural! We have to work together to defeat—”

“Shut up! Just watch from there, coward! —Guoohhh!”

The barrage of attacks grew stronger with each strike. This attack power, which exceeded that of a human by far, was the greatest among all the opponents Ainz had faced since coming to this world. However, since they couldn’t crush sturdy siege walls or make a crater in the ground, these attacks were barely better than scratching Ainz’ back. Ainz took the attacks straight on.

“Oh look, my clothes are getting wrinkled, can you stop already?”

Ainz looked away with a bored expression and tidied his messy robes. He then looked up at Guu as if he just remembered something.

“Ah, you done yet?”

“Why you, rawrrr!”

Guu judged that the sword was not effective and attacked with his bare hands instead. The large fist was like a hammer that would crush normal humans or send them flying. Ainz took the attack that was fatal to humans head-on, and casually dusted off the place he had been hit , as if someone had dirtied him with his touch. Guu halted his attack, his ugly face turning more ugly, staring at the unsurprised Ainz.

“So the attack of one who has a brave name and great confidence ends here?”

“Your defence is pretty good– Hyaaa!”

Ainz, who had closed the distance between them, waved the staff in his hand, and half of Guu’s foot was blown off. Unable to stand, the giant fell onto the ground.

“Being timid doesn’t mean being weak, you can understand that even though your brain is the size of an acorn, right?”

The giants and ogres watching the duel witnessed the pathetic sight of their leader and gasped. Ainz sighed weakly, realizing that monsters that could only understand the situation this late were useless. However, it would be different if they were capable of seeing the right moment to escape.

“Aura, he is the only one who is not allowed to flee, catch him.”

Ainz was brief, but Aura understood immediately and took action. An instant later, Aura had reached the Naga who was trying to use ‘Invisibility’ in order to silently get away.

“Ainz-sama, I caught him, what should I do with him?”

Ainz ignored Guu who was before him and used one hand to grab the head of the Naga who was still facing Aura. That attitude showed Guu and everyone else one single thing– Guu was no threat at all.

In the face of such intense humiliation, Guu ground his teeth furiously and loudly. However, Ainz wasn’t bothered at all.

“Why you!” The Naga kept squirming, entangling Aura. “I will strangle you just like that!”

A calm voice came from within the balled up Naga.

“Hey, I can’t see Ainz-sama’s handsome figure like this. I will rip out your throat if you are too noisy, alright? But I will be careful and not kill you.”

After feeling their difference in strength from that small fist, the Naga slowly let Aura slide from his coils.

“Aura, time is money, so don’t do unnecessary things. Go further away, to a distance where he won’t get killed even if he gets dragged in.”

“Roger!”

Aura easily pulled the Naga that was several times heavier than her.

After the leg and the muscles that had been cut off had regenerated, Guu finally stand up. Ainz shifted his eyes to it, observing that Guu’s physique was still the same.

“You are healed. Shall we continue?”

Ainz said calmly while resting the staff on his shoulder. He was clearly showing Guu that he didn’t plan to defend against him.

“You, you, what did you do, do to me? What did you do? Magic?”

Guu retreated with his sword in hand while Ainz drew near in pursuit. Ainz had a shorter stride than Guu, so the distance between them was larger than before.

“Hmph”, Ainz sneered through his nose.

“—Huh? How funny. I, who has the cowardly name is advancing, while you, who has the brave name is retreating? Why is that?”

Ainz asked in a flat tone, and an answer came from behind.

“Because Ainz-sama’s name is brave, and the weird name Guu is cowardly. Right, snake?”

“Yes, Yes! This is proof of the greatness of Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!”

After hearing the cute, girly voice and the pained voice on the verge of tears, Ainz nodded repeatedly.

“I see, I see. That make sense. Cowards have short names– Ainz Ooal Gown is the name of the brave and mighty.”

“—Why you!”

“Shut up, coward.”

Driven by terror and wrath, Guu attempted a cleaving attack. Ainz didn’t dodge or block, hitting back with his staff directly. Ainz did not allow the sword to parry the attack or Guu to dodge.

The staff blasted part of Guu’s body away.

“Guwaaargh!!”

Amidst the terrible screams, Guu’s minions who were watching the battle cowered in fear.

“As expected of trolls, you recovered thanks to your regeneration ability. But it still hurts right? That was the strongest hit I have thrown so far, you coward who wants to protect himself from my attack.”

Before Ainz was a head that was half the thickness from before. Normal creatures would have died instantly, but the giant’s head was slowly recovering.

Guu’s face recovered to its usual ugly form, with intense terror engraved onto it. A fear several times stronger than before was pressing down on him.

“You, what are you! Why is my attack not working?!”

Ainz lowered his head and spread his arms slowly.

“...Death. I am the one who will bring you death.”

“All, all of you! Kill that thing!”

“Well well, as expected of the one with a cowardly name, to break the rules of a one-on-one challenge… It suits your name. That’s why, I will forgive you.”

Ainz announced in a great mood.

Bound by their fear of the unknown monsters before them, Guu’s minions moved slowly. Even the most stupid person could sense Ainz’ power. Even if they hated it, the scene before them confirmed this fact. They were very hesitant in going against either Ainz or Guu, staring at them without moving.

“Hurry!”

Even so, they weren’t moving.

It was the same for Ainz. Right now, there was an intrinsic balance that was restraining everyone. If this balance collapsed, the giants would flee from the cave immediately.

It would be a hassle if they ran away... A hassle to hunt and kill them one at a time.

“You are right, playtime is over.”

Ainz activated an ability he hadn’t thought much of– but which was a powerful force in this world.

‘Despair Aura V’.

An aura radiated out with Ainz at the center. Like puppets with their strings cut, the trolls, ogres and Guu all fell to the ground. The monsters laid there without moving. It was obvious that the flames of their lives had been extinguished.

The fearful voice of an old man echoed in the silent cave.

“What, what did you do, my lord?”

The naga did its best to keep away from Ainz, twisting its body. Ainz looked back at it.

“I used a special skill. Trolls might have regenerative abilities, but that doesn’t mean they can resist instant death attacks… All of you don’t have much value, but you might still be useful. However, if you reject my rule, you will be disposed of.”

“This old one is happy to serve under your rule! The weak submitting to the strong is only natural. This old one will brave hell for you with no hesitation!”

Ainz stared at the Naga whose head was almost on the ground, and shrugged nonchalantly.

“...Well, anything is fine. The reason I came was for negotiation after all.”

“How, how frightening. My lord, you must think that it’s fine whatever happens to this old one. My lord must regard this old one who rules the western forest on the same level as rolling stones.”

“No, I am slightly more interested than that. You mentioned something about dark elves right? Tell me the details.”

“Of course… Certainly. This old one will tell everything it knows! But, erm…”

Ainz waved for it to continue, and the Naga said:

“Could you spare this old one’s life after that?”

“I promise you this. If you swear fealty to me and work hard, I will reward you for your efforts… Speaking of which, where are your subordinates? Are you like Hamsuke, no, the monster that ruled the southern forest, who controlled the west alone?”

“No, this old one has subordinates. I did not bring them along for the negotiation with Guu. If negotiations broke down, they would not be able to escape with invisibility.”

“I see, then next question. Are there any trolls working for you?”

“Just one.”

“That is splendid. Can it replace the Giant of the East? No, that would… be difficult. Alright, bring your minions to my– no, to the building this child is constructing. Aura, let him go.”

“Would it be fine?”

“It’s fine, he already swore fealty to me. If he betrays me, I will think of another way.”

Aura slowly removed her hand from the naga’s throat, which had bruises in the shape of a hand. It was still tense, but the naga relaxed a little. Ainz ignored him and walked towards Guu’s carcass.

“I will use this as a reference for zombie trolls.”

Using a special skill. Ainz could turn corpses into undead. They were either zombies or skeletons, but the stronger the physical body, the more powerful the zombie. One famous example would be zombie dragons.

Ainz picked up the sword, which was much taller than himself, from the ground. It was a magic item that could change its size according to one’s strength. It would fall out of his hand if he tried to wield the sword as a weapon he was unable to equip, but just holding it was fine.

“How about giving this to the village to make it stronger? That might be the best way to use this magic item. It is not valuable enough to bring it back to Nazarick.”

“Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!”

Ainz looked boredly at the Naga who was trying to say something.

“This, this one won’t do something like betraying you! The only ones who would do that would be fools like the ants on the ground.”

“I don’t think the look in my eyes told you so much… Is that your special ability? Even that observant Demiurge can’t read my true intentions.”

“This is not a special ability, I can only sense whether someone was interested.”

This might be the special ability of all Nagas, Ainz thought.

“Is that so… Well, I understand. Hurry and gather your minions. This is my first command.”

“Yes!”

 

Part 4

Nazarick Time: 21:07

Demiurge entered Ainz’ office elegantly. He bowed deeply to Ainz, who was seated before him, nodded at Mare and Cocytus, who were at Ainz’ side, and acknowledged the presence of the maid with a glance.

Ainz responded with a look and contacted Entoma with ‘Message’.

『It is time, Entoma. Give Lupusregina her orders, she has to protect those three with her life.』

“By your will. I will relay that to Lupusregina.”

Demiurge walked slowly to the center of the room, and his cool movements made Ainz envious.

How is he able to move so confidently, is it better to keep my back straight after all?

When Demiurge stopped, Ainz spoke to him:

“You came, Demiurge.”

“Yes! Thank you for your invitation. Is the ‘Message’ with Entoma proceeding well?”

“There are no problems, she reported back and conversed with me clearly. The test is a success.”

“That is wonderful news. I am very grateful to you for making time for me.”

“Don’t mention it, Demiurge. Accommodating the one who works the hardest for Nazarick is only natural. And you didn’t make me wait long… Well then, let’s hear your thoughts.”

Ainz handed the paper in his hand over to Demiurge. After Demiurge shifted his eyes from the top to the bottom of the page, Ainz raised his question:

“As you can see, the content is a menu for a meal, what do you think? It’s meant for either a human male or female, maybe even a child.”

“…My view is that humans will eat everything Ainz-sama offers without any complaints, but that is probably not the answer you are looking for... I don’t think children will like foie gras? Also… Perhaps adding something refreshing will be better?”

“I see, good thinking. Thank you.”

“I am too honoured… Ainz-sama, are you planning to host some guests in the Grand Tomb of Nazarick, the sacred realm of the Supreme Beings?”

“That’s right, I want to entertain my guests.”

Receiving guests with hospitality, in order to establish warm relations, display wealth and power, or hint at offering benefits.

“Will that be fine?”

“It should be. Are there any problems?”

“No, absolutely not. Ainz-sama’s words are absolute.”

In the past, the Grand Tomb of Nazarick had almost never invited guests other than the guild members. Akemi-chan, younger sister of the guild member Yamaiko, did visit on several occasions. There was no rule forbidding the invitation of guests, just that it was seldom done.

That’s why my guild mates should be fine with it even if I invite Nfirea and the others. They aren’t intruders, but guests.

Ainz asked Demiurge, who seemed to be pondering something, and the two guardians who were already waiting inside the room:

“Guardians, are you ready to visit the bath?”

“My deep apologies, Mare and I thought about going earlier.”

“Is that so, then Cocytus– you are already holding it. Let’s meet before the bath house then. Increment, if anyone comes to my office, let them wait here.”

“Understood.”

Ainz got up and left the room after hearing the answer from the maid. Leaving the minions who wanted to follow behind, Ainz led the way to the bath house that was situated in floor 9 as well. Ainz thought it would be better to chat idly as they walked side by side, but Cocytus’s cautious nature didn’t allow him to do so. Maybe he noticed that Ainz was feeling a bit lonely, Cocytus closed the distance and asked:

“Ainz-sama. Did. The. Number. Of. Eight. Edge. Assassins. In. The. Room. Decrease? Were. They. Sent. Somewhere?”

It might still be related to work, but conversing casually with Cocytus made Ainz feel better. Still, he kept his elation a secret when he spoke.

“They are in the E-Rantel hotel. Narberal is staying there in case some visitors appear. The Eight Edge Assassins are conducting surveillance some distance away.”

“Isn’t. It. Dangerous. For. Narberal. To. Be. Alone?”

“It is, right now is a good chance for someone to attack.”

“I. See. She. Is. The. Bait. Right. Now?”

“That’s right. If the enemy that brainwashed Shalltear is watching us, they will definitely think this is a rare chance. They might not want to get near Momon who defeated the powerful vampire Shalltear– although the name I gave them is different. What if Momon isn’t around and only one magic caster is left behind…”

“Will. They. Take. The. Bait?”

“No idea, but if they do bite, I will be a master baiter.”

Ainz made the movement of pulling on a fishing rod with one hand.

“Will. We. Send. Everyone. Out. When. The. Time. Comes?”

“No, we won’t do that. We will scope out the true identity of the opponent first. If they are as powerful as us, or better than us, then acting recklessly would be unwise.”

It made sense logically, but was hard to accept emotionally. Cocytus muttered:

“I. Understand. That. This. Is. Necessary. But. I. Find. It. Hard. To. Accept. This. On. An. Emotional. Level.”

“We need to investigate slowly and endure until the moment we discover the weakness of the enemy. When everything is ready, we will tear them to pieces. The sin of brainwashing Shalltear and forcing me to kill her is very heavy.”

Even if the other party was a player, Ainz didn’t feel for them at all. The only ones Ainz was concerned for were his past companions and the NPCs here. If anyone came to find trouble, he would teach them the terrible pain they would need to suffer for their foolishness.

“Repaying good with good and evil with evil. This is the norm of the world.”

A cruel smile appeared on Ainz’ face. He was feeling the exhilaration of the possibility of conducting more experiments if he captured a player. The experiment he didn’t carry out because it was too scary– death, would be the first test he would run.

“An. Eye. For. An. Eye. And. A. Tooth. For. A. Tooth. Right?”

“That’s true, but did you know? That saying also means that one shouldn’t go too far in seeking revenge. However, I intend to exact payback far beyond what they did to us.”

That’s what Punitto Moe would say, Ainz uttered in his heart.

“Ohhhh! As. Expected. Of. Ainz-sama. Excelling. In. Both. Might. And. Intellect.”

Without needing to turn his head, Ainz could feel the respect directed at him from his back.

“Is. Ainz-sama. Planning. To. Spend. The. Entire. Day. Inside. Nazarick?”

“No, after the bath, I will go through the work on hand and then return to E-Rantel. There are plenty of matters requiring my attention there too. What about you?”

“I. Will. Return. To. The. Guard. Post. Inside. Nazarick. For. The. Time. Being. The. Exploration. Of. The. Area. Surrounding. The. Lake. And. Other. Matters. That. Will. Benefit. Nazarick. Have. Almost. Been. Completed.”

“After you come back, the ones outside would be Demiurge, who is in charge of many projects, Sebas and Solution, who are gathering intel in the Royal Capital, Aura, who is constructing the base in the forest, as well as me and Narberal.”

“It. Is. Hard. To. Accept. The. Supreme. Being. Doing. Work. That. Should. Be. Done. By. Us–”

“Haha, just let this matter rest, Cocytus.”

“Please. Don’t. Say. That. Ainz-sama. Is. The. Ruler. Of. This. Place. Your. Word. Is. Law. Please. Ignore. My. Foolish. Rambling. Also—”

The air about them changed, making Ainz said “Ara?” Cocytus seemed a little depressed, but it was hard to tell– Ainz looked at him over his shoulder.

“If. Demiurge. And. Myself. Were. Truly. Excellent. There. Would. Be. No. Need. For. Ainz-sama. To. Venture. Outside. Correct? In. The. End. We. Are. Still. Too. Incompetent—”

“That isn’t true. All of you were created with a specific purpose in mind. That is why it is important for everyone to perform their assigned duties. To be honest, it is fine if you all couldn’t do anything else beyond that. Demiurge who is knowledgeable and intelligent is just too good, that’s all.”

Seeing that Cocytus was reluctant to agree, Ainz continued:

“Well then, you just need to increase the things you can do bit by bit. You should have learned plenty after subjugating the lizardmen village under our rule. Ruling the village will become the food for your knowledge from now on. Advance step by step like this, and you will be at Demiurge’s level one day.”

“Can. I. Really. Do. So?”

“I think it is possible.”

Ainz answered in a roundabout way.

“Demiurge is matchless in terms of intellect, to become a man who can rival him will be a tough road. However, I think that your efforts would not be in vain.”

The two of them continued walking in silence before Cocytus squeezed out his words out softly:

“My. Deepest. Gratitude. Ainz-sama.”

“I didn’t say anything that is worthy of your gratitude. Alright, Cocytus, we are almost at the bath. Let’s ease the atmosphere before Demiurge or Mare returns.”

“Yes!”

♦ ♦ ♦