Текст книги "Overlord - The Lizardmen Heroes"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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The sword easily cut Zenberu’s body—

Blood gushed from the body of the decapitated Zenberu and he collapsed onto the wetlands. Moments later, the head fell onto the ground.

“... Well then, two left… I heard about your strength from Ainz-sama, so you two really are the ones to make it to the very end.”

Cocytus, who had not moved a single step since the battle, looked at the remaining duo and swung his blade. White smog seemed to come out from the blade and the blood and gore on it were gone without a trace. The movement was so graceful it seemed capable of ridding the world of everything.

Zaryusu who had recovered enough to stand up and Shasuryu who drew the large sword on his back. The two of them faced Cocytus with a pincer formation. Zaryusu took some blood that was bleeding from his wound and paint it on his face.

It looked like war paint that was used to summon the ancestors to descend upon them.

“– Little brother, how’s your wounds?”

“Not good, my injuries are thumping dully. I can still swing my sword a few times though.”

“Is that so… That should do right? Actually, my mana is exhausted, I will collapse if I am not careful.”

Shasuryu grinded his teeth, he was probably laughing. Zaryusu’s expression changed when he heard that.

“... Is that so. You are pushing yourself too, older brother.”

Zaryusu exhaled gently with a smile and relaxed his shoulder. His sword bearing arm drooped down.

An intense pain hit him in the chest, but Zaryusu tried his best to ignore it.

Don’t ever give up hope until the very last moment– Zaryusu will keep wielding his sword.

From the very beginning, he knew there was no chance of winning.

Defeat was inevitable, but he couldn’t just give up.

Giving up would mean conning countless lizardmen of their lives, lying to them that they would be victorious. Since there were lizardmen who believed this liar, he will not accept defeat.

Giving his all til the very last moment—

“I can still swing my sword!”

Zaryusu’s roar echoed out loud.

The sound of Cocytus’ teeth protruding out of his mouth clanking shut could be heard.

“A nice roar—”

Cocytus was probably laughing. That wasn’t the sound of the powerful looking down on the weak, but that of a warrior acknowledging his equal.

“Very well, younger brother. Let’s fight til the very end.”

Shasuryu laughed too.

“Okay… My apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr Cocytus.”

Cocytus merely shrugged in response to Shasuryu’s words.

“Don’t worry. Interrupting the last farewells of two brothers would be very rude. Prepare to die… Ah, it looks like you already did, didn’t you?”

In the face of Zaryusu and Shasuryu who took a step forth, Cocytus swung his blade and said:

“State your names.”

“Shasuryu Shasha.”

“Zaryusu Shasha.”

“... I will remember them, remember you two warriors. I also have to apologize, I would normally fight with a weapon in each hand… I am not demeaning you, but you are not strong enough for me to do so.”

“Such a pity.”

“Absolutely right– Let’s go!”

The two sprinted at Cocytus, splashing the waters in the wetlands.

The slight difference in the duo's timing made Cocytus puzzled.

They won’t enter his attack range at the same time, Shasuryu was faster. Suspecting the enemy had a scheme in mind, Cocytus waited eagerly for their attack.

The first to get into range was Shasuryu and Cocytus kept a close eye on him, wondering what he will do.

Shasuryu stopped right outside the attack range of Cocytus sword—

“「Earth Bind」!”

– He cast a spell.

Numerous chains made from mud flew at Cocytus and Zaryusu used this chance to charge. To make it harder for his enemy to gauge his attack range, Zaryusu hid Frost Pain behind his back.

Shasuryu announcing that he had exhausted his mana had been just a trick to deceive Cocytus. If he fell for it, Cocytus might get constrained by the magical chains and be hit by Zaryusu who was attacking from behind.

No matter how hard Cocytus’ exoskeleton was, Zaryusu should be able to break through by throwing everything he had behind a stabbing attack. Zaryusu who abandoned all defences in favor of offense will definitely yield a powerful attack.

He seems very confident with his sword.

Cocytus emphatised with him. Just like him, Cocytus bore intense feelings for his weapons, especially the blade in his hand right now– He felt very strongly for this weapon that was used by his creator in the past. That’s why Cocytus was using Royal Blade God Slayer despite the disparity in fighting prowess as a show of his greatest respect.

However, they misjudged one thing. Their opponent right now was the Guardian of Nazarick’s fifth floor.

“... The spell cast by those with a level lower than mine won’t break through my defence.”

The mud chain bounced off before it could physically touch Cocytus, falling back into the wetlands like slabs of mud. Low tier magic couldn’t penetrate Cocytus’ magic defence.

“– 「Icy Burst」!”

With a roar that came from behind his back, Cocytus was covered by a white fog around him.

Futile effort.

Cocytus, who was completely immune to frost attacks, simply embraced the gentle freezing breeze as he waited for Zaryusu and Shasuryu to get into range.

One breath later, the moment he was waiting for came. But Cocytus hesitated slightly, wondering if cutting off their heads was enough to stop them.

When facing Zaryusu who had abandoned his defense, decapitating him might not halt his attack. The image of a headless body charging him appeared in Cocytus’ mind. If that was the case, he will take out the arms, then the head.

No, that is not a clean enough kill, I will finish him in one strike.

Zaryusu’s reckless charge was too slow for Cocytus.

The vaguely visible black figure– The sword swung out by Zaryusu, was pinched by Cocytus’ fingers like he did earlier.

Cocytus did not feel any frost from his fingers, Zaryusu probably knew it was useless against Cocytus and didn’t activate this ability.

The unexpectedly quick assault was blocked so easily by Cocytus, which made Cocytus doubtful. But the doubts only lingered for an instant, he could finish off his foe with a swing of his blade, there was no need to think further.

And then, there is only one more left.

So it was just a reckless assault...

Cocytus who felt disappointed was about to swing his sword when he changed his mind.

I see.

“Warrghhh!”

With a roar a giant sword cleaved through the icy smog. Shasuryu slashed through the fog strongly enough to disperse it.

Be it the ‘Earth Bind’, Zaryusu’s attack or ‘Icy Burst’, all these were just baits.

Cocytus needed to be wary of the stabbing attack from Frost Pain, but the threat of Shasuryu’s cleaving sword was greater. This must be the true intention of the enemy, but—

“If you want to perform a sneak attack– you have to do it silently.”

If they couldn’t cover their footsteps while running in water, it was not really a sneak attack. Cocytus was puzzled, was all of this worth the damage they took from the ‘Icy Burst’? Or are they just struggling in vain?

But it was a fact that an enemy was in his attack range.

Zaryusu's only weapon was immobile, rendering him helpless. This was just changing the order in which Cocytus would kill them. After coming to this conclusion, Cocytus wielded the blade in his hand.

One slash.

Shasuryu’s sword broke in two. Before Shasuryu’s body even hit the ground, Cocytus withdrew his blade, planning to follow through the attack into Zaryusu—

At this moment, Cocytus’ fingers pinching Zaryusu’s sword slipped.

The surprised Cocytus checked his fingers, wondering why the sword that he pinched was sliding forth.

In the misty fog, Cocytus could see that his fingers and the sword were covered in a red liquid.

In an instant, Cocytus understood why his fingers slipped.

– Blood?

Confusion.

Cocytus tried to think back where Zaryusu's sword could have been stained, and understood after seeing Zaryusu’s face through the fog.

The blood Zaryusu smeared on his face wasn’t war paint. It was used to smear his sword.

‘Icy Burst’ wasn’t meant to damage Cocytus or hide Shasuryu’s whereabouts, it was to hide the blood on the sword. That was the reason he had hidden the sword behind his back too.

When Cocytus stopped Zaryusu’s attack the first time, he used his fingers to pinch it. Zaryusu remembered that and bet on the slim chance it will happen again, setting up this scenario with all his wits. A surge of electricity seemed to jump through Cocytus’ brain.

It was back then! No wonder the attack felt so weak! That was the reason! The scheme of using blood to slip through won’t work every time. So he was misleading me, making me feel it was easy to pinch it, so he held back!

The sword slid in slowly, closing in on Cocytus’ pale blue body. Even Cocytus couldn’t stop the sword with Zaryusu’s body weight and might behind it with just two wet fingers.

If the place he pinched it was slightly further away, Cocytus might have been able to do something, but at this distance, there was nothing he could do.

Cocytus was so moved that he shivered.

It needed a bit of luck, but it was a bet that needed every single round to be won. Most importantly– this was not possible without Shasuryu.

Shasuryu probably didn’t know what Zaryusu’s plan was, but the older brother trusted his younger brother completely and sacrificed himself. The meaningless sneak attack and roar was all in the hope of diverting an instant of attention away from his younger brother.

And it was really just an instant.

In that brief moment in time– as Zaryusu was squeezing Frost Pain forth with all his might– the lower jaw of Cocytus moved.

“Amazing—”

The sword slashing at Cocytus– was deflected easily. The body with a faint blue glow did not even have a scratch on it.

This was the result of the power difference between the highest level NPC in Nazarick and the lizardmen.

“– Sorry to say, I possess special ability to temporarily nullify the attack of low tier weapons. If I activate this ability, your attacks will be meaningless.”

It was a splendid strike, even Cocytus felt it was worthy of leaving a mark on his body as a sign of respect to this warrior. However, he couldn’t do this as a Guardian fighting before the Supreme Being.

Cocytus intentionally took half a step back, splashing the mud which soiled his beautiful blue body.

It was just a tiny step back.

A step back didn’t mean anything, even moving back won’t affect anything. Zaryusu was doomed and Cocytus would definitely prevail.

But this step back was the show of praise from the dominatingly strong Cocytus towards the weak Zaryusu.

Zaryusu resigned to his fate, and had a clear smile only those who had done their best could show. Cocytus slashed the Royal Blade God Slayer towards him—

Part 3

“A splendid battle.”

Ainz praised Cocytus who knelt before him.

“Thank you.”

“That might be so, but I believe you understand clearly that we are showing them the whip now, but you need to show them the candy from now on. Do not start a reign of terror.”

“I understand.”

Ainz nodded and looked at the other Guardians in the room.

“Very well. Guardians, listen well. I already said in the throne room that the lizardmen village will be ruled by Cocytus. If there is anything Cocytus needs, do lend him your support. Cocytus, I hope you can engrave loyalty towards Nazarick deep into the hearts of the lizardmen… And to provide them with an elite education… I leave all these to you… Let me know if you need special items like ‘Heaven Feather’. I will also loan some ‘Power Suits’ to you in the meantime.”

In the game YGGDRASIL, it was possible to change race mid way, but it didn’t mean you could switch as you wish. You needed to fulfil several conditions and the change would be irreversible.

One of the conditions was a specific item. For example, you would need the ‘Book of the Dead’ to be a lich. To turn into an imp required ‘Fallen Seeds’. And the ‘Heaven’s Feather’ that Ainz mentioned was a required item to become an angel.

Changing one’s race might be possible in this world, that’s why Ainz couldn’t help sharing his ideas.

“I will seek your advice when the time comes, Ainz-sama. May I ask how you plan to deal with those lizardmen?”

“Which lizardman?”

“Yes, the two lizardmen named Zaryusu and Shasuryu.”

The two who fought til the very end. Their corpses should still be in the wetlands. But what of it?

“I see. Collect their corpses, I will use their bodies as material when I create undead with my special ability.”

“– That would be a pity.”

“Hmmm, what do you mean? Do they have such value?”

When Ainz watched the battle through the Mirror of Remote Viewing, he saw that Cocytus was absolutely dominating, there wasn’t anything else of note.

“... They were weak, but I could see their warrior spirit and fearless resolve in the face of the strong. It is a pity to use them as materials. I think they could become even stronger, maybe unbelievably so. Ainz-sama shouldn’t have done experiments related to resurrecting the dead yet, how about testing it out on them?”

… Does he like those lizardmen?

To be frank, Ainz didn’t know what to feel when he heard the term warrior spirit. He came across the term killing intent in novels and mangas, but didn’t think much of it. It was just like the time when Ainz had warned Narberal about these things, and she had said “Ah, yes, I see, oh~”, that kind of feeling. Similarly, the resonance among warriors was something Ainz didn’t understand.

This was because Ainz might look like this now, but he was originally just a normal salaryman. If a normal citizen born in Japan understood warrior spirit, that would be dangerous. If it was the spirit of an excellent salaryman, he might comprehend a little.

“I see… it is a waste indeed.”

But what Ainz was actually thinking baffledly was: Even if you say it is a pity, I don’t understand.

But thinking it through calmly, Cocytus had a point.

He was thinking about performing resurrection experiments somewhere, and Ainz felt using them to experiment had many benefits. And compared to the blattering Cocytus in the throne room, he now could provide clear and concise proposals. If this was a sign of improvement, Cocytus had passed with flying colours.

After thinking about it shortly, Ainz remembered he had excellent subordinates.

He recalled the subordinates standing around him silently in a manner befitting a servant.

“Albedo, tell me your opinions.”

“My thoughts are the same as Ainz-sama.”

“...Demiurge, what do you think?”

“I think Ainz-sama is the most correct.”

“... ...Shalltear, and you?”

“I think the same as Demiurge and await Ainz-sama’s judgement.”

“... ... ...Aura”

“Yes, I think the same way as everyone too.”

“... ... ... ...Mare.”

“Erm, erm erm, yes, I think the same too.”

Their answer was as good as not answering at all, giving Ainz a headache.

After thinking it through, Ainz came to a conclusion– Maybe from the standpoint of a Guardian, they didn’t think there was any major issue. Which also meant there wouldn't be major impact no matter what decision he made.

That was also dependent on the circumstances of the Guardian. There might be problems if their situation changes.

Simply put, when a small group of people say a hundred million is a small amount of money, there will be the problem of how trustworthy that statement was. This was the difference in the perception of values.

A waste of breath… well, I could think of it as being fine in resurrecting them right? I was planning to deliberate over it more, I have made too many mistakes recently.

With no other choice, Ainz had to weigh the pros and cons from his own standpoint.

“...We had decided to rule over the lizardmen, but do they have a suitable representative? Or a group that could represent them?”

“No, but they do have a suitable representative.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“The white lizardman that didn’t took part in the battle earlier. She seemed to possess the power of druids.”

“Oh, that one! Hmm, that could work…”

If it was her, she could be of use– Ainz thought. He could use her to spy on things.

However, implementing the idea Ainz had in mind might make Cocytus who will be ruling the lizardmen feel troubled. So what should he do? Ainz suddenly had a moment of brilliance.

…Wouldn’t it be faster to just ask? Although I didn’t get any useful answers just now...

Ainz shared his plans with Cocytus, and Cocytus expressed his acknowledgement.

It was hard to judge whether Cocytus said that to accommodate his master, but Demiurge and Albedo didn’t have strange reactions either when he glance at them. This made Ainz relaxed and assured him that it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Very good. How long will you need to bring her here?”

“Pardon my impudence, I thought Ainz-sama will ask for her, so I ordered her to wait in a room nearby.”

Ainz couldn’t help looking at Demiurge and saw him shaking his head.

Awesome, he handled it well, without any instructions and it didn’t seem to be someone else’s idea.

This must be how a superior feels when he sees his subordinate mature as he had hoped for, Ainz thought with a face of satisfaction. But his head was a skull so it didn’t really moved.

“No no, well done Cocytus. Wasting time is foolish, your judgement is on point. Alright then, bring her over.”

“Erm, please wait!”

“What is it, Aura?”

“I don’t think a shabby place like this is good enough. Even though we are hosting people who are submitting to us, it is too run down for Ainz-sama’s status. I feel that the meeting should be done in the throne room of Nazarick.”

All the other Guardians except Mare nodded gently in agreement.

“...My apologies. I miss out on this point, please forgive me!”

“Ahhh…”

Ainz never thought about that. He then thought about how to react. Suddenly, he remembered something. In that case—

“– Aura.”

“Yes!”

“I told you that this place you built– the place filled with your feelings and emotions, is as good as Nazarick right? I really mean it. Cocytus, bring her in. I will hold the audience here.”

“Ai-, Ainz-sama!”

“Aura, back down.”

“Albedo!”

Aura protested with her face red, saying “Why are you stopping me?” However, Albedo merely glance at Aura before ignoring her fixing her sight at the door. The one answering the emotional Aura was Demiurge.

“...Anything Ainz-sama says is the law. Since Ainz-sama said this place is as good as Nazarick– “

“—It must be true.”

Shalltear continued.

I don’t think my words are ironclad laws. Although I don’t want to be thought of like that… but just this one time, it is a big help.

“Aura, I will say this again. As my most trusted subordinates– one of the Guardians, this place you put in so much effort to build is on the same level as Nazarick. It is true even now when construction works are ongoing… Do you understand?”

“...Ainz-sama, thank you very much.”

Aura deeply lowered her head and the other Guardians did the same.

There is no need… to be so emotional… This is embarrassing.

“Well then, usher her in, Cocytus.”

“Yes!”

In a short moment, Cocytus brought a pure white lizardman into the room.

The lizardman knelt before Ainz and lowered her face to the ground.

“State your name.”

“Yes, Supreme Overlord of Death– Ainz Ooal Gown. I am the representative of the lizardmen, Crusch Lulu.”

What an incredible title. He was curious as to who came up with this title, but Ainz acted like a calm king and said.

“... Hmmm, well met.”

“Yes. Gown-sama, please accept the oath of fealty from us, the lizardmen.”

“Hmmm…”

Ainz watched Crusch closely.

The scales were pretty. They shone brightly under the illumination of the magical light. I wonder how they would feel like if I were to touch them., Ainz was academically curious.

As he stared closely, he realized Crusch’s shoulders were trembling. Cocytus should have deactivated his freeze aura ability, so it must be due to some other reason.

Ainz pondered shortly and found the answer, it was obvious.

If she made Ainz unhappy, all the lizardmen would be massacred. That was why she was so careful in her speech. For Crusch who was under such crushing pressure, Ainz unnatural silence planted a seed of terror.

Ainz didn’t have the hobby of taking pleasure in bullying the weak. If it was for the good of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he was willing to do anything no matter how cruel it was, but he won’t perform such destructive actions needlessly.

“The lizardmen will be under my rule. However, Cocytus will be the one ruling in my place. Any objections?”

“– None.”

“That is all. You may leave.”

“Eh? Is that all?”

Crusch said in a surprised voice while she remained bowing. Like a person who was entrusted with unreasonable request who might go insane at any moment.

“For now. Crusch Lulu. Your lizardmen will be ushering an era of prosperity now. Future generations of lizardmen will be thankful for being my subjects.”

“We dare not, we are already thankful to the Supreme Being for granting us mercy even after we resisted with violence.”

Ainz got up from the throne slowly. He walked to Crusch’s side, squatted down and place his hand on Crusch’s shoulder.

Ainz could feel a tremor coming from Crusch’s body.

“I have a special task for you.”

“As Gown-sama’s faithful servant, I will do anything I can…”

“Not as a servant, I want you to do something for me– in exchange for Zaryusu’s resurrection.”

After speaking the name he heard from Cocytus, Crusch lifted her head immediately, her face twisted from shock.

Gleeful from this ‘jackpot’, Ainz continued observing Crusch. She was probably trying to hide it, but her expression was wavering. It was hard to judge as her emotions as her facial expression was very different from humans, but it should shed some clue.

“Something like that…”

“I am the one who controls life and death. To me, death is but a state of being.”

When he heard Crusch’s voice that was tapering off, Ainz answered.

“It is the same for poison and sickness, but I can’t extend the lifespan of mortals.”

It might be impossible through normal means, but with the Super-tier magic ‘Wish upon a Star’, it probably could be done… Although it might be possible, it was better not to sound it out loud.

“... What do you wish of me, your humble slave?... My body?”

Ainz was speechless.

“No, that’s a bit…”

A reptile was a bit too much. Ainz wanted to back away immediately, but he pushed himself to play his role. As for the sound of teeth grinding that came from somewhere, he would just ignore it for now.

“Cough cough! No. It’s simple, I want you to keep a close watch on whether there are ‘lizardmen thinking of rebelling’.”

“There are no such lizardmen.”

Ainz laughed at Crusch’s confident reply.

“I am not dumb enough to assume that. I am not familiar with how lizardmen think, but using the race of humans as example, betrayal is common. That is why I want an agent on the inside to watch over things.”

Crusch turned expressionless again, making Ainz panic on the inside, wondering whether the deal was a failure. There was a backup plan not involving the resurrection of Zaryusu, but doing so had the goal of binding Crusch with gratitude. What should he do if she rejects him here?

I shouldn’t be too greedy and go for broke… That must be what they mean by no use crying over spilled milk.

“... Before you lies the chance for a miracle. But this chance won’t be here forever. If you don’t grab it immediately, it will be gone forever.”

With a shiver, Crusch’s expression moved like a cramp.

“I am not going to use irritating rituals. Resurrection spells exist in this world right? That is what I am going to use.”

“That is the legendary…”

Facing Crusch who swallowed her words back, Ainz adopted an arrogant attitude and gently said.

“Crusch. What is the most important thing for you? I want you to consider.”

As Ainz observe Crusch’s eyes starting to waver, he seemed to be seeing the illusion of scoring a client in a business meeting.

Next, Ainz had to let Crusch understand this miracle was not a free service. Providing free service will make others suspicious, but they will be more receptive of it with a request for adequate amount of money.

“I just need you to watch your fellow lizardmen in the dark. Depending on the circumstances, you might need to make hard choices. To prevent a betrayal, I will cast a special magic on the resurrected Zaryusu. If I think you have betrayed me, I will end him immediately. It must be troubling for you, but the resurrection of Zaryusu is not something you can get in a fair deal, right?”

Actually, there is no such magic.

Ainz acted as if he had said everything and stood up slowly. He then opened his arms.

Ainz looked at the struggling Crusch.

“Oh, right, tell the resurrected Zaryusu this in my place. I revived him because he is of use to me. I promise not to mention your name. So, Crusch Lulu. Choose now. This is the last chance for you to get your beloved Zaryusu back. What say you? Yes? Or no? Choose.”

Ainz reached a hand out to Crusch slowly. At the same time, he said to the Guardians.

“Do not do anything even if she rejects– Alright, ready to answer now? Crusch Lulu?”

Epilogue

Translator: Ferro

Editors/Proofreaders: JcqC, Skythewood, Namorax

Zaryusu felt a gentle sensation covering his entire body. A hand which wanted to pull him out from the abyss, but Zaryusu brushed it aside. He felt something disgusting from the touch of that hand

After a period of time between an instant and eternity, he felt the hand stretch out towards him once again. Just as he was about to brush it aside for a second time, he hesitated. Listening closely, he could hear a voice coming from that side. As it turned out, this rude awakening was the voice of the female he so deeply loved.

Hesitation.

Hesitation.

Still hesitation.

In this world where it was uncertain if time existed at all, Zaryusu kept on hesitating. Eventually, he seized the hand despite being very reluctant to do so.

And he was then pulled into a world of clear.

Fatigue permeated through his entire body.

As if his insides had turned into paste.

Then he felt abnormally tired. He had never felt this tired even after overexerting himself physically.

Zaryusu struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

Blinding light entered his eyes. Although lizardmen eyes would automatically adjust to light intensity, it could not do so instantaneously. Zaryusu blinked his eyes—

“Zaryusu!”

Someone was hugging him tight.

“C-Crusch?”

There should be no way he would ever hear this again, this female’s voice.

Zaryusu finally adjusted his eyes, and saw the female that was hugging him.

That was indeed his beloved female, Crusch Lulu.

Why? What was going on?

A flood of questions and unease rushed towards Zaryusu. His last memory was– the moment his head had dropped into the wetlands. He had most definitely been killed by Cocytus.

Then why was he still alive? Unless—

“—Was Crusch killed too?”

“Eh?”

Zaryusu opened his mouth to ask, yet his mouth seemed numb, unable to move properly.

What gave him his answer was the look of very confused expression on Crusch’s face. Seeing that expression, Zaryusu was a little relieved, knowing that Crusch was not dead. Then why was he still alive?

A hint was given to him by a voice to his side.

“Well. There is some confusion after resurrection. It seems his level also dropped… thus it can be determined that there is not much difference from YGGDRASIL.”

Realizing who was speaking to him, Zaryusu looked with surprise at that direction.

The one who stood there was the king of death; the magic caster who possessed incomprehensible power.

In his hand he held a glowing short stick of about thirty centimetres in length, it emitted a sacred aura that appeared out of place in the hand of the Overlord of death. It was an extremely beautiful item which seemed to be made out of ivory, with the front end coated in gold and the handle inscribed with runes.

Although Zaryusu did not know, it was a resurrection wand, the item which revived Zaryusu. Only faith based magic caster could use items imbued with faith based magic. However, this magic item was an exception to this faith based system and could be used.

Zaryusu slowly turned his gaze, and recognised this place as the lizardman village.

As if they were intending to surround the entire place, all the lizardmen were prostrating. Even more shocking was that they were motionless– that posture was one of worship towards an extremely powerful being.

“What is happening…”

After witnessing such power, prostrating was only natural. However, the surrounding lizardmen were not just showing respect, but something more. Lizardmen did not have gods. Strictly speaking, their objects of faith were their ancestral spirits. The feeling given off right now by the surrounding lizardmen was like that of a reverence towards a god.

“Hm. Step down, lizardmen. Without instructions, nobody is permitted to enter the village.”

Nobody objected to these words. More than that, it was accepted without a sound being made. The only sounds which were heard were of bodies getting up and the splashes by walking along the wetlands. Leaving them behind, the lizardmen departed from the clearing.

Seeing as he was so powerful that he had such a degree of strength, their wills should have been completely defeated. The lizardmen culture of submitting to the strong played a part as well. This meant that everything was developing according to the other side’s script.

“Aura, are all of them gone?”

“Yes, they are.”

The one who replied was the dark elf girl. Although there was also the factor that she had been behind him, out of sight all along, the girl surprisingly gave off no presence, therefore Zaryusu had not detected her at all.

“I see. Then first, a few words for you, Zaryusu Shasha. Congratulations on your resurrection.”

Resurrection.

Until he registered the meaning of this word, Zaryusu required a little time. Then after he understood it, he also felt a shudder throughout his body.

Resurrection– which meant that he was alive again.

He was speechless and could only gasp.

“What is it? Do lizardmen have some particular aversion to resurrection? Or have you forgotten how to speak?”