“I know of a place that is similar: the empire’s arena.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, yes.” Roberdyck voiced his agreement.
Hekkeran and Imina didn’t say anything, but they also agreed. This corridor definitely looked like the one they’d taken from the waiting room to the arena when they’d fought there.
“So there must be an arena over there.” Roberdyck pointed at the barred gate.
“Probably. And since we got teleported here, it must mean…” Enter the arena. Not that he had any idea what was waiting for them there.
“We’re in danger. Long-distance teleportation is said to be tier-five magic. A caster so powerful they can set a trap using magic at that level? I’ve only heard of people like that in fairy tales. Someone with unbelievable magic skills created these ruins. We shouldn’t accept their invitation. I suggest we go in the opposite direction.”
“But if they’re inviting us, couldn’t we try talking to them? I mean, if we disobey, won’t they just get mad and think, Screw these guys?”
“Both ways are dangerous. What do you think, Roberdyck?”
“I agree with both of you, but I do wonder about something Arché said. Did the one inhabiting this tomb really lay the trap? Perhaps he’s simply making good use of something a third party he never met created.”
They all looked at one another and sighed. Standing here debating wouldn’t get them anywhere. They didn’t have enough information, and they weren’t agreeing, but they had to come up with a conclusion.
“Rober is right. These ruins might be five hundred years old!”
“Yeah. Supposedly magic was more advanced back then.”
“You mean the country that conquered the continent but fell almost immediately and only its capital remains? That story?”
“The Eight Kings of Avarice… They’re the ones said to have spread magic throughout the world. If these ruins are from that era…”
“…I see. Then I vote we enter the arena. If he sent us here with a trap, he probably wouldn’t let us get away anyhow.”
At these remarks from Roberdyck, the other three nodded, resolute, and the party set off.
When they approached the barred gate, it lifted swiftly, as if it had been waiting for them. When they passed through it, the scene greeting them was a large open space surrounded by multiple levels of spectator seating.
This arena was no less impressive than the empire’s. In fact, the architecture might have been superior, and the whole area was illuminated with white Continual Light. They could see everything as if it were midday.
Their surprise peaked when they saw the spectator seating.
Innumerable lumps of dirt—figures called golems—were sitting there.
Golems were inorganic life-forms created via magic who faithfully took and carried out orders from their master. Since they didn’t need food or sleep, didn’t get tired, and didn’t age, they were extremely useful as gatekeepers, guards, and laborers. Even weak ones fetched quite a price because of how much time, effort, and money went into making them.
Hekkeran and his team charged quite a lot for their services, but even they would have trouble affording one.
Golems were that expensive, and yet this arena was practically overflowing with them.
Hekkeran took it as a sign of how wealthy the owner of the place was, as well as how lonely.
The group exchanged glances, as they had a number of times since being transported to this place, and advanced into the center of the silent arena.
“We’re outside?”
In response to Imina’s voice, the others looked up. What they saw was the night sky. The lights in the area were so bright they couldn’t make out the stars, but it was still undoubtedly the sky.
“So we got teleported outside?”
“Then if we use Fly we can es—!”
“Yaaa!”
With a shout that interrupted Arché, a figure jumped from a terrace that must have been VIP seating.
That was the equivalent of six stories up, but the figure flipped in midair and made a featherlight landing. It wasn’t due to magic but was simply great physical technique. It was such a perfectly executed movement that even the thief Imina gasped.
Having absorbed the full shock of the landing by just bending its legs, the figure flashed a proud grin.
It was a dark elf boy who had jumped down. His long ears, poking out from his silky golden hair, twitched, and a smile, radiant like the sun, spread across his face.
He wore fitted, dark-red dragon scale light armor, top and bottom, over a layer of basic leather protective gear. On top of that he sported a white vest with golden threading, featuring some kind of crest on the chest.
Imina yelped when she saw that the color of his eyes didn’t match. “Y—”
“And our challengers have enterrrrred!”
He spoke into some kind of rod he was holding, and his voice, which hadn’t changed yet, was amplified to multiple times its natural volume and echoed.
A thunderous pounding noise shook the arena.
When the workers looked around, the golems, who hadn’t budged until now, were all stomping their feet.
“The challengers are four fearless fools who have invaded the Great Tomb of Nazarick! Facing them is the ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the most supreme of supremes, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown!”
The barred gate on the opposite side rose. The one who emerged from the dimly lit corridor was, in a word, a skeleton.
The vacant eye sockets of his bleached white skull glowed with red flames.
His clothing was gown-like with a cord around his waist; he was unbelievably thin since his body had no flesh. The reason he wasn’t carrying any weapons must have been that he was a caster.
“What’s this? His second is the captain of us guardians, Albedo!”
All the members of Foresight gasped when they saw the woman who followed behind the skeleton.
Hers was a beauty which surpassed even Raven Black’s Beautiful Princess. If she seemed too gorgeous to be human, it was true—horns curled forward from either side of her head and black wings sprouted from her hips. They seemed too real to be fake.
With the pair’s entrance, the arena-shaking foot stomping changed to clapping. It was a display of joy appropriate for welcoming a king.
Bathed in the thunder of the golems’ unending applause, the pair moved step-by-step toward Foresight.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Arché. “This is all my fault.”
The battle that was about to begin would probably be the most intense the team had ever faced—so intense someone could die. She must have been convinced that she’d driven them into it, that if her situation wasn’t what it was, they might not have taken this job and come to this tomb so underinformed.
But—
“No, no, what are you talking about, little lady?”
“Yeah. We all decided to take this job together. It’s not your fault. Even if we didn’t know about your situation, we probably would have taken it, you know.”
“Yep. So don’t worry about it.”
Hekkeran and Roberdyck smiled at her, and then Imina ruffled her hair.
“Okay, I imagine it’s impossible, but how about we try talking to them first? Arché, do you know what kind of undead that is?”
“I sense it’s intelligent, so probably some kind of elite skeleton?”
The bony figure in the lead waved his hand as if he were shooing something away.
Sound vanished. The golems stopped moving at once, and a silence so deep it hurt their ears descended on the arena.
Hekkeran turned to Ainz, who was steadily approaching them, and bowed with sincere politeness. “First, allow us to apologize, Sir Ainz Ooal…”
“…Ainz Ooal Gown.”
“Excuse me—Sir Ainz Ooal Gown.”
Ainz halted and gestured with his chin as if he was waiting for him to continue.
“We’re sorry for enterin
g your tomb without permission. If you’ll forgive us, we’d like to pay whatever sum is appropriate as reparations.”
It was silent for a time. Then Ainz emitted a sigh. Of course, as an undead, he didn’t need to breathe. Surely, he’d done it to convey his attitude.
“If you find maggots in some food you had sitting in your house, are you guys the type to take them outside and release them instead of killing them?”
“Humans are different from maggots!”
“No, they’re not. Not to me. Actually, humans might be worse. I don’t think the flies that spawned the maggots are so bad, but you’re different. You were brought here by force, with no urgent reason, only to appease your stupid desire for money, and raided this tomb—even though there might have been someone in it—to steal its treasures.” He laughed. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not blaming you. That the strong should take from the weak is only natural. I do it, too, so I don’t count myself as an exception. It’s precisely because I’d be robbed if someone stronger came along that I’m on my guard… Anyhow, I’m chatting too much. According to the simple law that the weak are meat the strong shall eat, I’m going to take something from you.”
“But we actually do have an urgent—”
“No!” He interrupted Hekkeran in a forceful tone. “Do not offend me with your fabrications. Now, compensate for your foolishness with your lives.”
“What if we had permission?”
Ainz froze. Without a doubt, he was severely shaken. Inwardly, Hekkeran was surprised that his casual remark had such an effect on him, but he didn’t show it on his face. Just when he’d thought it was all over, a ray of hope had appeared. He had to capitalize on it.
“…Nonsense,” Ainz said in a tiny voice. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. A total bluff. I think you’ve caused me enough displeasure!”
His disturbance spread through the room, and the dark elf boy began to look puzzled. When Hekkeran eyed the last of their opponents, goose bumps rose over his entire body.
The beautiful woman behind Ainz still wore her kind smile, but she was emitting enough killing intent to draw a slick of sweat out of his forehead.
“And if it were true…?”
“…No…no…it’s a bluff. Most definitely not true. You’re just sacrifices wriggling in the palm of my hand.” Ainz shook his head and pierced Hekkeran with his gaze. “But I…just in case, I’ll ask: Who gave you permission?”
“You mean you don’t know him?”
“Him…?”
“He didn’t tell me his name, but he was quite a sizable monster.”
“Sizable? That’s…”
Hekkeran desperately tried to think what the goal of this tightrope walking should be. Ainz was obviously trapped. That’s why he wasn’t asking questions. If he asked, the truth or falsehood of the claim would be revealed.
He’s acting just like a human, thought Hekkeran. It didn’t seem like the type of reaction a monster would have—it was cowardly. But this worked in his favor.
“Tell me, what did he look like, then?”
“…He was shiny.”
“Shiny…?”
Ainz seemed caught in another whirlpool of thought, and Hekkeran breathed an internal sigh of relief that he’d escaped another dangerous juncture. He made subtle movements with his fingers to tell his teammates to look around—for an escape route. Their opponents probably wouldn’t kill them until they confirmed his claims as true or false. They’d have to come up with something during that time.
“What did he say?”
We have to watch out for charm or mind control spells…
“Before I tell you, please guarantee our safety.”
“What? If you really received permission from one of my friends, I promise you’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about that.”
A new word—friends.
Hekkeran put the information he’d gathered together in his head. What would be useful in negotiations and pulling information out of Ainz Ooal Gown was that he had friends but didn’t currently have a way to contact them.
Figure out what information one’s opponent is after and pretend to give it to them. That is the way of the con artist.
“…What is it? Why aren’t you saying anything? Tell me what the monster you met said.”
So far his tightrope walking had been a success. Then on to the next line. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants.
“He said, ‘Say hi to Ainz in the Great Tomb of Nazarick for me.’”
“…‘Ainz’?”
He froze. Did I do something wrong? Hekkeran’s expression tensed up.
“He said to say hi to Ainz, did he?”
Hekkeran braced himself. He’d already taken his chances.
“Yes.”
“Kwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Ainz cackled at Hekkeran’s answer. It wasn’t a good-natured laugh but a throaty, fiery one.
“Haaa… Well, that makes sense. If I take a moment to think about it, your story was all over the place.” Ainz didn’t make a move, just fixed his eyes on Hekkeran and his team. The crimson flames in his orbits gradually changed to a dark sparkle. It was a gaze accompanied by a physical pressure, and the workers backed up a step.
The gaze contained fury.
“You, you gaaaarbage! You came in here! In the place that I! That I and my friends built! With your dirty fucking feeeeet!” Unable to rein in his wild anger, he was suddenly speechless. His shoulders heaved as if he were taking deep breaths, and then he raged on. “And on top of that! You tried to use my friends, my most precious friends! You little shiiiits! You think I can let that stand?!” he shouted violently.
His anger seemed infinite. But all of a sudden, he calmed down.
The change happened so quickly it was as if something had snapped in half. It was enough that Hekkeran and his teammates felt strange.
“—is the kind of stuff I say when I fly off the handle, but you didn’t do anything so bad. You were probably just desperate and told a lie to survive. Honestly, the anger that is smoldering within me even now is just…self-centered… Albedo, Aura, and any guardians who can hear my voice, plug your ears.”
The peerless beauty and the dark elf boy both plugged their ears. The boy stuck his fingers in, and the lady cutely covered hers. They meant to show him, We aren’t listening to what you’re about to say.
“I never liked this plan. I didn’t want to invite dirty thieves to the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Still, I understood that it was the best way, so I agreed to it.” Ainz shook his head in frustration. “Well, whatever. I’m done complaining. I was going to show you some mercy and kill you as warriors, but I changed my mind. I’ll handle you like the dirty thieves you are.” He spoke as if he was talking about something unrelated to any of them and then cast off his robe.
Beneath it, naturally, was a body consisting solely of bones. An ominous dark-red jewel floated inside his ribs. Besides that, his pants, and his greaves, he didn’t have anything equipped. No, he also had a collar on. The chains, not attached to anything, hung loosely.
“Whoo!” A strange shout went up overhead.
When they looked up, a girlish figure with silver hair was leaning out of the VIP section. Hands in some kind of blue gauntlets immediately yanked her back, though.
“…What is she doing?”
“I’ll scold her later.”
The annoyed voice brought their attention back to Ainz, who now had a black blade in one hand and a black round shield in the other.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get this started.”
He had put a little more distance between his feet. Now he was in a battle stance.
“Albedo, Aura, you can unplug your ears now.”
The two whose names were called replied in unison and removed their hands from their ears.
“I’m in a very bad mood. I didn’t think they’d be like this. I’m going to fight them right up to the moment before they die. The rest I’m leaving to you.
Okay, let’s get started.”
Ainz may have been equipped with a sword and shield, but the first thing Hekkeran thought when he faced him was that he wasn’t a warrior or swordsman. In fact, he seemed most like a magical beast who would come at them with superior physical ability.
It stemmed from his casual way of standing, his careless stance. Basically, he seemed like an amateur. But he was an immense power, heavy, pressing in on them. His human-size build seemed to swell and weigh down on them.
The most terrifying thing about having made an enemy like that was if they attacked in a relentless chain.
“You’re not coming at me? Then here I go.”
Ainz charged at the same time he asked.
His speed was shocking, such that the distance between them became zero in an instant.
Next, he brought his sword down from high overhead.
It was an attack that had destructive power but should have been full of holes. When someone with physical ability on another level unleashed it, however, it turned into a one-hit kill.
It’s too dangerous to take this, Hekkeran concluded instantaneously, sensing the sword’s rapid approach.
If he blocked it, he’d have to face that destructive power head-on. And in that case, the gap in their physical abilities would surely result in his being cut.
Then he only had one choice—
With a nasty grinding noise, the sword Ainz had swung drove into the ground.
—parry.
Normally a parry would throw one’s opponent off-balance and create an opportunity to counterattack, but Ainz wasn’t fazed. He resumed his earlier posture with footwork that seemed to indicate he’d known ahead of time what would happen.
Hekkeran realized he’d been wrong about something.
These weren’t the movements of someone who was relying on physical ability alone but of someone who understood how warriors move.
Crap! I was underestimating him! But all I can do now is attack!
Twin swords flashed and angled toward Ainz’s head. Really, when fighting a skeleton like Ainz, crushing weapons would deal more damage and give the advantage, but Hekkeran was better with cutting weapons and wasn’t terribly confident with crushing ones, actually.
What he needed to do in this battle was continue dealing damage, even a little bit at a time, not use big moves hoping for lots of damage when he wasn’t sure if they would land or not.
The Invaders of the Great Tomb Page 21
