“Huh?” He didn’t understand what he had just been told. “S-sorry. I don’t think I heard you properly. Do you mind saying that again?”
“An apology is no longer necessary. You may go. I’m going to be a bit busy now anyway.” Ainz waggishly shrugged.
Jircniv had no idea what was going on.
Didn’t he have some other reason for summoning them in addition to making them apologize? Then wasn’t it strange of him to forgive them so simply?
His conduct was too inconsistent.
Wait! What did he say?
“Excuse me, but what do you mean you’ll be busy?”
“Thanks to you, I learned that even if I live here minding my own business, there will be trouble. So I figure I’ll go aboveground and crush the trouble before it comes to me.”
“Wh-what does that mean?”
“First, those who have harmed us will pay. Then the annoying ones. Everyone who needs to be dealt with until my beloved tranquility returns.”
The babbling of a maniac.
No. He wasn’t insane. Considering Ainz Ooal Gown’s ability, military power, and fortune, it wasn’t mere rambling. Jircniv simply hadn’t been able to accept it because the sphere of his common sense was so limited.
Ainz Ooal Gown was capable of those things.
Jircniv’s skin crawled, the sensation working its way up from his toes—
The Great Tomb of Nazarick…
—because a monster who had been holed up in a quiet place had decided to throw open his gates and stalk across the land.
Is that why he called me here? To declare war?! What’s the best course of action? He’s basically saying that he’ll be an enemy to the empire in the future. Should I submit to him now?
He honestly began to think that was the wisest decision.
But he didn’t think a country under the rule of a monster could be very happy. If he wasn’t careful, all the empire’s people would be turned into death knights. That was surely a fate worse than simply dying.
Jircniv thought harder than he had ever before. Really, he would have liked to take the issue home and discuss it with dozens of wise men before charting a policy. But that would take too long. Instead, he refreshed his smile and spoke.
“How about it? Would you like to form an alliance?”
“Don’t you mean you wish to submi—? Urgh!”
A bell-like tone had sounded and then a creaking noise. The silver-haired girl grimaced slightly while the close-by Aura seemed irked.
Jircniv’s vision wasn’t good enough to catch what had happened, but apparently Aura had kicked the silver-haired girl.
“…You’re always—”
“Enough. Silence.”
Ainz waved his hand with the majesty of a demon lord.
The motion indicated that it had been acquired as the result of living a long time as a ruler.
Jircniv was more alarmed than ever.
I guess he’s been a ruler in this land for quite some time… That would explain why his demeanor is so impressive…
The two girls’ voices overlapped as they expressed their regret for their foolishness.
The arrogance that Aura displayed when she came to his palace was nowhere to be found. Having seen once again what a tight rein Ainz kept on his followers, Jircniv steeled his resolve and forged ahead.
This is it.
He licked his dry lips.
Jircniv readied the plan that seemed the best out of all those he had thought up in this short time.
“You will turn this land into your country and rule it as king. I think it’s a splendid idea and a fitting position for you, Sir Gown. And we in the empire would like to back you as much as we can and help you build your nation. What do you say?”
Ainz’s fleshless, skinless face didn’t move at all. But Jircniv had the feeling the flames in his eyes burned brighter.
“…Sir Jircniv. I don’t see anything in that for you, but…?”
It was an utterly natural and therefore anticipated question. So Jircniv did his very best act in reply. “I hope for the empire to maintain a friendly relationship with the country you will rule. I’m looking ahead, you see.”
“Aha. Then that sounds good.”
Jircniv was shocked to receive such nonchalant agreement. It was like his blow had been dodged. He never imagined the discussion would go so smoothly.
For one thing…
Why doesn’t he demand our subordination? Why does he just accept my proposal when he holds such absolute power while occupying an overwhelmingly superior position?
Jircniv had been considering an innumerable number of potential steps he could take if that demand were to come. But he hadn’t anticipated the reply he actually got.
What is he after?
Jircniv couldn’t read Ainz Ooal Gown.
When fighting a powerful adversary, the weaker party’s strategy naturally becomes a search for a way to undermine the stronger one. It could also be called the technique of using an opponent’s arrogance against them. But if the opponent wasn’t proud, that method was useless. The weakling’s only means of fighting lost all meaning.
Ainz was precisely that type of person. He did nothing that resembled a strong man’s arrogance.
No…
This must all be part of his plan, too. It’s definitely plausible. His reply came so fast. I must be taking the actions he had in mind, then.
It hit him that the horror of Ainz lay not only in the power he possessed but also in his wisdom.
“O-oh. Great. Th-then if there’s something you wish of us right away, would you let me know?”
“I can’t think of anything at the moment. But I would like to establish a way to contact you, perhaps by leaving a representative somewhere with you.”
If this was all according to Ainz’s plan, there was no way he didn’t have anything in mind. So was it just a coincidence?
Well, no, that in itself could be a bluff. Maybe he thought if he jumped at it, his intentions would be an open book. This monster’s got a head on his shoulders. No—it’s because he’s a monster that he has an extraordinary mind.
“Aah, that’s a good idea. I’m quite stupid for not thinking of that myself. I’d expect nothing less of you, Sir Gown.”
“…Mm.”
He’s not into flattery, then. Hearing the indifferent response, Jircniv made a mental note.
“All right, I shall be taking my leave, but I’ll have my secretary stay here. Could I have you work out the details with him…? Reaunet Vermilion!”
“Sir! I shall pour my entire being into this work!”
Jircniv couldn’t see Reaunet’s expression, since he was in front of him, but he could sense the resolve in his voice. This meeting could determine the fate of the empire. If it wasn’t imperative to return to the empire at once and form an Ainz Ooal Gown task force, he would have liked to stay himself.
“That’s a good answer. I can sense how loyal you are to your emperor. For my part, I’ll have Demiurge do the talking. He was impertinent earlier, but you’ve forgiven that, so I’ll leave the details up to him.”
After silently sizing up the bowing frog-faced monster in the corner of his vision, Jircniv had a hunch he was going to lose one of his brilliant subordinates. As such, he had to work extremely hard not to let his eyes blaze in hatred as he gazed at Ainz Ooal Gown.
So he’s already made his first move!
The frog monster, Demiurge, could manipulate people with his voice. He would definitely use that to turn Reaunet into a puppet. So he wants to extract sensitive imperial intelligence?
This isn’t how you deal with an ally. But it’s awfully sly of him to tell us his plan. Demiurge…doesn’t seem terribly smart. Is he having him do this mentally demanding work so he can make excuses when his subordinate takes matters into his own hands and spies on the empire? Ainz Ooal Gown is one surprise after another, the bastard!
Stringing together curses in his head, he w
as still impressed.
Ainz had probably arranged for that slipup earlier so Jircniv wouldn’t be able to say he didn’t see that sort of thing coming. If Jircniv had an issue with this setup, he needed to say so now. If he let this chance go by, it was possible he would be accused of giving tacit permission.
He moved to speak, but Ainz was faster.
“Demiurge is my trusted aide. If the two of them talk, I’m sure it will go well.”
“Oh, good.” Jircniv forced himself to smile.
He had never met someone who so fully embodied the phrase never misses a chance. The statement had carried such weight, there was nothing else Jircniv could say in response.
But he saw how naive he was when Ainz continued.
“Now then, unlike before, you’re an ally, Jircniv. I couldn’t bear to just send you off like this. You’ve come all this way, so how would you like to spend the night? I’ll take good care of you!”
He wants to trap all of us, not just Reaunet?!
Or maybe he had something even worse in store. There had to be some reason he was suggesting they stay over. The knowing smile hideously warping Demiurge’s face felt like utter disaster.
“No, no, that won’t be necessary. I’ve got a lot of preparations to make, so I must get back.”
“Oh? That’s too bad. Then would you like me—or rather, one of my servants—to give you a lift?”
The thought of himself riding a dragon made him a bit curious about Ainz’s offer, but he cleared it from his mind. There was no way it would end with just that, and he didn’t want to be creating debts, either.
“I thank you for your kind offer, but we did come by carriage. I think we’ll stick with that.”
“A headless undead horse could drive you without rest…”
“…I’m touched, but no thanks.”
“If you say so.”
Was the hint of disappointment he heard an act? Or was it genuine? Jircniv couldn’t tell. Of course, there was a good possibility it was an act.
In any case, at this uncertain stage, he wanted to avoid announcing the fact that the empire had formed an alliance with this undead creature Ainz.
Even if he put aside the knight-order priests he had brought with him, Jircniv had no idea how the influential shrine priests would react if he came home riding an undead horse that was filled with hatred for all living things.
“Okay, I’ll be going now.”
“Then, Demiurge, see our guests out.”
“Th-that won’t be necessary… You have these beautiful maids; perhaps we could ask them? I’ve never seen such lovely ladies.”
Ainz cocked his head, seeming perplexed.
How annoying…
Jircniv desperately suppressed the fury beneath his faint smile.
Ainz was clearly doing this to be disagreeable because he could tell the humans were wary of Demiurge. He had no intention of building friendly relations with the empire. Surely Ainz’s aim was to wordlessly teach him how this hierarchy would work.
How evil… This was a crisis for the human race!
“Oh, thank you. Then tell the maids standing by outside. This is a great day, the birth of our alliance. I’d like to make it a holiday.”
You mean like Slave Day?! Without expressing so much as a squeak of his internal scream externally, Jircniv smiled at Ainz. “Indeed. Yes, indeed.”
4
The meeting had ended, and the guardians—Albedo, Demiurge, Aura, Mare, Cocytus, and Shalltear—plus Sebas were in Ainz’s quarters.
Ainz told them to rise from their prostrate positions.
He put his elbows on the desk and folded his hands together, concealing half his face behind them.
The stomach he supposedly didn’t have pained him. Here it comes. That’s how he felt when he looked over at Demiurge and Albedo.
He couldn’t sense any anger. And no one seemed disgusted.
But who could prove those weren’t poker faces? No, as he looked around with that thought in mind, their expressions began to stiffen in anger.
I wanna run away. Why am I sitting here…? No, it’s too late. Once the milk is spilled, you can’t put it back in the jug. Prepare yourself, Ainz Ooal Gown!
The sensation like stomach cramps eased a bit, but he still felt something like nausea.
When he heard the emperor had come to Nazarick as scheduled, he asked Demiurge in a roundabout way what he should do, but the response was simply, “Everything is going according to plan, so you can just proceed as you have been.”
I don’t know what that plan is!
There was no way he could say that.
As the absolute ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, he had to live up to the expectations of the children, the NPCs. It was all he could do to put on a dauntless king’s smile and say, “I see.”
Ainz took Demiurge’s suggestions and ran around without really knowing what was going on.
So the only way he could go into the meeting with Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix was to think, Que será, será. But let’s just say it: He didn’t feel he had negotiated properly.
Ainz looked over at them again, awaiting his score.
This is just like a job interview.
He had done any number of interviews when he joined adult society, and they had all been accompanied by this sort of nervousness.
“So the emperor has moved according to expectations.”
Here Ainz paused for a breath, but just as he was about to continue, someone interrupted.
“Lord Ainz. I beg your pardon, but may I ask a question? Why did you give that human emperor supporter status? Why not simply conquer the empire with our might?”
Shalltear’s question made his nonexistent heart pound.
In order to pursue world conquest, the first step was to put pressure on the empire. That was why he allowed the imperial capital’s attack on Nazarick and then used that threat as a way to lure the emperor into discussion. At that time, the head idea was to demonstrate Nazarick’s overwhelming fighting power. That had been the general plan.
That’s all Ainz knew. He had no idea about why it was necessary to demonstrate their military might to the emperor or any other details.
So of course he didn’t have an answer to Shalltear’s question.
Aura spoke next.
“Shalltear’s right. We barged into their capital. They weren’t so tough.”
Ainz surveyed the room, and all the guardians seemed to have the same doubt.
They had not the slightest intention of going against their master’s decision, but even if they believed he was most correct, they couldn’t help but have questions.
They also thought that if they knew why Ainz had made that choice, they would be able to be of more use to him.
If they went ahead without understanding, there was a good chance they would do something against his wishes. That anxiety was most noticeable in those who had already committed an error, Shalltear and Sebas. Both of them wore extremely earnest expressions and made sure they didn’t miss a single word or a fragment of his intentions.
Under the pressure of everyone’s gazes, Ainz tried to think of a way to get through the situation.
First, I have to decide if I accept or reject Shalltear’s and Aura’s opinions. If I accept them, then this is just part of the plan to conquer the empire. If I reject them, then I have no current plans to conquer the empire… I wonder if Demiurge and Albedo feel the same way. Oh, crap. I’m taking too long…
Ainz chuckled in a way he thought made him sound invincible.
Then he heaved a sigh.
The odds were one in two.
If he got it wrong, all he had to do was find a way to perform course correction, and—
Shalltear has been messing up all the time, so I should oppose her idea!
“That would be foolish, Shalltear.”
It couldn’t just be a trick of his vision that the gleams in all the guardians’ eyes grew brighter. They were h
anging on his every word or, rather, trying to pick up every drop of clarity spilling from his brain.
It’s rotten, but whatever!
Ainz turned to Demiurge. He took great pains to keep it from looking like he needed help. “Demiurge.”
He hoped this clever fellow would grasp what he wanted if he just called his name.
“My lord! Please forgive we incompetents who cannot comprehend your ideas.”
“E-er, I think ‘incompetent’ is going too far.”
“My apologies. Please forgive me!”
“…Uh, sure.”
That’s not what I’m talking about. Why won’t you say anything else? This is bad. I don’t really think calling on Demiurge again will help… Why didn’t he give me the answer?
“Albedo.”
“I’m moved practically to tears by your kindness, Lord Ainz. I could expect nothing else from our ruler, the absolute king!”
“……All right, then.”
He wanted an answer more than praise.
But there was no one else from whom he could seek help.
Ainz braced himself and delivered his own conclusion.
“We need a good reason.”
“WE DO?”
“Of course. It would be easy to conquer them with might, yes, but we would make too many enemies that way. These aren’t primitive opponents like the lizardmen. If I had to explain it to someone, this is what I would say: ‘We were living here minding our own business when the empire sent in workers to steal our treasures. We got mad and killed them, and when we had the empire apologize, they said they would make us a country if we forgave them.’ That’s why I’m having the emperor cooperate with us.”
“I see. But, Lord Ainz, will whoever wanted the explanation be satisfied with that?”
“It doesn’t matter, because it’s the truth.”
That was what a good reason was. And Ainz hadn’t said anything untrue.
“Oh, s-so then, is that why you, uh, had the emperor come all the way here?”
“Hmm? What do you mean, Mare?”
“Oh, umm, because if you negotiated in the empire, it’s possible there would have been all sorts of proof left behind, so maybe you spoke with him here where nothing would leak to the outside world. At least, that’s what I was thinking.”
The Caster of Destruction Page 6
