“That’s what I don’t understand. If you want to mine, you can do it right here.”
“Hmph. No matter how hard I work here…the most I can get is a slight bonus depending on how much I bring back, but it’s basically a fixed amount. There’s no way to make any serious money.”
“It pays better than a regular job.”
The foreman was right. That was exactly why Gondo had chosen this line of work for his short-term moneymaking.
“I need more money for what I’m looking to do. That’s why I’m heading for the tunnels of that abandoned city. I can mine whatever ore I want and no one can say a thing.”
The foreman frowned.
Gondo’s plan was extreme, but what he said was true.
“Yeah. That stuff. No one can complain if I keep whatever I dig up over there.”
The nearby mines were mainly run by the state. For that reason, anyone who wanted white iron had to pay a princely sum—market price—for it. But digging in an abandoned tunnel meant that any finds belonged solely to the miner. Of course, that also meant that if anything happened, they wouldn’t have the country’s support.
“…I’d be willing to pay handsomely for some.”
White iron hadn’t been discovered in the mines near this city yet. Once the supply they had dug up in older cities was gone, the price was sure to skyrocket.
Gondo knew the wily-looking dwarf wasn’t saying that in order to turn a profit. He was simply being kind.
The foreman was offering to negotiate with buyers to get a better price. But Gondo wasn’t interested in selling off his haul for money.
“What are you talking about? I already know how I’ll use it. It’s for my research.”
The wily-looking dwarf’s face darkened. “Are you still on about that…? I get how you feel, but isn’t it about time to face reality and get a job as a crew leader? You’ll upset your pa.”
For a moment, a searing rage flared inside Gondo, but before it could show, he looked away and covered his face. Gondo’s father had helped out this foreman a number of times. That’s why he was so worried to see the man’s child devoting himself to impossible research.
He may have been speaking out of kindness, but Gondo couldn’t accept that.
“Oh, I’ve got a grip on reality all right. The path my father chose wasn’t wrong! I’m going to rediscover lost technology!”
Unable to hold himself back, he vented the embers of his anger along with some fiery words, then turned on his heel and hurried away.
A part of him regretted taking his immature anger out on someone who was sincerely worried about him, but his zeal toward his mission weighed far greater than any remorse he felt.
That’s right.
As the inadequate son of a magnificent man, this was his reason for living.
Gondo bit his lip and stared straight ahead.
Chapter 1 | Preparing for an Unknown Land
1
After returning from the empire, Ainz entered his E-Rantel office and sat back in his chair.
He had been out trying to recruit adventurers for the Nation of Darkness’s guild, but it would probably be some time before the results of his efforts became clear. In the meantime, he had to get ready to receive anyone who answered his call.
First, he would need a school to train the adventurers. The guild office would serve as a fine location. Constructing dorms for those who came from afar to study was the least he could do. For teachers, he could use the adventurers who had remained in the country.
I should talk to Albedo about how to best organize administrative divisions and some other things, but…more importantly, I wonder why he asked to become a vassal himself? Albedo and Demiurge are going to be so confused…
Ainz couldn’t understand Jircniv’s line of reasoning at all, which was why he had no idea how to explain what had happened to that wise pair. Why would Jircniv propose such a thing? It was possible that Demiurge had been making things happen while Ainz wasn’t looking.
I guess I should talk to Demiurge first. Ahhh, I want to go somewhere far away and let them handle it while I’m gone. Would that be so wrong…?
He heaved a sigh internally. The anxiety and confusion made his nonexistent stomach ache. And when he thought about what would happen when those two returned, his suffering only got worse.
Ainz shook his head and took his mind off his future troubles by thinking about the important information he had gained in the empire.
“…Runes, huh?”
This unknown world was dotted with things he knew from Yggdrasil, such as the signs of other players and the existence of World Items.
To those things, he had recently added one more thing: a writing system from Satoru Suzuki’s world called runes.
He had concluded that the reason people from the Theocracy summoned angels from a religion in Satoru Suzuki’s world was because it had been magic in Yggdrasil.
But then where did runes come from? Why were they present in this world? Were they the same as the runes from Satoru Suzuki’s world? Or did the automatic translation here simply render magic characters of a coincidentally similar shape as “runes”?
…The dwarf country is based in the Azerlisia Mountains not far from here. I need to investigate this more closely. I suppose…I have to go?
Naturally, before returning from E-Rantel, he had asked Fluder about runes.
The only things he had been able to find out were that the dwarf sovereign who came from the country in the mountains had the class “rune crafter,” that the empire purchased weapons and armor from the dwarf country, and that the availability of magic items inscribed with runes had ended about a hundred years ago.
This was all important information but not what Ainz wanted.
Yggdrasil didn’t have a rune crafter class. If it’s a class specific to this world, and if a fusion of techniques from the two worlds might be possible, then we need to check it out. But who should go?
It was a simple matter of visiting the dwarf country and asking about the runes. Since the topic was related to rune crafters and their technology, it might be difficult to convince them to talk, but in the worst-case scenario, Charm could be used to extract info.
As long as he dispatched someone who could use psychic magic or abduct a dwarf for interrogation back at Nazarick, Ainz figured anyone would do. But what if it was a player who was behind the runes? It was possible that whoever brainwashed Shalltear could be lurking out there.
I’d like to gather some more intel before diving in, but if even Fluder doesn’t have much, I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to find any.
Ainz stood up from his chair.
Immediately, the woman standing by in the room began to move. Her animated face and masculine cropped hair suited her very well. This was Decrement, the maid on Ainz duty for the day.
Ainz held up a hand to stop her and slowly paced the room while he deliberated. As he performed the logical calculation between the pros and cons, memories from long ago appeared unbidden among the numbers he crunched. A crisis in unmapped territory, the joy of discovery, the sorrow of a failed quest—each of those recollections brought up the faces of his old guildmates and the things they said. That was all it took for even the memory of being wiped out to paint the inside of his empty skull a dazzling array of colors.
By the time he had finished tucking away in his heart the tender emotions that had suddenly emerged, his thoughts had come together.
…This is a situation where I’ll probably need to dive in even when I’m fully aware of the dangers involved.
The guild Ainz Ooal Gown was that sort of organization.
Some might disapprove, saying it’s wrong to treat reality like a game where lives weren’t at stake, but who could guarantee that sitting around and waiting wouldn’t result in a missed opportunity that would ultimately cause Ainz Ooal Gown to fall behind?
After Ainz decided to investigate runes directly in the dwarf country, the ne
xt issue occupied his mind.
Who should go?
Who would be best?
Should I ask Demiurge and Albedo for their thoughts? No, if I do that, then I’ll lose the chance to send the one with the most combat power.
Ainz was talking about himself.
It wasn’t something he bragged about, but he was sure no one in Nazarick had as much magical resistance to whatever they might run into than he did. Frankly, going by himself would be the most effective strategy. But if there were hostile players hanging around, it would be a fool’s errand.
…If it’s just a few, I can make sure we all get away, so I should bring some people who can buy us the time I need to prepare our retreat.
The first to come to mind were the floor guardians.
Level-100 NPCs would be able to buy Ainz time to escape, even against players. But he wondered if it was really okay to use the precious children of his old friends that way.
What about high-level minions led by an undead officer? No, they can’t respond the way NPCs built from scratch can.
Unlike the lovingly crafted NPCs, minions came with the advantage that he could abandon them without hesitation in a pinch. But they also came with cons: a narrower range of skills and a doubtful ability to problem solve.
The NPCs were a perfect choice if he ignored the emotional component. Ainz hadn’t tested whether a player like himself could be resurrected, but it was definitely possible for the NPCs, as he had proven with Shalltear.
Ainz returned to his chair and sat down.
“Hmm…”
He brought his hands up in front of him and pressed them together, lost in thought as he sought the optimal plan.
But even after thinking for a while, he wasn’t able to come up with an answer.
I guess no matter how hard an idiot tries, they’ll never come up with a genius idea…
With a self-deprecating smile, he turned his gaze to Decrement.
“If I told you to die for me, could you do it?”
“Of course, Lord Ainz. If it was your order, I would gladly die,” she declared without a moment’s hesitation.
“Does that go for the others as well? They don’t think I’m a lousy master?”
“I believe everyone would unhesitatingly accept death, as well. There shouldn’t be a single one who wouldn’t. We were created by the Supreme Beings, and we exist only to serve you. No matter what orders we are given, it is our greatest joy to obey.”
“I see… Ah, I was only asking out of curiosity. No deeper meaning there. Forget I brought it up.”
As Decrement bowed her head, Ainz made up his mind.
He would mobilize the NPCs.
He took out a map of the area.
It was a fairly comprehensive map that incorporated the results of Aura’s surveys. The interior of the Tove Woodlands was especially detailed, and Ainz was confident no other map was as thorough. Unfortunately, since the scale wasn’t clear, he couldn’t say it was perfect, but having this map still made it far less likely he would get lost.
Ainz put a finger on E-Rantel. Starting at that city, he traced a line north through the woods. That distance would be no problem at all. The forest itself was already largely under Nazarick rule, and not counting the presence of unintelligent beasts and monsters, there were only a few subhumans and grotesques left to subjugate before their control was complete. The giant underground cavern said to span the entire forest’s length was something he would leave alone for the moment, but he could take it over anytime in the future if it would bring him some benefit.
His finger reached the lake shaped like an upside-down gourd at the edge of the map.
North of there lay the Azerlisia Mountains. An unmapped world.
“The unknown…”
Ainz cracked a smile.
He had spoken of tasking adventurers with seeking out the unknown. To be the first one to set forth would make for good promotional material.
“To the Azerlisia Mountains in search of the country of the dwarves…”
It sounded like a commercial for a TV show.
Wiping the smile off his face, Ainz considered the idea seriously.
What was the benefit of him personally going to a place where players might be lying in wait?
Surely the King of Darkness going in person was a show of good faith.
He likened it to a CEO paying a visit to another company. In Satoru Suzuki’s experience, that got results.
And unlike some of his subjects, who believed anyone who didn’t hail from Nazarick was a lower life-form, Ainz was a moderate. That meant he wasn’t a bad choice to serve as the negotiator with the dwarves—although he couldn’t claim to be a good one.
Besides Ainz, another option was Pandora’s Actor.
Intelligence, problem-solving skills—he had everything it would take.
But…
Then who would run the nation?
He didn’t even have to ask anyone to know the answer.
It would be Ainz Ooal Gown himself.
There was absolutely no way he could run the nation.
He screamed internally. He screamed over and over.
If that was the alternative, then he felt he had a better shot at handling the negotiations with the dwarf country.
And once he arrived, he could teleport thereafter. So if they said anything too difficult for him, he could play the I’ll take that back and consider it with the team card. And if they said they wanted a decision on the spot, all he had to do was run away.
He had plenty of techniques for making an escape.
Last time there was business to do, I had Ainzach with me, but this time I’ll be taking the brunt of it. This’ll be better than having a boss breathing down my back for results, at least.
Ainz grinned as the salesman Satoru Suzuki. Then he changed smiles.
And…if it takes longer than expected, maybe I can leave the issue of vassalizing the empire up to Demiurge and Albedo. Then I’ll make them propose a draft of the agreement! Yes! There’s no helping it. I mustn’t shirk my business!
Having desperately worked to rationalize his thoughts, Ainz ran into another issue.
Who would he bring with him?
He crossed his arms and frowned.
He would have liked to take either Albedo or Demiurge, but they were both project leaders on critical matters. If he recalled them, their plans could fall through.
Aura and Mare were decent choices. And since they were humanoids like the dwarves, maybe they wouldn’t be seen as a threat.
Choosing Cocytus would be tricky. Because the destination was a steep, chilly mountain range, he was a solid option, but he was in charge of the Tove Woodlands and the surrounding area. In other words, he was also a project leader. Ainz preferred that he concentrate on that. Besides, Cocytus’s radically different appearance might make the dwarves anxious.
Sebas wasn’t a bad choice. Currently, he and his aide were assisting Ainz with the management of E-Rantel, but since Pandora’s Actor was there, too, maybe it was fine to pick him. But that made Ainz nervous about fighting power.
Gargantua and Victim were out of the question. Other NPCs came to mind, but considering the role was to guard him, most didn’t make the cut.
Then, I guess it’ll be Aura—and Shalltear.
The magical beasts Aura commanded would make perfect shields. In the worst case, he could abandon the beasts and make a run for it with Aura. And Shalltear had the highest level of solo combat ability, so she would be a great trump card against even the strongest enemies. He had a personal reason he wanted to use Shalltear, as well.
If they ended up facing an army, it would be better to have Mare along, but in any encounter with a player, their priority would be to withdraw, not annihilate the enemy, which meant it was probably better to leave Mare at home.
Right as Ainz was thinking, In that case, about to make a decision, a Message arrived in his head.
“—Lord Ainz.”
“Oh, Entoma.”
“Yes. I went with Mistress Shalltear to the lizardman village. She wants to send a lizardman bearing Master Cocytus’s report on the status of the village and is asking for permission to open a Gate. Is that all right?”
Cocytus sometimes delivered written reports on his policies and the general state of the village.
Reading them didn’t give Ainz any particular feelings or ideas, so he usually just responded with Nice work. Really, he would have liked to tell him he didn’t need to submit anymore, but reporting in to the boss was the correct thing to do, and that was important when it came time for the boss to take responsibility.
“Go ahead and open a Gate at the designated area… Oh, wait. We have defensive spells deployed. Cast it in an hour”—Ainz took out a watch and checked the time—“at 13:46. I’ll make sure to have the spells canceled for two minutes at that time.”
The building Ainz was currently in wasn’t defended as thoroughly as Nazarick, but it still had a magic field that prevented teleportation and so on that was kept charged with the MP of high-level minions. The barrier used so much mana that the minions had to rotate several times a day. It was quite the obstacle. Naturally, the teleportation of allies was blocked as well.
Because unlike in Yggdrasil, friendly fire was on.
This made it necessary to disable the defenses to let someone teleport in. Of course, once the spells were canceled, enemies could enter, too, so in order not to get “bombed” (in Yggdrasil slang), the barrier was only ever open for a narrow, prearranged window of time.
“Understood. I’ll inform Mistress Shalltear.”
The Message ended, and Ainz said, “Okay,” as he stood up. “…I’m counting on you to choose my clothes. A lizardman is coming as Cocytus’s messenger, so make sure it’s something that won’t embarrass me.”
“Yes, my lord!” Decrement’s eyes blazed with flames of passion.
So she’s the same as the others, huh? Ainz thought. It wasn’t the sort of thing a guy with no confidence in his fashion sense could say aloud.
Ainz brought Decrement along, and while they were on the move, he relayed orders to an undead he had temporarily created. Needless to say, his command was to alert the undead guards stationed at the main hall where the Gate would open that a lizardman was coming.
The Dwarven Crafter Page 2
