The Dwarven Crafter

by Kugane Maruyama

  “MY LORD! I’VE SUMMONED HIM HERE. PLEASE GO AHEAD.” Cocytus moved to a position diagonally behind Ainz. Then he called out to the kneeling lizardman. “ZENBEL. YOU WILL ANSWER LORD AINZ’S QUESTIONS. REPLY TO HIM DIRECTLY.”

  Zenbel raised his head and said, “Yes, master,” but his voice contained a measure of uncertainty.

  “Very well, let’s get right to the point. I want to visit the dwarf country. I’d like for you to act as a guide. Can you lead me there?”

  Ainz got the sense that the lizardman’s eyes narrowed.

  He didn’t know much about lizardman expressions, but even if he didn’t know exactly what emotion it was, it didn’t seem like a very positive reaction.

  “If you’ll excuse me, Your Majesty, may I ask for what reason you plan to travel to the dwarf country?”

  The moment he finished speaking, a threatening clicking noise came from behind Ainz. “…ZENBEL. IT’S TERRIBLY RUDE OF YOU TO QUESTION LORD AINZ’S MOTIVES. ANSWER ONLY WHAT IS ASKED OF YOU.” Cocytus’s tone was the same as always, but he was clearly offended.

  The disgruntled voice came from behind Ainz where he couldn’t see, which made him want to shrink away.

  It rattled Ainz a great deal even though the emotion wasn’t directed at him, and yet, Zenbel maintained his silence. He watched Ainz’s reaction and didn’t shift his gaze one bit.

  It was painful how quiet things had become. The only sound was Cocytus’s threatening clicking. Tension suffused the air. Not much time had passed, so when Ainz sensed Cocytus about to make an impatient move, he held up a hand to stop him. At this rate, the situation could become dangerous.

  “It’s fine, Cocytus. Zenbel hasn’t done anything to offend.”

  “BUT, LORD AINZ—”

  “I said it’s fine, really. Now, then… I have to admit I’m a bit sad, Zenbel. I can’t believe you would misunderstand me to such an extent.”

  Well, it’s only natural he would react this way, given what I did to the lizardman village, Ainz thought without giving any external indication of it. If he decided it was so, then any action by any member of the Great Tomb of Nazarick was in the right. If he didn’t display that attitude before his underlings, they would begin to worry about their own conduct going forward.

  “Zenbel, I’m not going there to harm the dwarves. I want to build friendly relations with them.”

  “Really?”

  “WHY, YOU—”

  Ainz turned toward Cocytus. “Cocytus. I’m happy for your loyalty, but I’m fairly certain I told you there’s no problem. No matter what Zenbel says right now, pay it no mind and forget it.”

  “YES, MY LORD.”

  Ainz wouldn’t go as far as ditching formalities entirely. Whenever a CEO said something to that effect, it was a trap.

  Ainz turned back to the lizardman. “It’s true, Zenbel. I’m happy to swear so on my honor as Ainz Ooal Gown. I’d like to build friendly relations with the dwarves. It goes without saying, however, that a conflict could arise depending on how they react. I hope you can understand.”

  “Of course. That makes sense. And it makes sense that might makes right. I just don’t want to repay kindness with pain.” Zenbel paused and took a breath. It reminded Ainz of the breathing technique warriors used when switching from defense to offense. “And if it turns out you’re plotting to destroy them the moment we get there, then sorry, but I’m taking their side.”

  Ainz heard a clicking sound behind him, so he said, “It’s fine,” over his shoulder. He knew without a doubt that Cocytus was going for his weapon.

  Sheesh, he thought as he stared Zenbel down haughtily. It seemed like Ainz’s practice had paid off, because Zenbel’s whole body tensed up.

  “Well, if that comes to pass, I’ll simply destroy you along with them…but still, that’s quite brave of you. Have you considered that if you disobey me, all the lizardmen here could be killed?”

  “…You’re the king. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

  Ainz put a hand to his chin and answered Zenbel’s restrained question. “You seem to be misunderstanding something: I approach all things by weighing the pros and cons. I wouldn’t normally destroy an entire organization because of one rebel, but if the cons of that rebellion continuing in the future outweigh the pros, I’ll annihilate it without hesitation. Did you think I was simply a benevolent being with no brain?”

  Zenbel’s expression changed.

  But Ainz couldn’t divine any information from the lizardman’s face.

  It might have been strange for an undead such as himself to say so, but he felt lizardmen were unfair in their own ways.

  How could Ainz be expected to understand the expressions of other races? He was nothing but an undead creature who had only the limited experience of the human Satoru Suzuki to rely on.

  Zenbel showed no signs of speaking, leaving Ainz no choice but to continue. “Relax. Even if you revolt against me, I won’t be destroying this village. It’s not as if a mass rebellion would occur. Plus, given your personality and history, it’s obvious how you would react. I get that you would choose your old friends—or were they your saviors? In any case, I’ll say it again: I’m not traveling to the dwarf country just to demolish it for no reason.”

  Regardless of whether players were there or not, Ainz didn’t want to resort to force without at least talking first.

  Things weren’t going well with the neighboring countries at the moment.

  The country he should have been on the best terms with was trying to become a vassal state—what is that about anyway? If he ended up at war with the dwarves on top of that, his nation would be seen as a force of pure evil.

  If possible, he wanted to sign a treaty of friendship with the dwarves and demonstrate to other states that the Nation of Darkness could be as diplomatic as any other country. Then he would be able to cobble together some justification for putting a check on the players who might be lurking around somewhere.

  What would players who were wary of the Nation of Darkness do?

  The most likely action would be to paint it as an evil state and try to destroy it in the name of justice. But if Ainz signed a treaty with the dwarf country? Then what would happen?

  Some people would think he had forced them to sign, assuming it was gunboat diplomacy. Even then, at the very least, observers would have to see that the terms of the treaty were fair.

  For instance, if another player appeared in the future, they would surely team up with someone on the same level as them—probably another player—to fight. And some people might consider the Nation of Darkness as a party worth a request for cooperation. But if the battle was against someone Ainz wasn’t interested in fighting, he could use the treaty with the dwarves as an excuse to not join in.

  Maybe it was a self-centered idea, but if his side and the other ended up fighting before they were ready, and they lost, maybe it would set the bomb of I told you I didn’t want to fight! off internally.

  That was the point of creating a justification.

  What Ainz feared was player teams, not individual players.

  Certainly, a player with a World Item was threatening, as was a player with one of the powerful classes like world champion. But as long as it was a lone player and they weren’t wielding one of the Twenty, there was no way the Great Tomb of Nazarick would lose.

  “See? No need to worry.”

  “—I understand.”

  “Great. So, Zenbel, I can count on you, right?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll lead you to the underground dwarf city I once stayed in.”

  Ainz nodded benevolently and then turned his gaze to Zaryusu.

  “Next, Zaryusu. I was happy to receive news about the birth of your child. I also hear that both mother and baby are doing well. Is that right?”

  Zaryusu replied with what was probably a nervous expression. “Yes, Your Majesty. Quite well. The baby will be up and walking before long.”

  “Wow, so soon!”
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  That’s how Ainz reacted, but after researching the topic, even human children in this world crawled and walked earlier than the one he had come from. Of course, his only frame of reference was what he had heard from Touch Me.

  “Do you think so? I’m pretty sure it’s normal…”

  “O-oh, right. I had assumed it was similar to humans. Children… Hmm. Right now, I’m in the middle of building a nation where people of various races can come together and live side by side. If I asked you to move with your family to a human country I rule as a part of that effort, would you be willing?”

  “If Your Majesty orders it, I have no choice.”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  Zaryusu might not have intended for his response to come across sarcastically, but that’s how it sounded to Ainz.

  Ainzach made the same sort of comment, he thought as he continued. “I want to know how you personally feel about the idea. You were away from your tribe as a traveler, yes? In other words, you must think differently from other lizardmen. That’s why I’d like to understand how you feel and what kind of things are on your mind when you’re faced with a changing world.”

  “I only became a traveler because I felt like I couldn’t go on the way things were. I felt trapped.”

  “Nevertheless, your experiences abroad should have made you more worldly. I’d like you to think about what it would be like for you to go to a human country compared to a regular lizardman. How about it?”

  “Yes, sir…” Zaryusu thought for a little while and then said, “Personally, I don’t feel like going to a human city. I’d be too anxious to bring along my wife and child. Even if it’s Your Majesty’s nation, I feel like coping with the sudden changes would simply be…incredibly hard.”

  Anyone would be anxious if they were forced to live in a brand-new world after being torn away from everything they knew. Who wouldn’t want to cling to the familiar? Especially for a man with a family, it made sense to think that way.

  Some might call this a life of defense, but Ainz felt that a person who couldn’t go on the defensive when necessary was weak. That went for PKers and PKKers as well.

  “I see. Then…do you think your future children will get used to the idea?”

  “Does that mean my children would be brought there, Your Majesty?”

  Ainz sensed that the atmosphere had become critical.

  Maybe Zaryusu thought he meant separating children from their parents.

  “Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m building a country where all sorts of races can coexist. I simply thought that as a first step, I could create a place where human, lizardman, and goblin children, all different races, could play together… And I do think you guys need to examine the greater world and not limit yourselves to the boundaries of this lake.”

  The lizardman seemed to be having complex feelings.

  “Do you mean…that we should have more children who will be travelers?”

  “It doesn’t have to be on the same level as the travelers of the lizardman tribes. I’m just saying you could stand to gain more knowledge of the world in a casual way… I wouldn’t really know, but don’t parents want their children to broaden their horizons?”

  Zaryusu made a strange face. “…Well, this is complicated. Really, I’d like them to stay in this village where they can live safely and not worry about food, but are you saying that times have changed?”

  Perhaps the complexity of Zaryusu’s reply stemmed from his feelings as a parent? If Ainz put himself in his shoes, maybe it was the same as hoping that the NPCs would live happy lives? When he hit on that idea, he found it easier to empathize with Zaryusu.

  “I understand your hesitation. Change is difficult for people set in their ways to keep up with. And the faster the change happens, the more the elderly try to find reasons to reject it,” Ainz said with a shrug, and Zenbel and Zaryusu seemed to smile.

  “It’s just as you say,” said Zaryusu. “That’s exactly how our elders were. They still grumble sometimes.”

  “But what he’s saying is that you’re one of those old people now, Zaryusu.”

  Even Ainz could tell that the look Zaryusu turned to Zenbel with was disappointment.

  “’Cause I’m a parent now? Well, I guess that’s how it goes.”

  Ainz turned to Cocytus with kind eyes. “Anyhow, I have to make sure I say this much. Cocytus, I have an order for you.”

  “MY LORD!”

  “If Zenbel turns against me, do not harm any of his fellow lizardmen in this village.”

  “UNDERSTOOD, MY LORD.”

  Ainz nodded in satisfaction at Cocytus’s low bow and fixed his eyes once again on Zenbel. “So, Zenbel. I want to learn everything I can about what you know. How did you meet the dwarves? What are their lives like? What kind of presents would they appreciate? Tell me whatever you can remember.”

  “Righty-ho, Your Majesty.”

  “WATCH YOUR MOU—”

  “It’s fine, Cocytus. If we were in public, I’d take his head off, but…” Ainz looked purposefully around the area. “This isn’t exactly public. So this time we’ll laugh it off. I like to think I’m at least that open-minded.” Having said that, he chuckled slightly, and Cocytus murmured in confusion.

  “L-LORD AINZ…”

  Ainz held a hand out to stop Cocytus and turned a cool eye on Zenbel—at an angle he had practiced over and over in the mirror.

  “But, Zenbel. Remember this: Cocytus has been embarrassed by your tone and feels guilty toward me now.”

  The shudder that ran through Zenbel’s body must have been fear.

  It couldn’t be excitement, right?

  “…My apologies, Your Majesty. I got cocky for a moment.”

  “That’s fine. You should thank Cocytus, the supervisor of this village. I wasn’t going to do anything… Anyhow, that’s enough pointless chatter. Will you start telling me about the dwarves?”

  “BEFORE THAT, LORD AINZ, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT DOWN?”

  Ainz hesitated at Cocytus’s suggestion.

  His body didn’t fatigue. So he didn’t need a chair. But he didn’t want to ignore such a kind offer.

  “Sure. I’ll take a seat. I don’t need anything special, Cocytus. Anything I can sit on is fine.”

  “YES, MY LORD! PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT.”

  Cocytus got down on his hands and knees.

  A memory of Shalltear overlapped with the sight of him.

  “…I don’t actually need to ask, but just to be sure… What are you doing?”

  “I HEARD THAT SHALLTEAR DID THIS ONCE. I DECIDED I COULD AS WELL…”

  “That was to punish her. There’s no need for you to do it.”

  “BUT ONE OF MY LIZARDMAN CHARGES WAS RUDE TO YOU, LOR—”

  “Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m fairly certain I said I wasn’t worried about that. Did you not hear me?”

  “NO, BUT—”

  Are you serious? With that thought in his mind, Ainz tried to persuade him, but Cocytus was stubborn. Even though Ainz was an undead who didn’t get tired, he began to feel exhausted. Finally, he was sick of everything and uneagerly declared, “Agh, fine. I’m going to sit now, Cocytus.”

  “MY LORD!” Cocytus’s reply was extra spirited.

  Sitting in front of other people was extremely—well, a bit embarrassing.

  But hesitating would be even worse. It was perfectly natural for him as an absolute ruler to sit on his retainer.

  So he did. Frankly, it was uncomfortable. Frankly, it was bumpy. Frankly, it was cold.

  Not only that, but the ragged breath Cocytus was emitting in his bizarre enthusiasm was whiter and cloudier than usual. It flowed across the ground at Ainz’s feet like the kind of fog that emerges when dry ice becomes wet.

  It was like a cheap attempt to manufacture magnificence and, thus, incredibly uncomfortable.

  “HOW IS IT, LORD AINZ?”

  Horrible. But he couldn’t very well say that.


  Not that he didn’t have a perverse curiosity about what would happen if he did, but he was scared of how Cocytus might react.

  “Pretty good…,” he said, making him feel like some kind of perv. But what else could he say?

  “SO BETWEEN SHALLTEAR AND ME, WHICH IS BETTER?”

  “…” Ainz really had no idea what to say. What kind of answer was he supposed to give?

  “Huh…? Wh-why would you ask that?”

  “MY LORD! I FEEL AS THOUGH I MAY REQUIRE TRAINING FOR THOSE WHO WILL RIDE MY BACK IN THE FUTURE.”

  “……………What?”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  Did Cocytus’s race mate with the female on the male’s back? Or did he have a masochistic kink?

  Takemikazuchiii!

  No, the warrior was more normal than this. He loved combat, but he was a good person who didn’t cause very much trouble.

  So was this just Cocytus’s personality? Ainz felt shocked, as if he had discovered someone’s fetish without meaning to.

  “I—I see. Good for you.” He had no idea how to act.

  “THANK YOU! SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

  “It’s a bit uneven, but, well, not so bad that I can’t sit on you. Still, in that sense, Shalltear was more comfortable.”

  “OH…”

  “Ngh! No! I mean, you have your own good points. The, uh, chilliness… Yes, this chilly surface is perfect for summer.”

  Ainz wasn’t exactly sure why he was trying so hard to console Cocytus.

  “I SEE! BUT… HMM…”

  “W-well, we don’t need to worry about that. Zenbel, let’s hear what you have to say.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  Summarizing what Zenbel said, he had climbed into the mountains searching for the dwarves, wandered around lost for a month without finding them, and eventually decided it was impossible, but just when he was about to give up, he encountered a dwarf out exploring the surface. After a certain series of events, the dwarf trusted him and guided him to the dwarf city.

  A certain series of events apparently meant that the dwarf was apprehensive at first due to Zenbel’s appearance, but after some talking, he managed to gain the dwarf’s trust.

  In the city, Zenbel learned various technologies while living with the dwarves, and when he gained enough confidence in his craft, he parted ways with them and returned to his lizardman village.