As he was resigning himself to the duties of the supreme commander—depending on what happens, I might even have to…—a panicky voice rang out.
“I—I have a message! A message! Where is the supreme commander?!”
When he looked toward the voice, he saw a dwarf soldier on a riding lizard.
Riding lizards were a type of giant lizard. They could measure ten feet or longer from head to tail end. There weren’t many, but the dwarves kept them as mounts, and in times of peace, they were handy as pack animals.
They weren’t used for any old message. Riding lizards were broken out only in emergencies, much like the one the garrison was currently dealing with.
Anxiety gripped the supreme commander’s heart.
“Where was that messenger stationed?”
“This week he was supposed to be guarding the fort at the entrance to the surface.”
The supreme commander was now sure his fears had come to pass. No, it had been obvious from the tension in the messenger’s face and the wild tone of his voice. The reason the commander had asked anyway was because he didn’t want to accept the truth.
“I’m here! What’s the matter?” he shouted and ran toward the messenger. He couldn’t just stand there waiting. He needed to hear the message and take action.
The messenger practically tumbled off his riding lizard and shouted as he desperately tried to catch his breath. “Commander! It’s an emergency! M-monsters! There are monsters!”
Kuagoa? he thought but immediately realized it wasn’t them. If the kuagoa had shown up there, the messenger would have said so. “Calm down! I don’t understand if that’s all you tell me! What happened? Are the others safe?”
“S-sir! A terrifying monster appeared at the entrance! He said he has business with the kuagoa attacking us!”
“Whaaat?!”
The timing was too perfect. It had to be someone connected to this series of events. Was it the kuagoa leader? Or perhaps this was the one who had helped them cross the Great Chasm?
“Who in the world is it? Explain what it looked like! You, round up as many soldiers as you can!”
“Yes, sir!”
He didn’t have time to watch his adviser rush off in a panic.
“How many are there?! Give me a damage report!”
“There are about thirty. But they don’t seem to want to fight! On the contrary, they said they want to negotiate, but they seem so sinister, I doubt we can trust them. It’s clear they have an ulterior motive!”
What made the messenger think the newcomers were sinister? And he still hadn’t heard what they looked like. When he repeated his question, the messenger gulped and began to explain.
“They’re horrifying undead wreathed in an ominous aura!”
“What?! Undead?!”
They hate life, spread death, and are the enemy of all living beings.
The moment he heard the word undead, numerous images came to the supreme commander’s mind—like frozen zombies and frost bones. But those weren’t terribly powerful. And the messenger should have known that as well. The natural question was: Who had terrified the messenger this much?
And why had the undead come? Did it please them to see dwarves and kuagoa—living beings both—fighting to the death?
“…Hey, are the preparations complete yet? As soon as they’re wrapped up, we’re moving out! I don’t know exactly how many undead there are, but don’t let your guard down! Show no weakness! We don’t need to provoke them, but we shouldn’t take them lightly, either!”
2
The party pressed onward with Gondo as their guide.
Most of his travels had been done underground, so he wasn’t very familiar with the surface. For that reason, their navigation depended more on pure direction than the lay of the land. Ainz was nervous at first, but after seeing Gondo instruct everyone without hesitation, his trust gradually solidified until he eventually left their route entirely to the dwarf.
Moreover, since the dwarf capital was under attack, it didn’t benefit Gondo to get the party lost. Following him was probably fine.
Obeying his instructions, Aura’s magical beast traversed the snow-covered mountains as if they were trotting across a grassy plain.
The mounts truly were high-level monsters. Their agility and stamina were outstanding. They carried Ainz and the others on their backs over snowy mountainous terrain where the air was thin for a journey north that covered over sixty miles, but they didn’t seem to slow their pace at all.
A few times, flying monsters appeared overhead, but one growl from the magical beasts was enough to send them scattering, wasting almost no time at all.
Ainz expected them to arrive at the dwarves’ only remaining city, Fehu Jura, in less than a day.
He asked Gondo, who was riding the beast running parallel to his, “…So, Gondo, is Fehu Jura inside a fissure cave like Fehu Raido?”
If it was, they wouldn’t find it unless they searched very deliberately.
At first, Gondo had clung fearfully to his beast, but now he seemed to have gotten used to riding. He answered. “It’s true that the part of the city where the dwarves live is like that, but Fehu Jura is a bit different from Fehu Raido in that it was built for facilitating trade with human countries. There’s a large fort outside so people can find it easily and have a place to stay when they visit. If we look for that landmark, we should be able to find it.”
Ainz acknowledged what he was saying and made a cursory search around them, but he didn’t see anything like a big building.
“We need to go a little farther north before we’ll spot it.”
Gondo sounded fairly confident and seemed to have an idea of their current position. In any case, the dwarf was their only guide, so even if he was wrong, there was nothing Ainz could do. He had no choice but to follow.
“I see,” replied Ainz and then cast Message.
The captured kuagoa that had been taken back to Nazarick were being pressed for information. He figured whatever they knew could complement Gondo’s knowledge.
Kuagoa typically lived in clans ruled by a strong boss, and the eight clans of the Azerlisia Mountains were apparently united by a clan king. The total population was around eighty thousand.
Ainz inspected the data and gave the race his stamp of disinterest.
If he could lend his strength only to either the dwarves or the kuagoa, he would definitely favor the former.
At the same time, he was interested in the fact that the type of metal kuagoa ate during their youth affected their strength as adults. He felt like if he fed them some of the metals he had back in Nazarick, he might be able to create some superpowerful ones.
He recalled the prismatic ore he had been thinking about on the initial leg of the journey here.
Even if the kuagoa clan king hadn’t eaten that, could it be that he was the result of eating some rare metal from Yggdrasil?
If this clan king held a power that Ainz could acquire, it was worth looking into.
If he’s willing to swear allegiance to the Nation of Darkness, I’m not sure I can support eighty thousand subjects, but I should consider it. That’s the sort of country I’m aiming to create, after all.
Ainz thought about the shape he wanted his nation to take.
He wanted all different races to coexist. He wanted his country to be like the guild Ainz Ooal Gown once was in the Great Tomb of Nazarick—the kind of country where his old guildmates could enjoy themselves.
That was why he felt he should show compassion to the kuagoa.
But even if they swear loyalty, where can I have them live? These mountains are a tricky proposition… Maybe the mountains south of E-Rantel? But there are probably already other people living there… Hrm. This is a pain. Maybe Cocytus can make use of his experience ruling the lizardmen, since the civilization level is about the same. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to call him.
The yell that disrupted Ainz’s train of thought came from Gondo.
“There it is!”
In the direction he pointed, sure enough, there was a fort-like structure right up against the surface of the rock.
Everyone moved toward it. If they wanted to hide themselves, there were plenty of ways to do so, but that would only defeat the purpose of their visit, so they openly headed for the front door.
As they got closer, there were signs they had been noticed as the soldiers guarding the fort began to move.
Like a businessman checking his appearance on his way to a meeting, Ainz made sure his robe didn’t have any wrinkles. Of course, it was a magic robe, so it couldn’t get wrinkled, but Satoru Suzuki’s memories whispered that he should smooth it all the same.
As they continued their approach, the dwarves in the windows took aim with their crossbows.
The only people in the party who would take serious damage from a crossbow bolt were Gondo and Zenbel. If Ainz had those two walk out front to show the party had no hostile intentions, they could be mistakenly shot, so he discarded that plan. Ainz would go first to negotiate. Zenbel and Gondo could come later.
He had the magical beasts stop just outside the effective range of the crossbows and got down off his mount. They were still within maximum range, though, so he ordered Aura and Shalltear to stand by and protect Zenbel and Gondo just in case.
All that’s left is counter-player measures.
He directed everyone to prioritize withdrawal and defense in case a player appeared. On their way here, Gondo couldn’t confirm the existence of anyone that strong, so it was more likely that there weren’t any other players present, but Ainz definitely didn’t want to let his guard down and lose one of the guild’s NPC children again.
All the dwarves observing them had the same expression frozen on their faces. They were so beardy, it was hard to tell them apart, so the way they were standing with only their faces and their identical expressions showing was somewhat…comical?
Suppressing his laughter, Ainz feigned composure and walked forward alone.
Partway there, he held up his hands to show he meant no harm.
When he had nearly reached the fort—
“Stop right there!”
—a tense voice issued an order. Ainz internally lamented how cruelly they were treating him—he may have been an undead, but he wasn’t exhibiting any hostility at all.
“What are you here for, undead?”
Ainz stroked his smooth skull face. “I am the ruler of the Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. I, the King of Darkness, have come to build friendly relations with you, the dwarves. We will not be hostile unless you attack us. Lower your weapons.”
The dwarves peering out the windows looked confused. Ainz decided to say what he came to say and continued.
“When I captured the kuagoa invading Fehu Raido, I learned they were targeting this city. If you’re lacking confidence in your military might, I—my country, rather—could support you. Yes, as a sign of friendship.”
Then he smiled. But perhaps because he had no skin, his benevolent expression didn’t get through to them.
“Who’s that dwarf behind you? A hostage?” The dwarves were still wary of him.
“How rude. I said I was a king, didn’t I? Is that how you talk to a king?”
The dwarves exchanged glances. Then one of them replied. “B-but wait. You need to prove to us you’re a king.”
“I see. That’s reasonable.” Ainz agreed emphatically. “Then, allow me to introduce him. This is Gondo, one of your own and an engineer I met in Fehu Raido.” Ainz indicated the dwarf with a kingly gesture he had practiced a million times.
It was the motion a ruler might use to summon their subordinate.
When he heard the faint sound of the dwarves gasping, he was deeply satisfied and knew the time he had spent practicing hadn’t been wasted.
Gondo had arrived, so Ainz cheerfully struck another royal pose and said, “Sorry, can you go into the fort and explain the details?”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
Gondo went to the gate. Then he introduced himself and asked to be let in, but the gate didn’t open.
“…What is it?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe something weird is going on.”
“H-how do we know you’re really that oddball Gondo who never goes out with us? You might have used magic to change appearances!”
Ainz frowned when he heard the dwarves talking. Being on guard was extremely important. Ainz agreed wholeheartedly. But to have this little trust was next level.
He had heard on the way, though, that there might be someone on duty there who knew Gondo; fortunately, there was.
“Very well, Gondo. Can you tell them something—say, your address or whatnot—that only someone living in this city would know? That would prove it’s really you.”
“O-okay. Hmm… I’m going to spill his secret to his wife later. Uhhh…so there’s a joint in my ’hood called the Black Gold Beard! The old lady who runs it has a face like an anvil and serves food that tastes like shit. The simmered dishes are the only edible things there!”
The dwarves were silent. Ainz looked at Gondo, wondering what the hell he was doing, but the response a moment later was remarkable.
“You idiot! Nobody eats there! That place is for drinking! Their dark beer is the best!”
“That’s a lie! The best is the red shroom wine!”
“What are you guys talking about? The best is the unrefined stuff, with that full flavor.”
“Seems like you guys don’t know what real alcohol tastes like. The best spot is the Bearded Maiden!”
Ainz made a mental note that dwarves were extremely into drinking and asked them, “So? Do you believe he’s really Gondo now? And about the earlier topic I raised, all I really wanted to say was that the kuagoa are on their way to circumvent the Great Chasm to attack you. If you could just tell your higher-ups that I warned you, that would be great. Now, no matter what horrible things happen to your city, I know my country did the right thing, so no one can complain to me later.”
A few of the dwarves pulled their heads inside.
Some more time went by. They seemed to be consulting one another in a group.
“Wait there for a little while! We’ll send a message to our supreme commander!”
According to Gondo, that was the highest authority in this country’s military.
So that meant this matter warranted the attention of a person at the top.
“Heh-heh-heh.” A laugh Ainz couldn’t contain spilled out.
When he looked in the direction of the ker-chk, ker-chk noise he heard, the dwarves were pointing their crossbows at him again. They were breathing hard and seemed extremely tense.
Crap. Are they mad because I laughed?
“Sorry. For the time being, is it all right for Gondo to enter the fort? We’ve explained who he is, right?”
“N-no! D-don’t move! Wait right there!”
He hadn’t even really laughed at them, but it seemed they were offended.
Any strong emotions he felt were normally automatically suppressed. But little waves of emotion got through.
If a businessman was caught snickering during his first time visiting some company, what would the hosts think? Ainz was slightly irritated that he hadn’t thought that far and made a mistake as a result.
I need to be a bit more careful, he thought as he and Gondo distanced themselves a little from the fort.
They stood there waiting for a while.
Even I offered Jircniv a welcome drink and chairs when he came to visit! Do dwarves not do that? Oh…but I guess this is a different case.
Jircniv had come with an appointment, but Ainz was making a cold call. He supposed he should be glad he wasn’t simply turned away.
Besides, he couldn’t drink with his body anyhow.
Still, we brought intelligence that can help the dwarves, so I think they could be a bit more hospitable. Well, I can afford to be more aggressive o
nce we actually establish a diplomatic relationship, so I guess I’ll wait.
He did think maybe he should change his clothes to not be rude.
First, he took out his imitation Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. Everything about it was visually the same, down to the metal used in its construction, but it didn’t have even a tenth of the real one’s power. It merely held jewels of the same color.
Ainz formed a red light in it and then darkened the color. Why did that adjustment function even exist? Ainz was troubled by the mind-set of his most perfectionist guildmate.
It wasn’t as if it was synchronized to his aura or anything.
A dark halo appeared behind him. Sure enough, it was no different from the staff’s aura.
…It’s just visually appealing, I guess.
A crash interrupted Ainz’s thoughts. He noticed three dwarves had plunked down onto the ground.
He had the feeling this group included the dwarves who had been on guard against the party but also their superiors. Partly because two of them had fancier clothes than the third one. Was one of them a guard from the fort and the other two officers?
Why are the three of them sitting down? Is it etiquette to sit when you talk…? They’re staring at me with awfully wide, suspecting eyes. If that’s some sort of expression specific to dwarves, I kind of hate it.
Since their beards hid their mouths, it was hard to tell what face they were making.
Ainz wasn’t sure what to do, but he walked over to the seated dwarves and held out a hand—in a way that could be taken as either him offering them a hand to get up or a handshake. Personally, he would have preferred it if they stood to talk to him.
Interacting with a foreign culture was truly difficult. One wrong move, and he could be making a gesture that to them was rude.
If they laughed at him and said, If you’re here for diplomacy, then how come you didn’t even bother to look up our country’s manners? he would have had nothing to say in return.
Anxious internally, as well as thankful for his unmoving expression, he continued holding out his hand.
The dwarves looked between his face and his hand, perplexed.
Hrm? Could it just be that they’re incredibly frightened?! I mean, I guess I do have a particular…appearance. Still, no one in the human world reacted this way.
The Dwarven Crafter Page 14
