The dwarf felt tremendously indebted to the elder lich. It was a debt so huge that he had betrayed his entire race to repay it.
“…As long as that works for you, I’m fine.” The elder lich shrugged and then turned to Hejinmaar. “Okay, take me to the dragons who are stronger than you. Also, I heard there’s a treasury somewhere in this old dwarven capital. Do you know where that is?”
Hejinmaar was familiar with its location. He nodded, full of confidence. “If that’s what you’re here for, you’re in luck—both of those things are in the same place.”
•
Hejinmaar gave the dwarf and his mistress’s master a ride to his father on his back. Even if he was out of shape, he was a dragon. Carrying two people was nothing.
While they were walking, he learned why the elder lich was called His Majesty, which convinced him that knowledge and intuition were the two most important things in the world.
If he had appeared initially with the properly haughty attitude of a dragon, he would have been killed, without question. No, if he hadn’t loudly sworn allegiance, if he hadn’t caught their attention, his life would have ended before he realized what was happening.
It’s seriously a miracle that I survived.
Hejinmaar strained to keep his bladder from relaxing.
If he had a second accident, his evaluation wouldn’t simply hit rock bottom; it would go underground.
Luckily, they didn’t run into any other dragons along the way and soon found themselves near his father’s room, which was something between a throne room and a treasury.
Hejinmaar took a breath.
“Your Great Majesty. In addition to my father, there are three more dragons, his queens, inside. Are you going to bring the dwarf along?”
He was worried that if the frigid breaths of four frost dragons came whooshing toward them at once, the dwarf would die.
“Is there a problem with him coming?”
“N-no. If Your Great Majesty has no issues, then I certainly do not.”
“I gave him perfect resistance to chill, so he’s fine. That said, it would be a pain if they cast multiple area-of-effect spells of varying attributes.”
“I don’t think we need to worry about that, Your Great Majesty. Dragons take pride in their breath. Attacking first with that is standard, rather than coming out with weak arcane spells.”
“Then, I think we’re fine.”
“Hey, Your Majesty, can I say something? You can probably take four dragons like nothing, but this one’s mother must be among them. Wouldn’t it be nice of you to spare her at least?”
“Hmm…”
Hejinmaar twisted his long neck around and waited to see what kind of judgment his master would reach.
He didn’t feel like making a bigger request than what he had already asked for. He was fine with there being a chance that his mother could be saved like him, but he wasn’t going to risk his own life to beg for it. It wasn’t as though he held anything against his mom. Dragons simply didn’t have very strong bonds between relatives.
It was normal, once adults left the nest, for even parents and children to compete for territory. And dragons loved treasure, so they sometimes went to battle over each other’s riches, family or not.
It was extremely rare for a large number of dragons—who were old enough to leave the nest—to live in one place; that rarely occurred unless an overwhelmingly powerful dragon took charge and gathered them together.
In that sense, Olasird’arc, who kept his family close to unite against external enemies, could be said to go against the grain. Or perhaps it was better to say he was clever.
“Very well. I’ll do what I can to spare your mom.”
“Thank you, Your Great Majesty.”
He expressed his gratitude immediately. He didn’t want to make the lich feel awkward for showing him kindness. And he also figured that if his mother was saved, his share of the upcoming struggles would decrease. Although, with more numbers, he would be less rare, so to avoid becoming someone expendable, he would have to strive to earn favor with his masters.
“…That ‘Your Great Majesty’ thing is a bit much. From now on, you can call me the King of Darkness or just Ainz.”
Is it a trap? Am I being tested? Without a moment’s hesitation, Hejinmaar said what he felt was correct. “Yes, Your Majesty, King of Darkness!”
There was no way he could drop the Your Majesty.
“Right. Now go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
He breathed a sigh of relief, taking care that it wasn’t noticeable.
Yes, it must have been a test. If he had lowered his guard and left off the honorific, he probably would have been horribly punished—or even killed and dismembered.
Hejinmaar chiseled it into his heart: If there’s one thing I won’t become, it’s cocky.
Before long, they arrived at their destination.
The door was big enough that a dragon’s strength was necessary to open it. The dwarves had used a smaller door next to it for regular comings and goings; the larger door was apparently used only for ceremonies.
Hejinmaar put his shoulder against the door and pushed, taking care not to drop his master.
Coiled around the golden throne was his father, Olasird’arc. His mother, Chiristoran, and the other two queens, Minataron and Munwinia, were present, too.
Three gazes turned to him in suspicion when he entered. The gaze of his master above fell down on him. His mother’s was the last.
Before anyone else could open their mouths, Hejinmaar barked, “Seated atop me is His Majesty, Ainz Ooal Gown, King of Darkness! He is the king who will henceforth govern this land and have the dragons do his bidding!”
Technically, they would serve the dark elf Aura, but this was easier to explain, so he had gotten permission to declare it that way.
When he finished, silence enveloped the room for a moment. It was the short time necessary for everyone to digest what they had just been told.
“Have you lost your mind, boy?” His father was immediately furious.
Of course he was. He was the king who ruled this land—no, he used to be. It was a natural reaction.
He rose from his reclined position and got into a combat stance so he could come flying at his son at any moment.
Eep!
Hejinmaar was genuinely frightened.
Between his father and him, his father was unmistakably stronger. The disparity was insurmountable not only in terms of pure strength but also combat experience. His father’s body was even slim like an average dragon’s, unlike Hejinmaar’s.
He had less than no chance of winning in a fight.
But he had no choice but to make that announcement. He had read in a book once that no subordinate would ever make their leader introduce themselves.
That’s why he was trying to signal to his father with his eyes that he was saying it against his will, but Olasird’arc didn’t seem to notice at all. His raging glare was piercing only Hejinmaar. His father believed dragons were the strongest race, so Hejinmaar’s master and the dwarf probably weren’t worth his attention.
“Dragon king. I’ll let you live if you submit to me, so how about it?”
“Who are you, filth?! A skeleton?!”
He’s obviously not a skeleton! shrieked Hejinmaar in his head.
He nearly scoffed, Aren’t your dragon senses alerting you to the fortune he’s wearing? but then realized maybe his father was just too angry to notice.
Maybe he wouldn’t have acted this way if I hadn’t made him mad…
No, that wasn’t the issue here. He might have acted even more problematic instead.
As Hejinmaar was fretting, his father suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“…Wait, what’s that outfit he’s wearing?”
Apparently, once he had calmed down a bit, his dragon nose kicked in.
Hejinmaar had a bad feeling about this. He looked around for help, but the queens were all e
qually interested in his new master. They all had the eyes of beasts starved for wealth. His mother was the only one trying to slowly back out of this situation, but she didn’t seem to care about saving her son.
“I’ve never seen such riches. If you want to be forgiven for your rudeness, give me that clothing, skeleton!”
“Hmm… It’s torture to talk with someone this stupid.” A cold voice rang out.
Why don’t you realize your instincts as a living thing are telling you death is near?! It must have been his miserly ambitions as a dragon getting in the way.
“You ignorant fool! You’ve just abandoned your only chance for staying alive! No, I’m going to kill you and—”
“Grasp Heart.”
Hejinmaar’s father crumpled to the ground.
Everyone’s eyes gathered on this land’s most powerful dragon.
He didn’t move a muscle and appeared to be sleeping, but that couldn’t be the case.
As a chill settled over the room, the absolute ruler spoke. “I have no interest in listening to what you lot have to say. So, Hejinmaar. Which one is your mother? She’ll be the only one I spare. The rest I’ll take apart and put to good use.”
“Me!”
“Me!”
“Me!”
Three voices shouted at once. It almost had Hejinmaar shouting Me! too.
“…What? You mean one birthed him, one raised him, and one…incubated him?”
Hejinmaar eyed the two dragons who weren’t related to him—two dragons consumed by fear.
Their eyes were clouded over with terror. Of course they were. The most powerful dragon they knew had just been killed instantaneously. Reaching for the lifeline dangled from above without thinking about fighting or fleeing was the correct choice, much like how it had been for Hejinmaar.
Their frightened eyes turned to him ingratiatingly. What would happen if he said, No, only one of these is my mother? His absolute master would surely kill two of them with no hesitation.
At this moment, he held the power of life and death over those two. But he took no joy in it. All he felt was sympathy for these fellow dragons in the same boat as him—and the calculating urge to have these “mothers” in his debt for the future.
“That’s correct, Your Majesty. All three of them are my mothers.”
“I see. That’s too bad, but a promise is a promise. Very well, I won’t kill these three. I guess we still scored one dragon body? We have so many uses for dragons that one definitely isn’t enough, but…well, it really is a shame.”
When he glanced at the three dragons, they all lowered their heads in submission.
“Leave this place and bring back all the other dragons. Then I’ll announce that I’m your leader now… If anyone has an issue with that, I’ll deal with them personally.”
The queens raced away. It was impressive—astounding, even—how fast they moved.
Hejinmaar didn’t think they would try to escape. They knew that running away when up against a caster of this caliber was a gamble only one in a billion would win. Well, Hejinmaar didn’t care if they ran—because then he would get to learn how the King of Darkness would track them down and punish them.
Hejinmaar felt a light bonk on his head. When he turned around, his master was looking at him.
“I have a different order for you. It’s very important. Bring me any dwarven books you haven’t read yet, as well as all the other books that are here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty! Understood! I’ll bring them just as fast as I can!”
Hejinmaar let the pair down in a hurry and rushed off at full speed.
•
“Okay, he’s gone.”
Ainz watched Hejinmaar’s figure fade into the distance. He already knew how many dragons there were in this land, so if enough didn’t show up, that was perfectly fine.
He had a single dragon corpse, but he could think of so many ways to use it that he wanted more. Acquiring corpses by punishing subordinates who had done nothing wrong, however, went against Ainz’s self-imposed rules for reward and punishment.
“Heh-heh,” he sneered.
If they tried to flee, he would pursue and kill them, then harvest their bodies. As he did the math regarding how to use their parts, he shifted his gaze to the huge pile of gold the dragon had been lounging on.
“…That’s a dragon for you. This really is a mountain of treasure.”
It wasn’t much compared to Nazarick’s treasury, but this was more wealth than he’d seen in the possession of any other individual in this world.
There were gold coins, but there were even more minerals that seemed to contain gold. Besides that, there were what looked to be raw gemstones.
Among the items were a golden chain over five yards long, the skin of some sort of exotic animal, golden gauntlets inlaid with jewels, and a rough-hewn staff that seemed to have magical properties. Wherever had they found these things?
The answer may have been something only the dead dragon knew.
“Hmm… There doesn’t seem to be any pyrite or chalcopyrite mixed in. Is it mostly naturally occurring gold? This is what a dragon’s sense of smell can accomplish, eh…?”
That was the sort of thing Gondo was saying as he examined the minerals giving off a golden gleam. Is that gold or something else? wondered Ainz, thinking he would have to get it appraised once they returned.
“It’s no issue if I take ownership of these dragon treasures, right?”
“That’s your natural right. But how about you open that up now while everyone’s gone?”
“Hoo-hoo. You’re a rotten one, too, huh?”
“It’s for research. In any case, if there’s something Your Majesty would like, let me know. According to that dragon, there’s no catalog, but it’s probably not a good idea to take any of the famous dwarven treasures.”
“Why not say the dragons took them?”
“In that situation, I would have to assume they’d ask you for them, since you’re seizing the dragon’s loot. I doubt the regency council can really confront you about it, but wouldn’t it be better to avoid anything that could cause trouble in the future?”
“That’s exactly right. Okay, I’m going to go close the entrance. The fewer people who know what’s about to happen, the better.”
“Thanks, Your Majesty.”
Ainz and the dwarf split up and went about their respective tasks.
First, Ainz cast Gate and summoned eight-edged assassins.
“I have orders for you guys. Search this entire castle, including hidden rooms, and bring back any books you find. If you meet any dragons, tell them you work for me. If they attack, feel free to kill them, but do not under any circumstances strike first. And…I doubt this will be an issue, but considering the possibility of powerful enemies lurking around, operate in teams. If you encounter anyone strong, prioritize bringing back intelligence.”
Books written in the dwarven tongue he would have Gondo read for him.
After watching his underlings scatter, he tossed the dragon body through the Gate.
Hmm. If the body would accept a resurrection spell after we process it for parts, we could theoretically get a whole other set, but I suppose that’s impossible…
When the combat maid Yuri Alpha peeked out of the Gate, he ordered her to freeze the dragon corpse on the fifth level so it wouldn’t rot.
“Your Majesty! As expected, there’s nothing open. The treasures must be exactly how they were originally left.”
“I see. Then, I’ll open it.”
He said bye to Yuri, and after closing the front door, he stood before the entrance to the treasury.
His breast buzzed as he remembered his Yggdrasil days. There was just something incredibly fun about drops in the form of treasure chests. It could have been a single data crystal, but there was no telling until it was open. He felt that same thrill now.
But that feeling was neutralized.
The discomfort of having a nice emoti
on suppressed weighed on him, but he still felt a trace of excitement.
Ainz took out a magic item shaped like a board.
It was the artifact Epigonoi.
The item could be used only seven times, but it had lock-picking abilities on par with a level-90 thief.
It was incredibly rare, so he didn’t really want to use it, but he hadn’t summoned any minions with high-level lock-picking skills. The eight-edged assassins were specialized in stealth combat and had next to no lock-picking ability.
“I guess I have no choice.”
Ainz usually had a hard time using rare items he had managed to acquire. The reason he could do it this time with only a little hesitation was probably the promise of treasure.
He pointed the artifact at the treasury door and unleashed its power.
Peeking through the narrow opening, Ainz exchanged a firm handshake with Gondo.
Neither of them had any words. But their faces said it all.
A golden glimmer was a reflection of light—if there wasn’t any light, there wasn’t any glimmer. But in spite of that common sense, this enormous treasure seemed to glow from within. Unfortunately, the place apparently had no concept of organization, but still.
“…It’s fantastic.”
Like the dragons’ hoard, the dwarves’ was no match for Nazarick’s wealth, but as an individual, Ainz had to hand it to them.
He picked up a gold piece. It was a coin he had never seen before. It wasn’t like the gold trade currency, either. But he had the feeling it was different from the things dwarves made, as well—because of the human profile engraved on it.
“Apparently, at one time we had a trading relationship with the vast human country that ruled the area around these mountains, so it must be their king’s face. That was back during the golden age, when crafters were more influential.”
“Hmm.”
Ainz flicked the coin back into the mountain of treasure. The sound of the clink when it hit the other coins was loud and clear.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’m going to take the liberty of hunting for any technical manuals or rune items that might be useful for my research.”
“Go ahead. I’ll check things out, too.”
The Dwarven Crafter Page 27
