Published at 26th of March 2019 2:14 am

Volume 10, Chapter 1 The Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown Part 3

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Ainz and the company advanced in a straight line along the main road.

It was hard to say the streets were filled with life. That much was obvious when he compared his memories from his time as Momon to the scenes before him now. The expressions of the pedestrians were grim, and they seemed to be moving a little quicker.

In contrast, the Death Knights walked proudly through the streets. They were probably patrolling in place of the usual city guard. Ainz had only given them simple orders: apprehend anyone engaging in violence, protect anyone who asked for help.

Ainz turned his gaze toward the city wall.

A portion of the mass-produced Death Knights were assigned to sentry duty on top of the walls. There were others like them who were watching the city gates or patrolling. However, the most bizarre way in which they were employed was in being ordered to build new villages with the denizens of the slum district.

The people who ended up being residents of the slums were typically the second or third sons of a family in villages: those who did not have their own farm to work. They dreamt of a better life in the city, but in the end, they could only scrape out a pauper’s miserable existence amidst the ashes of their dreams. Thus, Ainz promised to grant them a plot of land, and sent them out there.

They were sent to the ruins of villages that had been burned down due to the Slaine Theocracy’s plot. Since they had fallen due to external reasons, all one needed to do was to clear the rubble away, seek new villagers, and the village would naturally recover.

Because they had been attacked in the past, Ainz permitted the Death Knights and Soul Eaters to go with them as guards, and he also ordered them to help the villagers with their farm work.

Granted, neither of them were particularly adept at working the fields. However, they were far superior to ordinary human beings when it came to raw, physical strength. Essentially, they were heavy duty farm equipment which did not require fuel and which could function 24 hours a day. They were ideal for the task of breaking ground and heavy labor, and they would surely make great contributions in the coming harvests.

Ainz’s aim was to build the villages back up within a year, and allow them to achieve basic self-sufficiency. They would then begin a regular harvest in the second year.

However, the aim of rebuilding the villages was merely to collect their produce as taxes and dump them into the Exchange Box, where they would become YGGDRASIL gold coins. Albedo and Demiurge had praised this idea to the heavens, so it should be quite workable.

He had lent the undead to them in order to avoid foolishly wasting time on colonizing the wilderness.

At the same time, since the undead were on loan, he would collect additional rental fees on them in addition to the agreed taxes. While he did not need to charge them rent, he came up with the idea after considering that he might end up loaning the undead to various other people in the future.

While that plan prioritized sending large numbers of the slums’ residents ― with their families in tow ― out of the city, that alone was not the reason for the lack of people on the streets.

That would probably be because of Ainz. When pedestrians encountered him on the streets, they would stare with eyes wide before going back the way they came, or circling around him.

It was like walking in an abandoned wasteland.

Still, being feared was not bad. It was a dozen times better than being disrespected.

That said, it’s hard to believe my city would be such a lifeless place...

He did not care what happened to anyone else as long as the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick and its NPCs were happy. However, what would his past friends think if they were around?

Would they be like Ainz, who had been affected by being undead, and end up being influenced by their nature as monsters? Would they end up treating humans as little more than fodder? Or would they continue holding on to their strong emotions from their time as humans?

What on earth do I want to build this country into...

Just as Pandora’s Actor had said, Ainz needed to decide on how to run this country and the aim of ruling this city.

For example, by farming wheat and the like, and tossing them into the Treasury’s Exchange Box he could obtain coins that could be used to to strengthen the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. The country would then become one whose sole aim was to produce currency.

For example, he could breed and slaughter humans, thus making the country produce XP which would be stored within Greed and Generosity.

For instance, he could hand over all production tasks and work to the undead, making it a country where the living did not need to work.

And for example―

From a land filled with love to one ringing with resentment, how would this country which bore the name of the guild turn out?

He could not hand this decision to his subordinates. This was his duty, his responsibility, as the ruler of Nazarick and the Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown.

“―Fifth, what do you think of this city? Of this country?”

“My deepest apologies. May I know how you would like me to answer?”

He had been too abstract. Ainz decided to ask again:

“Do you feel this is a country where you can live in happiness? Tell me the whole truth and hold nothing back.”

“Yes. I am very happy in this country because you rule it, Ainz-sama.”

Ainz looked to the sky and sighed. Well, he should have expected an NPC to give him an answer like that.

“Just―”

“Oh, what’s the matter? Tell me anything that comes to your mind.”

“Understood. Why is it that despite you being here, Ainz-sama, that nobody comes out to pay homage to the ruler of this country, to your mighty form? And the way they hide in the buildings and peek out at you… it’s very upsetting!”

Fifth snorted. Indeed, many people were spying on Ainz and his entourage while hiding in the shops along the roads. In fact, some of them had gone weak at the knees when they saw the angels.

“Fifth, do you think humans are boring creatures?”

“Yes. It is as you say. They were not created by the Supreme Beings, thus they are pitiable lifeforms.”

More than half the beings in Nazarick thought that way. Even the level 1 maids were no exception.

“Fifth. All of you are still the most important to me.”

“Thank you very much!”

“However, I should show some measure of mercy to the people I rule. After all, they are citizens of the Sorcerer King.”

“It is as you say.”

“Then, why not turn this place into a utopia? A wonderful, dream-like world that is as sweet as soaking in honey. A world where they will wish to be ruled eternally.”

“I feel this is an excellent plan.”

“Since I intend to conquer the world, these subjects of mine will not just be humans. All the races of the world must kneel before me.”

“Naturally.”

Project Utopia.

This plan was being carried out on the 6th Floor, and was started with the intention of appealing to any players they encountered with the idea that Nazarick was a good guild which welcomed all races.

Using this place for the experiment sounds like a good idea, Ainz thought.

“I shall proclaim to the world: only those who serve the Sorcerer King shall have eternal prosperity.”

“There is no doubt that it is the truth.”

If he could do that, then if he ever found his former friends ― his former guildmates ― he could proudly show this city off to them.

It would seem the country Ainz wanted was one where he ruled various races who lived in harmony.

He would take the vision of Ainz Ooal Gown within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick and reproduce it throughout the entire world.

Just like how his friends might be hiding in some corner of the world, he would make a world where different heteromorphs and races could smile and live.

The light in Ainz’s eyes grew brighter.

The Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown should be a country where all races could coexist. This was something only the Sorcerous Kingdom could do.

Even if the founder of a nation was a genius, there was no guarantee that his children would be similarly gifted. And the generation after that, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren after them ― there was no guarantee they would be talented either. If the second generation was incompetent, they would be wiped out by society in the third generation. Ainz had heard this story quite often.

However, if they were ruled by an unaging, undying genius, this sort of thing would not happen. The ideal form of this was to have a dictatorship run by a handful of geniuses.

With people like Demiurge and Albedo in the Sorcerous Kingdom ― no, it was because they were there that they could make it an eternal paradise. Like Ulbert had once said, a dictatorship run by an iron hand would be great, or something like that.

Ainz pondered the matter further.

Led by Demiurge and Albedo, the Guardians were proceeding with their objective of world domination. Ainz could not completely deny their point. After all, this could spread their name to his comrades.

However, would it not be better to spread that name through means other than ruling through force? By letting the Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown be known as a utopia, they could make many people choose to bend the knee and submit to his rule for that sweet, honey-like promise.

It was like using sugar and a whip.

If Demiurge and Albedo were the whip, then Ainz would be the sugar.

What a great idea...

Ainz had decided.

Ainz was different from the NPCs that could only disdain those outside of Nazarick. This form of world conquest was something which only he, with his vestiges of humanity, could come up with. He would dominate through overwhelming charm.

Then, what should he do in order to carry out this plan?

As Ainz walked again, he thought desperately on the subject.

He would need methods unlike those of Demiurge and Albedo ― methods which did not rely on strength.

He could not imagine running a country by himself. Because of that, Ainz would imagine himself as an employee of a small company.

It would be a small company, the kind which only had a single floor in a building, and the sole employee of that company was Ainz.

The product of this company would be “The Sorcerous Kingdom’s Outstanding Rulership”. He would be promoting the sales of this product.

First, he had to consider his target market. Only then could he deliver this product to the hands of those who needed it. However, he lacked information on his consumers. Why was that? It was simple ― because he did not have enough publicity.

That said, it was not a matter of running to various cities and giving out pamphlets at the entrance. That would just be a waste of time. Ainz was the sole employee, so he had to consider other methods.

There was nothing like the mass media in this world. Although traders and other such professionals had their own intelligence networks, any publicity from them was hardly guaranteed to be accurate. Before Ainz had noticed, he was already at the entrance of the Adventurer’s Guild.

Perhaps it was because he had come here often as Momon, but it seemed to have become a habit. That was probably a symptom of workaholism, right?

Ainz smiled bitterly, and opened the door.

The counter within the building loomed into view. There was a female receptionist seated there. On her left was a large set of double doors, and on the right was a noticeboard, which had requests on parchment attached to it. And the adventurers who should have been standing before it ― were not there.

The Guild was empty. There was no comparing it to what he had seen during his time as Momon.

Ainz ignored the goggle-eyed receptionist who was staring at him, and walked to the noticeboard.

While he still could not understand their letters, he had memorized a few phrases, which included the month and the year.

At a glance, there were only old requests from a month ago. In other words, they were unimportant, repeating jobs.

“...Receptionist. There seem to be much fewer jobs now. Has nobody put in any new requests?”

“Hiii… yes, yes, that’s right. These are all we have, Your Majesty.”

So the number of adventurers had gone down because the number of requests had gone down as well.

The cause of that was Ainz.

Ainz had used his own military forces ― the Death Knights ― to patrol the streets and maintain the internal security of the Sorcerous Kingdom. In the end, it caused people to flee the threat of those monsters.

He considered that if they kept up their patrols, people like adventurers might completely cease to exist.

He would need to prepare requests for them in order to keep them around ― no, there was no need to keep the adventurers around.

Anything adventurers could do, Death Knights could do better ― though they might have difficulty with certain tasks, like picking herbs. But in that case, all he had to do was to rent the Death Knights out to herbalists as bodyguards.

Ainz still could not think of any uses for adventurers. And when one got down to it, the fact of the matter was that adventurers cost money to hire. E-Rantel and its lowered income did not have the luxury of such things.

In addition, they were hardly indispensable.

With that in mind, Ainz turned to the outside.

What a banal job...

He recalled the first time he and Narberal had come to the Adventurer’s Guild in this city.

He had thought that adventurers were like what he had seen in YGGDRASIL, those who ventured into the unknown and trekked to various places around the world.

If they’re just anti-monster mercenaries, then once the need for them is gone, they’ll be out of a job. It’s the same all over the world. To think that the image of adventurers as they were represented in YGGDRASIL was ultimately nothing more than a dream… A dream? Of exploring the unknown and travelling the world? Could it be...

Inspiration flashed through Ainz’s mind.

If he changed adventurers from monster-hunting mercenaries to explorers of the unknown like in YGGDRASIL, that would mean they would carry the name of the Sorcerous Kingdom into unexplored lands.

Ainz did not just want to reach the human world, but all the other races as well. He could easily promote himself in the human world through traders’ connections. However, since that was not enough, adventurers were the best choice for the job.

“Hmhm,” Ainz nodded.

Although the receptionist looked at him in a puzzled way, he paid her no heed. Or rather, if he had minded her, that rare flash of inspiration would have vanished.

Thinking like the head of a small business, Ainz decided to contemplate the outcome of this plan.

However, the number of adventurers in the Sorcerous Kingdom is slowly dwindling. If this keeps up, the situation will continue to deteriorate. They might even vanish completely in the near future. What can I do to reverse this trend?

It was simple enough to increase their numbers. All he needed to do was reverse the current circumstances ― in other words, the Sorcerous Kingdom would pay for monster elimination. However, that went against Ainz’s goal of having adventurers be explorers of the unknown. While he could also place requests to have them advertise him, Ainz did not have the money for that.

There were literal mountains of gold in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, but those were not Ainz’s personal funds. While the NPCs would all agree that all the wealth in Nazarick belonged to Ainz, he did not want to use that money on a personal project.

Just as Ainz was deep in thought, the sound of a door opening came from the entrance.

As he turned around, he saw adventurers ― who he seemed to have met before ― standing in the doorway, frozen in place as they watched him.

Hm? That guy’s name is… let me see… Yokmok? No, that’s not right, but it’s close.

It felt like he could reach it with his fingertips, but he could not quite get his hands on it. This frustration made Ainz dredge up the depths of his memories with all his will.

“Moknak...?!”

Just as he had found the answer, he blurted it out without thinking. Having been addressed by name, the adventurer froze in place.

Crap!

It was too late by the time he realized it. He could feel the eyes of the guild receptionist looking in this direction.

It was impossible that the new ruler of E-Rantel, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, would possibly know of a mere mithril-ranked adventurer. And if he did know the man, what did that imply? Ainz’s brain spun into high gear as he cogitated, but before he came up with an answer, Moknak spoke:

“Did, did you hear that from Momon-dono? My name, that is…”

“Umu, yes. That is correct.”

Ainz decided to catch that pass. A pair of dramatically opposite emotions appeared on Moknak’s face, expectation and fear.

Having recovered from his prior perturbation, Ainz began a deeper analysis of the situation.

He remembered that this man was the leader of the mithril-ranked adventurer party “Rainbow”. The first time he had seen him was during the Vampire Disturbance incident. They had spoken several times after that, but since they had not met recently, the man had slipped from his mind.

Much like other adventurers and soldiers, he seemed to worship Momon as a hero. So how would he feel about Momon becoming a minion of the Sorcerer King?

Why would Momon mention him to the Sorcerer King? Idle chatter? Or did Momon sell him out? His heart was probably awhirl with doubts and suspicions like that.

Ainz began looking for a way to turn this danger into an opportunity.

“When I asked him about capable adventurers around here, he told me about Moknak, the leader of ‘Rainbow’.”

Moknak, who had originally lowered his head, suddenly looked back up.

“Is ― is that true?”

“Do you doubt my words?”

“No! Of course not…”

When discussing business with a client, the first thing one should do was praise one’s counterparts. Few people would react poorly to praise. Once they were in a better frame of mind, they could then talk business. This was both a basic skill for a salesman, and also an ultimate secret.

Now that he had shaken up the other side and fully seized the initiative, Ainz did not waste the chance to fire off another question.

“Tell me, why are you in E-Rantel?”

If he wanted to learn more about adventurers, the fastest way to achieve that was to directly question an adventurer.

Moknak was baffled by Ainz’s question, but before long, he seemed to have gathered up enough courage to answer him.

“Because of the undead, Your Majesty. This place is close to the Katze Plains, and we can kill monsters for money without ever running out of them.”

Although Ainz did not quite understand, it would seem that even as the sweat gushed off him, Moknak had a rebellious smile on his face that seemed to say, “There, I said it”.

Ainz had plans to bring the Katze Plains under his dominion in the near future. Of particular note were the rumors of a ship that cruised along the land, which piqued Ainz’s interest.

“Is that so.”

“Eh?’

“Hm?”

“Ah, no…”

What a frustrating man. Ainz refused the urge to sigh and impulsively asked:

“Is that all?”

“...No, there’s more. Before Momon-dono came here, we were the only mithril-ranked adventurers among the senior adventurers, so it was easier for us to get well-paying jobs.”

So it was money after all. Perhaps earmarking part of the budget for adventurer remunerations might be the best course of action.

“Also, I was born in this city, so I know many people here. And also, all sorts of magic items flow through here.”

“Hoh, magic items, you say.”

“Yes. After all, magic items have saved my life in the past, so as an adventurer, I would naturally want to base myself in a place with good access to them.”

In YGGDRASIL, there were also stories of how a simple magic item averted a total party kill. That said, he had also seen many people who looked like adventurers in the Imperial Capital’s markets. In other words, if he could set up a larger-scale magic item business than the Imperial Capital, it would be sure to draw adventurers over.

He would probably be able to achieve excellent results by making magic items with appropriate data crystals and then auctioning them off. However, that would fundamentally be raiding Nazarick’s reserves, and there was no guarantee that Ainz and the others would not find the technologies developed with those items as a base pointed at their throats instead.

It should be fine if I use it as bait, right? No, I’d rather avoid using Nazarick’s resources if I can avoid it. So how about items made using the magical technology of this world? That way, we could hand them off to other countries without causing any problems… ah, this is hard. I’ll leave that idea for another time.

“Ah…”

Moknak’s worried voice jolted Ainz’s mind back from the depths of contemplation.

“Your Majesty, may I know why you are asking me these questions? If you will permit me to be frank...”

Moknak grit his teeth, and continued in a deeply pained voice.

“We are like dust when compared to even one of the undead that Your Majesty commands. With such powerful undead defending the area around this city, there is little point to the existence of adventurers within the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

What should he say now? What turn of phrase could he use to leave him ― and the receptionist looking over here, and the guild staff who had managed to cluster around them unseen ― with a good impression of himself?

Or perhaps, he could take a dangerous risk and directly shut him up by saying “There is no need to explain that to you.” That might be safer. However, if he did that, it might make them even more suspicious. There ought to be a better―

No, I have to believe in myself. I’m a man who has overcome many dangers in the past. I ought to be able to think of some way past this problem!

Ainz allowed his presence to radiate forth from him.

Come to think of it, you’ve already got such a clear picture of things in your mind. So why are you still in this city? Because you were born here? Do you have a girlfriend?

The answer to those questions would determine the direction in which the Sorcerer King would take this conversation.

“Before I answer you, I would like you to answer my first question. Why are you still in this city?”

“That, that’s because…”

Moknak began stumbling over his words. Then, despite hesitating a little, he continued:

“It’s because of Momon-dono. Momon-dono stayed in this city to be our shield. That being the case, how could I, a native of this city, do something as disgraceful as running away?”

In that instant, Ainz smiled.

Granted, while he had been Momon, he had understood this man to a certain extent. However, he had not expected him to bare his heart so readily.

“Is that so. Then, I shall answer your question.”

Ainz pretended to fall silent for a while, and then in a stern voice he announced:

“It is because of Momon. Since all of you might someday become people like Momon, I wanted to know what adventurers wanted, and what they sought.”

Moknak’s eyes went wide. The sounds of gulping could be heard from the nearby guild employees.

“Momon is strong, but more importantly, he has a noble spirit.”

It felt a little embarrassing to say that sort of thing about himself, but that was how Momon’s character had been planned, so it could not be helped.

“And then, I saw something like Momon’s radiance among you adventurers.”

Did my acting practice pay off, Ainz wondered as he uttered those words. A thunderbolt seemed to flash behind Moknak and the others.

“But, but Momon-dono is a supreme being, that only a chosen one could aspire to be. We couldn’t possibly reach his―”

“So you’re saying that Momon is blind to his own greatness, then?”

“What! Did, did Momon-dono say that too?!”

“Not directly.”

While he did not think it was funny at all, he nevertheless strove to imply that he found it amusing. Ainz took on a king’s smile ― the result of much practice ― and showed it to everyone.

“Even if you cannot do it, how about your children? Your grandchildren? Are you saying nobody around you could possibly give rise to someone like Momon? I am an immortal being, and the ruler of the Sorcerous Kingdom. It is only natural that I would want to take action to inspire genuine loyalty toward me from the next Momon. This is the meaning that I, as a ruler, have found for the existence of adventurers within the Sorcerous Kingdom. Well, there is another reason, but since it has not fully taken shape in my mind yet, I shall leave it at that for the moment.”

The air around him was silent.

Hm? Didn’t it work? Is this man not a zealous fan of Momon?

Just as unease was beginning to descend upon Ainz, Moknak bowed deeply to Ainz.

“Your Majesty, I am grateful for this meeting with you, and the opportunity to learn of your thoughts.”

As Moknak raised his face, there was no trace of the unease, fear or doubt that had originally been there. In contrast, he had a cheerful, carefree smile in its place.

“...What an awesome man. To think you possessed such incredible charisma, surpassing even your own potent magic.”

“I too am glad to have encountered such excellent adventurers. Someday, I would like to take you under my wing.”

Moknak’s face relaxed, feeling a little happier now.

“Still, Your Majesty. The Adventurer’s Guild remains unaffiliated with the government. Neither am I. Can you really take us on as subordinates?”

“Umu. I came for precisely that objective. Granted, this is just a rough draft and has not yet fully taken shape… Receptionist, tell the guildmaster that the Sorcerer King would like to speak with him.”

“Y-yes!”

The receptionist ― who had been dumbly listening to their conversation ― ran out of the room in a hurry.

“Then, Your Majesty, we bid you farewell.”

This was completely unlike how they had acted when they had first showed up. Moknak delivered a bow full of respect before he turned and left.

Now then… what should I do next.

The main thrust of Ainz’s incomplete plan was to use adventurers to extol the virtues of the Sorcerous Kingdom. There were three main points to that plan:

The first was the expansion of the Adventurer’s Guild. There was no point in an organization that only had 10 members or so.

The second was to nurture them. Weaklings could not go far, and if the gospel of being ruled by the Sorcerous Kingdom spread too slowly, it would not reap him many benefits.

The third was to make them want to genuinely help him. It was not that he could not use Momon, but if Ainzach wanted to help him out of his own free will, it would make things much easier in the future.

I need to solve these three problems before negotiating with Ainzach. Still… it’s really hard to negotiate without any information at all. Ah~ my stomach aches.

All he could do now was to pray that the Guildmaster was not in. Unfortunately, the first thing which the receptionist said when she returned was, “This way, please.”

Ainz looked up to the ceiling, and then followed behind the receptionist.

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