Published at 26th of March 2019 2:14 am

Volume 11, Chapter 1: Preparing for the Unknown Land Part 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Two hours after meeting the Lizardman, Ainz sighed quietly within his room.

That was because he had just finished communicating with Fluder and Ainzach via [Message].

Why do I have to teleport over there in person to prove my identity? Especially Fluder. I thought he’d be used to it by now, but I guess I was wrong.

When he used [Message], neither of them believed that he was Ainz, so he had no choice but to [Teleport] to where they were and speak to them in person.

The way in which they apologized for the inconvenience in the same way and asked Ainz to only use [Message] in times of emergency made him feel like they had planned it out beforehand.

Ainzach aside, you’d think Fluder wouldn’t want to waste time on other matters, considering the book which I gave him.

Of course, Ainz was wise enough to remain silent.

Speaking of which, while he had heard of the tragedies caused by the use of [Message] in the past, it was hard for him to understand why they could not put their faith in the spell until now. That said, it probably was not something they could accept so easily. In addition, it would be quite damaging if they, as his collaborators, were deceived in such a way. In that case, all he could do was suck it up and accept that the MP cost of teleportation magic as a necessary expense.

His dejection was also related to the results of his conversations with the two of them. The use of teleportation would have been worthwhile if it had yielded good information. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Ainzach knew that there was a Dwarven Kingdom in the Azellisia Mountain Range, but he was not sure of its location. The Kingdom had not attempted to forge any national-level ties with the Dwarves either. Even if they had, those would probably be limited to small deals within the mining city of Re-Brumelashul. Ties like these would be closely linked to the city’s profits, in any case, and so it would be hard to try and cut in on them.

Fluder felt the same way too.

Although he had heard of Dwarven culture and their government, the fact was that he knew next to nothing about them. There was something about how a powerful Dragon had caused great damage to a Dwarven city, but he had no clue about the name of the city, or the name and abilities of the Dragon.

It would seem Fluder had not investigated the matter because it did not interest him. However, they could probably begin researching it through Imperial channels after this. At least, that was what Fluder suggested, but Ainz shot that suggestion down. It would take too much time, and having an exposed traitor like himself perform said research might lead to trouble.

In the end, the only person he could count on was Zenberu the Lizardman.

It’s about time I sent a [Message] to those two and told them about the Dwarves.

“I’ll contact Shalltear first. Hm… the right person for the job?”

That was high praise and cruel criticism at the same time.

Ainz closed his eyes — though he had no eyeballs — and thought about the matter for a few minutes. Then, he opened his eyes and cast the [Message] spell.

“—Shalltear Bloodfallen.”

『Is, is that you, Ainz-sama? Where do you need a [Gate] opened at this time?』

Shalltear was the strongest of the Floor Guardians, and the only one to administer multiple floors. The fact that the first thing she asked was where to open a [Gate] was terribly sad. At the same time, Ainz felt a little guilty about assigning that task to her.

“No. This time, I shall entrust a weighty duty to you.”

『A, a weighty duty?』

“Umu. You shall accompany me on my travels, and ensure my safety.”

The silence lasted several seconds.

Don’t tell me she didn’t hear that. What’s going on? Just as Ainz began to wonder if something was wrong, Shalltear’s voice — off-key, probably from over-excitement — rang through his head.

『Your servant shall fulfil this task, even if she must grind herself to dust in the process!!!』

“U-umu. Then I shall explain in greater detail. Come to my quarters in E-Rantel.”

If he did not specify that, it was quite likely that she would teleport to Ainz’s room in Nazarick. However, that had only happened once. He had sent a [Message] to Narberal telling her to come to his room, and after waiting and waiting for ages she had not arrived. It was only after he sent another [Message] to her that he discovered she had been waiting at his room in Nazarick.

Ainz reflected on it, and realized that the fault lay with the order which he had given. Thus, he resolved never to make that mistake again.

『Understood! Your servant shall come immediately!!!』

“Also, give Mare your task of maintaining surveillance on the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Inform him of whatever he needs to know when you hand your duties over to him. Considering the time needed for that… Come over when you’ve settled your affairs over there. I don’t have any appointments which will take me away from my chambers, so I will wait until you arrive.”

『Yes!! I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, shall carry out your orders faithfully and without delay!!』

“The handing and taking over of duties is very important. Don’t rush and make a mess of it just because I’m waiting, got that? I shall order Mare to proceed to your room, the Adipocere Chamber.”

『Understood!! Then I shall commit the tasks which I will be handing over onto paper!!』

“Also, I trust I don’t need to say this, but you are to give your ring to Mare.”

『Of course!! I understand that it will only be in his safekeeping for a while!!』

It was very dangerous to bring that ring outside of Nazarick. On the other hand, as long as it and the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown were not taken, there would be enough time for all the Guardians to gather. Therefore, the rings were hidden within the piles of gold within the Treasury, apart from the one which Ainz wore and the ones issued to certain people within Nazarick.

The reason why Ainz wore the ring despite knowing the danger was because it would be impossible to enter Nazarick if nobody wore it and the enemy had blockaded the entrance to Nazarick.

“Very well. Begin your preparations, then.”

『Yes!! Then, is there anything I should bring to your room, Ainz-sama?』

“A reasonable question, but there is nothing you need to bring. I will explain my plan to you when the time comes, and then I will give you time to ready yourself.”

『Understood!!』

Shalltear’s passionate response vanished as the spell terminated.

Then, he sent Mare a [Message]. There was little difference in the contents of their conversation, save that he told him to take Shalltear’s place as the protector of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick.

After hearing Mare’s still, small yet clear voice, Ainz ended the [Message].

Finally, Ainz sent Aura a [Message].

“Aura, it’s me.”

『Yes, Ainz-sama! What do you need me to do?』

“Umu. I would like you to accompany me to the Dwarven Kingdom.”

『Understood!』

“First, I hope you will meet me in my chambers at E-Rantel while we wait for Shalltear”

『Shalltear?!』

The ensuing cry of disbelief made Ainz grateful that he did not need eardrums to hear.

“Aura, lower your voice.”

『I, I’m very sorry, Ainz-sama!』

Like I said, lower your voice... Ainz thought that, but did not say it.

『Ah, are we going to destroy the Dwarven Kingdom?』

“No. How did you reach that dangerous misunderstanding? I just want to conduct some friendly negotiations.”

『Ah, I see! So you’ve already foreseen that peaceful negotiations will break down, then?』

“Aura, your—”

『Ainz-sama, I’m here!』

“What? You mean you’ve already arrived at my room?”

『Yes, exactly!』

A knock came from the door just as she said this.

Ainz smiled bitterly as he watched Decrement go to answer it.

“Ainz-sama, Aura-sama requests your permission to enter.”

Ainz gestured his approval, and Decrement took one step away from the door.

『”Sorry to disturb you, Ainz-sama!”』

Aura’s voice overlapped with that of the [Message] spell as the Dark Elf girl greeted him.

“All right, then. Have a seat and we’ll talk.”

Ainz indicated a pair of sofas which faced each other, and then turned to Decrement.

“Prepare refreshments for Aura.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama. We have apple juice, orange juice, lemon squash, tea and coffee on hand at the moment.”

Decrement placed the apple juice which Aura requested on the small table between the two sofas. As Aura began sipping at it, Ainz began his explanation.

“First, let me explain myself about your question concerning the destruction of the Dwarven Kingdom. Bringing Shalltear along does fulfil a requirement for combat power, but there is another reason for that.”

“Eh?!”

Aura’s eyes went wide. Given her attitude, it was clear that she considered Shalltear to have very limited uses. Still — Ainz found it hard to hold back the warmth surging within his chest.

It reminded him of Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino’s relationship.

Every now and then, Bukubukuchagama would ask, “Has my stupid little brother given you any trouble?”

When people replied with an, “Uh, I don’t think so?” she would immediately respond like Aura had, with a “Seriously?!”

It was hard for Ainz to contain himself as he realized that Aura and Shalltear were carrying on that same relationship. The memories fell like powdery snow, filling his heart with bliss. His joy welled up, and just as he was about to laugh — the emotion was suppressed.

“...Sh*t.”

Ainz quietly cursed as his moment of happiness was ruined by his emotional suppression. It had helped him out many times in the past, but he found it tiresome when it got in his way. Ainz knew he was being selfish and hypocritical, but he still found it hard to accept this interruption of the memories of his former friends.

“Ah, er… Ainz-sama? What’s wrong?”

However, his displeasure vanished like smoke in the wind as he heard the girl’s tremulous voice. He could not allow himself to express these negative emotions in a way which even a child could see. Ainz took a deep breath, and smiled to Aura.

“No, my apologies. It’s nothing. As I was saying earlier, I’m bringing Shalltear along this time around to investigate her adaptability. She was created to be the strongest Guardian. At that time, if she had fought properly, even I might not have been able to beat her.”

“Well, if it’s for something like that—”

“—No, it’s not like that. If I were Shalltear, I would have summoned my Einherjar right away and then prepared for battle while it engaged my enemy, then attacked with magic as my MP permitted, followed by the use of my skills. Then, I would have triggered my Blood Frenzy in some way and then charged into melee with the Spuit Lance while my attack power was increased.”

Ainz smiled, a little uncomfortable.

“If that had happened, I would have run away without a second thought.”

His skill as a player aside, Ainz’s character could only be considered to be in the upper portion of the middle tier of all players. Shalltear’s character build and equipment placed her in the lower portion of the top tier. If she was fully equipped — with divine-class items — she would be in the middle portion of the top tier. If she could change her gear to match her opponent, she might well be able to fight on even terms with the upper echelons of the top tier.

“However, her reputation as the strongest Guardian has instead hampered Shalltear’s growth.”

“Eh?”

“The most effective use for Shalltear is to deplete the enemy’s resources, so she has to be launched out like an arrow. Once she is deployed, she has to be left to run amok through the enemy lines. However — is that really the right thing to do? It might be the best way to fully utilize Shalltear’s strength, but can we really say that it’s the most suitable method to use?”

“I don’t quite understand… but if you feel that it’s right, then it should be correct, Ainz-sama.”

That sort of answer really makes it hard to keep the conversation going. What Ainz truly wanted to hear right now was a carefully reasoned reply about the pros and cons of Ainz’s statement, which was what a proper adult would have said. Still, children were expected to be frank, after all.

“Is, is that so. However, I don’t think that is the case. When I said that it was the best way, it was only in terms of fully utilizing her strengths. However, it might not be the best way once Shalltear starts accumulating experience.”

Ainz was making progress as a warrior. No, it would be best to say that he had learned to make full use of all his abilities. While his physical abilities might not have improved, other parts of him were still growing.

Unlike how they had been when they were merely data, the NPCs now had minds and the capacity for independent thought. The same applied to Shalltear. The Shalltear of tomorrow would be different from the Shalltear of today.

“Having her do different things instead of repeating the same old tasks might help her grow… Of course, she might fail, although I do not wish for that. Still, even if she does mess up, all we need to do is to have someone beside her to pick up the slack. That is precisely why I asked for you, Aura.”

Aura had a better relationship with Shalltear than Mare. Ainz had selected the elder sister of the twins because she could keep Shalltear in line.

Having listened attentively to all of this, Aura forcefully nodded in acknowledgement.

“...Still, while I said that I want her to accumulate various experiences, that might violate the social contract, and it would cause problems for the company — for the group.”

“Eh? What does that mean?”

“...Think of it this way. It would not be good to force Shalltear to do things she does not want to do.”

“Obeying you is what we should do, Ainz-sama!”

“...Don’t you think it would be wrong to make her do something that goes against Peroroncino-san’s wishes? If my orders conflicted with Bukubukuchagama’s desires, how would you feel about obeying them, Aura?”

“Ng! Well, I, ah, I would…”

Aura nervously lowered her head, and muttered something along the lines of, “It’s hard to say.”

“All right, don’t worry about it. It was just a comparison. My reason for picking Shalltear this time around was to challenge her and see if she has grown.”

“I see! That’s Ainz-sama for you, your complex insights run so deep!”

A superior had to let his subordinates experience challenges in order for them to grow.

This was one of the secrets he had gleaned from a book he had read not long after coming to this world.

The reason why he had not given Shalltear an opportunity like this until now was because the situation had been very dangerous, and also because there was no time for such things. Now, however… no, there would be no better chance than this..

“I’ll tell you the rest when Shalltear arrives. That way, I won’t have to explain myself twice.”

Just as Ainz said so, knocking came from the door, followed by Decrement going over to check on the visitor.

“It is Shalltear-sama.”

The person he was waiting for had arrived. Ainz indicated that Decrement should let her in.

As the door opened, he saw someone in the doorway.

“Shalltear Bloodfallen is ready to go!!”

Ainz — who was prepared to thank her for her coming all this way — froze up for a moment, and it took him a while before he could gather his wits and speak.

“Why… why are you in your full battle gear?”

Not only was she in her full plate, but she was even holding her Spuit Lance.

“Yes!!! I am fully prepared to protect you, Ainz-sama!!!! I shall exterminate anyone who dares to oppose you, Ainz-sama!!!!!”

Ainz glanced at the panting Shalltear, her eyes wide open. Then, he glanced to Aura, as if to say, what should I do about this? It was not as though he could say Shalltear had gotten the wrong idea.

“Haaa~ you’re being too hasty. How about taking action after Ainz-sama finishes speaking?”

Shalltear pouted as Aura took a jab at her. Before the two of them could start quarrelling, Ainz raised his hand to get their attention.

“Shalltear. You might have the right idea, but things are different this time. Forgive me for not explaining things to you.”

Ainz hurriedly explained the objectives of this operation to Shalltear — and his plans to forge friendly relations with the Dwarven Kingdom.

A baffled look appeared on Shalltear’s face after she took it all in.

“If, if that’s what you want, is it really alright to bring me along?”

“...I have many reasons for choosing you. Having you protect me is one of them. But the greatest reason is so that you can gain experience. It is my selfish opinion that you consider yourself unsuitable for this task due to your Blood Frenzy. Perhaps after you give it a try, you might discover that you are surprisingly suited for this sort of thing.”

Shalltear’s eyes went wide.

“I understand, Ainz-sama!! I shall make sure you do not regret your decision!!”

“...Umu. Then, Shalltear, I will be placing you under Aura’s command for this journey. Since Aura is in charge of you, I hope you will obey her.”

“Understood!!”

Shalltear bowed to him.

Ainz wondered if her response was too high-strung, but it was better than a dispirited answer. Still, it would be troublesome if it all turned out to be for nothing.

“I appreciate your eagerness, but you should calm yourself down, Shalltear. ...Then, let us consider the matter of followers. Who else should we bring along?”

“Ainz-sama — may I be allowed to speak?”

Ainz was somewhat startled because the response had come from an unexpected quarter, but he coolly turned to face Decrement.

“What is it? Is something the matter?”

“Ah, I was wondering how you would feel about bringing some of us maids along to serve as your attendants during your trip to the Dwarven Kingdom. Traditionally speaking, those in power have always brought followers with them to handle miscellaneous tasks. I feel that the Dwarven Kingdom will think poorly of you if you do not bring handmaidens with you, Ainz-sama.”

“I see. ...You do have a point there.”

While spying on Jircniv, he noticed that the man went out escorted by several carriages, and some of them contained well-dressed ladies. They must be the people who waited on him. If he had stayed in Nazarick back then, Ainz would have observed him more carefully, but regrettably he had not, which was a bit of a shame.

No, the fact was that Jircniv had come a long way to visit Ainz, and Ainz had been terribly rude to Jircniv by not insisting that he stay the night. Granted, the man had firmly refused every offer of lodging Ainz had made, but perhaps the right thing to do was to make him change his mind.

Perhaps if they had established good relations back then, the matter of vassalage might not have come up at the arena.

Oops, I’m getting off-track… Decrement has a point, but—

Ainz considered her data. The 41 regular maids might look different, but their equipment and statistics were identical.

The heteromorphic species known as Homunculi were not particularly outstanding, and they were very weak, being only level 1. While they were still superior to level 1 human beings in terms of stats, if it came down to a fight, a Homunculus would only have a 60% chance of victory.

The maid uniforms they wore did provide them with a measure of defensive strength, but that was only on the level of a high-class item. Those might seem incredibly resilient to the inhabitants of these world, but they were nothing more than scraps of paper to a YGGDRASIL player.

Frankly speaking, there was no way he could bring them to the Dwarven Kingdom, given that he knew next to nothing about it. There was a chance that a player might be waiting with his forces deployed and ready for battle.

“Still… Unfortunately, I cannot do that. If we must have followers — Shalltear, can I bring your Vampire Brides with us?”

“There is no need to ask. Everyone in Nazarick serves you. You have but to order us.”

“Is that so. —Decrement, your proposal is very reasonable. However, it contains a problem, in that you are weak and I am uneasy about your safety when travelling into unknown lands.”

“We are all prepared to face any form of danger!”

Ainz raised a hand to calm Decrement down.

“I am pleased by the loyalty which you — which you all show. Therefore, once I ensure that the Dwarven Kingdom is safe, I shall send for you via teleportation. Until then, what do you think about handing the matter to the Vampire Brides?”

Decrement’s mouth moved several times, but no words came out. Eventually, she bowed her head. Ainz hoped that she was not agreeing because he had ordered her to, but that was most likely not the case.

Since he had nothing else to persuade her with, and he would not change his mind no matter what she said, Ainz turned his eyes from Decrement.

Resurrecting level 1 NPCs was cheap, but that was not the problem here.

Nobody would bring their friends’ children into a dangerous place.

“Then, Shalltear, bring — let me see — six Vampire Brides along. Then add 30 more riders on top of that. Five of them will be the recently summoned Hanzos.”

There was no particular significance behind the number 30. It was simply that he felt that number would be sufficient. Perhaps it was because this was the amount of players allowed in a raid group?

“I’ll contact Cocytus while waiting for everyone to gather. Right, I should finish up first. Once everyone is assembled, the two of you will travel to the Lizardman village through Shalltear’s [Gate]. After that, we’ll head north to find the Dwarven Kingdom. What do you think?”

“Understood!”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two Guardians replied in the affirmative. They did not suggest a better idea, which Ainz had hoped for. While the two of them were hardly yes-women, the fact that they had said exactly that in response to his suggestion made Ainz feel a little uneasy. This was because Ainz did not have much confidence in his own idea.

“Then, do you have any suggestions on who the other followers should be?”

“My magical beasts—”

“My undead—”

The two of them spoke up at the same time, and then glared at each other. Just as he thought they would start arguing, Shalltear looked away first.

“After you.”

“...What? Did you eat something weird?”

“It’s just that I was ordered to listen to you.”

“...It just feels gross.”

Shalltear’s eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing.

“In that case, how about having 25 of your undead ride my magical beasts?”

“I don’t mind —” Shalltear looked to Ainz “—But that would be more than the number you mentioned, Ainz-sama. Would that be all right?”

“It’s fine.”

“We’ll do that, then.”

Since the two of them seemed to have reached a consensus, Ainz continued speaking.

“Then, let’s get to work on our own accounts. I’ll give you two hours to select your personnel. Keep in mind that you may not be able to return for a while after leaving, and do not think that you can teleport back to Nazarick with teleportation magic. Aura, you need to be particularly careful about this as one of the living. If that’s all, let’s split up. I have a lot of things to discuss with Pandora’s Actor.”

At the same time, he made a mental note to contact Albedo about this with a [Message].

***

“At last, the time has come!”

After she was sufficiently far away from the supreme being’s room that her voice would not reach it, Shalltear clenched her fists and shouted in joy.

“It’s been so long… but at last, I can make up for my past failure and let everyone know that Shalltear Bloodfallen can be of use to everyone!”

Shalltear gazed off into the distance.

Aura was quite aware of the feelings contained within Shalltear’s voice, which was unusual for her. Although Shalltear had already been punished for her mistakes and Ainz-sama had personally told her that it was not her fault, Shalltear still wanted to erase the mistakes she had made. As a fellow Floor Guardian, Aura could understand her feelings very well. Still — she was a little uneasy.

“It’s been a long time coming… All the work I’ve been given until now had been so easy that anyone could do it. However… However…”

“Ah~ I feel that the work Ainz-sama gave you was very important, Shalltear.”

“Well, it is as you say, to some extent. Still, was that work really important?”

“Protecting Nazarick is pretty important, no? After all, being the first line of defense against any invader is a task you’d give to reliable Guardians, right?”

“Nngg!”

Shalltear could not deny that.

Then, she nervously pressed her fingertips together and pulled them apart again.

“Does Ainz-sama really think that way?”

“Mm~ probably. Ainz-sama said that you were very strong, Shalltear.”

Shalltear smiled broadly. That response let Aura sigh in relief. If she had let her go on like that, Shalltear would surely have gone to a lot of trouble for nothing and that would only inconvenience Ainz-sama. If that happened, she had no idea how she would apologize to him for it. In addition, she felt pity for Shalltear.

“But when I was in the human city, Demiurge singled me out. He must have felt I was useless. If that was what Demiurge — the greatest mind of Nazarick — thought about me, then wouldn’t the others, especially Ainz-sama — whose wisdom surpasses that of Demiurge — feel the same way?”

“Hm, you can’t really say that. Perhaps it’s because Ainz-sama is smarter than Demiurge that he felt that way about you.”

In that moment, Shalltear moaned wetly with a “Ho…”

“As expected of Ainz-sama…”

“...Haah.”

Aura was starting to feel a little tired. However, she had the feeling that being direct with Shalltear would not work, so perhaps an indirect method would be effective.

“Still, that means that the others feel the same way as Demiurge.”

“...I can’t deny that.”

Or rather, that was definitely the case. Aura spoke up before the wide-eyed Shalltear could continue.

“Ainz-sama wanted to test your flexibility by exposing you to various situations, so I think encountering difficulty isn’t a bad thing. Until then, if you take notes and learn from around you, you’ll be able to impress Ainz-sama and the others.”

“So I should study up before that?”

“That’s right. Think about it, you’re travelling with the greatest person in all of Nazarick, right? Doesn’t that mean you can learn something from Ainz-sama?”

“I see! ...But, what should I do?”

“Shalltear, that’s where the learning starts.”

“That - that’s right!”

At a loss for words, Aura had simply thrown that question back to her.

That ought to be okay… right?

A flicker of unease passed through Aura’s heart. Still, the ball was in Shalltear’s court now, and there was nothing else she could do.

Will she behave herself...

Aura offered up a prayer to Bukubukuchagama, the Supreme Being who was also her god:

Bukubukuchagama-sama, please watch over Shalltear, who was made by your little brother Peroroncino-sama!

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