Chapter 1 The Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown Part 2
For instance, Ainz is a very trustworthy king and is a compassionate being
who thinks of the people.
"I see. Got it. But hey…you can wear armor now, so if you have nothing
else to do, how about putting it on and training?"
The prototype armor designed for Hamusuke should have been finished.
"Understood, that it is, master! In that case, I would like to see the
lizardmen, that I would!"
"All right. I'll make that happen. If I tell Cocytus, he'll have someone
summoned."
"I'm so very grateful, master, that I am! Okay, Sir Death Knight! Let's do
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our best together, that I say!"
Ainz paid no mind to the passionate friendship between the hamster and
the undead and walked away.
From behind he heard her say, "Ugh, be quiet already, that I say!" but he
couldn't imagine the death knight had said anything. He wondered what
Hamusuke was going on about but decided to forget about it.
Actually, that one time I gave her… I feel like I'm forgetting something.
But if I can't remember, it must not have been that important.
Despite that dissatisfying train of thought, like a sneeze that wouldn't
come out, Ainz had arrived in front of the second house. He didn't do
anything like use the knocker. Fith, who had been behind him, slipped by.
"Open it."
"Yes, Lord Ainz."
Her expression as she opened the door was attentive, but her lips were
smiling faintly. She must have been thrilled to have been of use to him.
I'm really glad I observed Jircniv. I really have gotten this ruler thing
down now. I feel bad for him, but I'm going to keep watching. It'll help me
learn how to act like a king.
Ainz didn't thank Fith but gazed at the open door.
"Eight-edged assassins."
"""Yes, my lord! At your service."""
The several eight-edged assassins who had accompanied him appeared at
his side.
"Go."
"""Yes, my lord!"""
When he gestured with his chin, the eight-edged assassins gave a more
spirited reply than usual and pressed into the building. No one was there
besides Pandora's Actor. Sometimes Narberal was around, but she was
usually in the Great Tomb of Nazarick carrying out Ainz's orders.
He could have left a regular maid here, but he didn't want the humans
who came to visit Momon to think they were being monitored, hence the
current state of things. Still, considering the possibility that the enemy who
brainwashed Shalltear might infiltrate, Ainz felt he needed to take some sort
of precautions.
…That is, if there's even anyone who could infiltrate this far. Well, only a
fool lets his guard down… Mm, still. How long do I have to wait here in front
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of this door? Am I supposed to go in? Common sense would dictate that I
wait here because the eight-edged assassins will return to this spot. But is it
very kingly to wait at the entrance like this?
After hesitating for a little while, Ainz decided, Whatever, and stepped
inside the second house.
He walked with what he imagined was the dignified attitude befitting a
king, which he had practiced dozens of times pacing around his room.
But before he went twenty paces, one of the eight-edged assassins
returned and threw themselves at his feet.
"Lord Ainz, we've called Master Pandora's Actor for you. He'll be here
momentarily."
"I see. Then I'll wait in the sitting room."
He had been to this house before, so he had a general idea of the layout.
He had Fith open the door and unhesitatingly sat in the most honored seat in
the room.
It felt strange because his old company employee manners told him he
was in the wrong spot, but this wasn't a hard move for Ainz after all his ruler
training.
A short time passed; then there was a knock on the door. He nodded at
Fith.
Having received permission, Fith opened the door, and Pandora's Actor
entered—not using magic to transform into Ainz as Momon but in his normal
military uniform.
"Lord Ainz, Supreme Being and my Creator—"
"No need for greetings. Sit."
"Yes, sir!" He clicked his heels together and strode over.
Pandora's Actor probably intended to display the brisk motions of a
military man, but to Ainz it was all unnecessary. Overblown was how he
would've described it.
Pandora's Actor crossed the room and sat next to Ainz.
Wouldn't you normally sit across from me?
Everyone has personal space, so Ainz was shocked to find Pandora's
Actor invading his so nonchalantly.
…Well, I guess it's fine. But he's right in my face.
He took a good look at Pandora's Actor. He wasn't quite as shocking as
when he met him in the Treasury. Over time, some of his orders must have
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toned him down.
"What is i—?"
"N-nothing. Don't worry about it. Now then, I wanted to ask you a few
things. First, tell me news about Momon. I know you're reporting in to
Albedo, but…have there been any problems?"
"Not real—"
"Okay. That's good. Then I want to ask you, as Pandora's Actor: Have
there been any problems?"
The atmosphere changed.
"Actually, Lord Ainz!" He leaned in so far that Ainz bent backward as if
he'd been pushed. "I haven't the fortitude!"
Before Ainz could even retort with a Who are you? Pandora's Actor
continued.
"I haven't touched a magic item in so very long. I haven't polished any of
the magical objects created by the Supreme Beings. I wasn't done sorting the
data crystals, either. I beg you, Lord Ainz! Give me some time to spend with
the magic items!"
"…Is this how I made you?"
"Indeed! These are emotions I received from you, Lord Ainz!"
"…Oh."
Ainz racked his brain to recall the backstory of Pandora's Actor. He did
remember giving him some sort of personality trait like enjoying the
caretaking and keeping of magic items. It made sense, since Pandora's Actor
was the only one in the Treasury. He was surrounded by things he loved and
had basically gotten a job in heaven, was what Ainz's idea had been. But this
seemed to be entering fetish territory.
"Don't you go back to Nazarick every day?"
Half of Nazarick's undead were made by Ainz, and the other half were
made by Pandora's Actor. His creation's undead were somewhat weaker than
the ones Ainz personally created but still within the margin of error, and there
were tons of corpses kept on ice on the fifth level—so many that even with
both of them creating undead, they couldn't possibly get through them all.
"But I don't have permission to return to the Treasury!"
What state of mind was he in if he wasn't making his over-the-top
gestures like usual?
"I see. Then I'll have Shalltear give you a ring. And as for the gear you
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asked me about, I'll allow it. Just don't break it."
"Ye—"
"Cut out the gestures. I thought I told you to talk normally—er, maybe I
didn't. Hmph. Pandora's Actor!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"Our relationship is creator and creation. I'm very pleased that you
endeavor to express yourself as I created you. But I also believe this: that
children should surpass their parents."
"Ohhh…Lord Ainz. You think of me as your child…"
"Right, right. You're, yeah, my child or at least something…like that. No,
you definitely are. That's why you don't need to speak German or salute or
react so dramatically, and so on, in front of me. Though I created you, I want
to see parts of you that I didn't create, as proof of your growth."
He turned to look when he heard a sniffle and saw Fith dabbing at the
corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Why?
Are your tear ducts too loose?
Amid Ainz's confusion, Pandora's Actor bowed low. "Understood,
Father!"
"…Mm."
"Just watch, Father. I'll make all your wishes come true!"
This was a bad idea. I was too hasty. It was impossible, but Ainz felt
assaulted by a headache.
"Pandora's Actor, you mustn't tell anyone what happened here today.
You understand, right? If people learned you were getting special treatment,
it could cause discord. And…for that reason, I'm lowering your importance
to me. If I had to choose between saving a floor guardian and you, I would let
you go."
"Of course, my lord! Please let me go!"
When he said it so proudly, Ainz felt guilty.
"Sorry. And, Fith…know that everything that just happened must be kept
between us." When he saw that she nodded, he nodded as well. "Okay, I'm
going to go now."
"Please wait. Since you're here, there's something I want to ask you,
Father. How do you plan to rule the Nation of Darkness?"
"What?"
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"Many of the humans are wondering what direction you will lead this
country in. Will you implement expansionist policies? In that case, will they
be sent off to war? Things like that."
Ainz stopped where he stood.
Where was Ainz Ooal Gown headed?
Ainz was just a normal guy, so when presented with the extravagant goal
of world conquest, he had almost immediately quit thinking about it. He
figured he could leave it up to the smart ones like Albedo and Demiurge.
But the decision of how to rule the country was one he couldn't avoid.
"Is something wrong, Father?"
"…I'd like to tell you, but I'm still thinking it over myself. I'll let you
know after I've consulted with the guardians."
"Yes, sir!"
Ainz stood silently. "All right, Pandora's Actor." He heard a return salute
as he left the room.
Before he went outside, he contacted Shalltear using Message to relay
Pandora's Actor's request before he could forget. If he put off work till later,
it often slipped his mind.
When they reached the entrance, Ainz opened the door before Fith could
for him.
Then he looked up at the sky.
It was blue.
"I'll fly."
That was all he said. He heard the flustered commotion of several people
behind him, but he ignored it.
He sailed up into the sky using Fly. Then he landed on the roof of the
second house.
E-Rantel was a fortress city built with three concentric walls. From this
view, one of the walls blocked his vision.
"I guess I can't see it. All I can do is go there."
If he walked the streets, maybe he would get an idea, something he would
never come up with if he stayed here.
An eight-edged assassin climbed up the wall.
"Lord Ainz, please wait! It's too dangerous for you to go alone!"
He couldn't laugh off what the eight-edged assassin was saying.
Standing out in the open alone was as good as saying, Go ahead and snipe
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me.
"Yeah, you're right. Certainly if Peroroncino was my opponent, I'd be a
sitting duck."
Peroroncino was an archer and the most specialized in ranged combat of
anyone in Ainz Ooal Gown, so he would probably have been able to shoot
him to pieces. He was a man who had no trouble attacking targets from over
a mile away. Lurking in the shadows and sniping—with a bow—was his
specialty. That said, Ainz wasn't planning to get picked off, even against
Peroroncino.
He was confident that he could employ several different methods of
defense, run away, and switch to attacking. It was training in PvP with
Peroroncino through which he had made that possible. He wasn't going to die
so easily. But since here he had to be on guard against moves that existed
only in this world, the eight-edged assassin was right.
Ainz couldn't die yet. At least not until they experimented with
resurrecting a player. He needed to act as though he had only one life and
prepare a shield.
The safe choice was definitely Albedo, since she was the toughest
guardian. But then they would need someone to escort her. Soon it would be
a whole procession. He didn't want to do that unless he was trying to lure the
enemy to attack.
In that case, the best would be a disposable high-level minion…
I don't really have any high-level monster minions. As for mercenaries, I
used up most of my summons on Albedo's subordinates, so I don't really have
the bandwidth to call many more.
Ainz sort of regretted trying to look cool and splurging. But he consoled
himself by thinking, Sometimes bosses have to fake things for appearances.
Wait, wait. I need to think my options through one at a time.
Ainz made a list in his head:
MERCENARY MONSTERS: Without money, calling on them was
impossible.
THE SKILL UNDEAD ADJUTANT: No good, since it used experience
points.
SUMMONS VIA THE STAFF OF AINZ OOAL GOWN: Walking around with the
Guild Weapon was out of the question.
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THE SKILL CREATE UNDEAD: Even Create Upper-Tier Undead resulted
only in monsters with levels up to about 70, meaning they weren't
strong enough.
Well, I have a trump card.
He could use Master of Dark Rites to strengthen his Create Undead skill.
Create Upper-Tier Undead could be used four times in a day, but by using
up two of those, he could create an undead that was nearly level 90.
Ainz put a hand to his chin and pondered what sort of undead to make. A
thief-type eternal death? Or an eyeball type specialized in detection?
Eternal deaths were fantastic but had a continuous passive skill called
Aura of Death and Putrefaction. It was a great skill, like a mix of Ainz's Aura
of Despair V (instadeath) and Aura of Despair I (fear), so this undead could
deal instadeath and ability point penalties. It was especially adept at the latter.
Since the aura wasn't a psychic effect, even those immune to psychic magic
couldn't protect themselves from this tricky undead.
Using it in a setting where friendly fire couldn't be avoided would surely
create a hellscape filled with agonized shrieks. If he gave the order, the
ability could probably be turned off, but it still seemed insane to take an
undead like that out and about.
A handful of other terrifying monsters came to mind and then vanished.
…Man, it's like…they're all so unattractive… Even though they have
great abilities.
They all seemed so incredibly inappropriate for a king to take as his escort
on a walk through town.
As Ainz was trying to figure out what to do, his eye landed on Fith as she
desperately tried to climb up the wall. He said nothing and jumped down.
Partway through his fall, he used Fly to slow himself and practically floated
to the ground.
Fith, red in the face with her hands up on a window frame, hurriedly fell
in line behind him.
"Fith."
"My lord!"
"I'm going to town."
"Understood! I'll prepare a carriage!"
"No, I don't need a carriage. I'd like to see the city, this place I rule over.
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So I think I'm going to walk."
"What?! But your honored feet will get dirty! I'll order the streets cleaned
at once! And I'll ready an entourage!"
Most of the streets in E-Rantel were not stone paved. If it rained, they
immediately turned to mud.
"No need. I used to live in this city, you know." That was only technically
true, since the moment he had arrived at his inn, he would normally return to
Nazarick to create undead… "And I'm going to create an attendant with
magic. Nazarick doesn't need to go out of its way to prepare anyone."
"…If that's what you wish, my lord."
Well, the problem is I'm not sure what to summon. A demon or undead
will start bad rumors. Then I should summon something beautiful that will be
good for my reputation. What should it be…?
Having thought that far, he finally had his answer.
"I'm going to summon some angels. Let's go."
"Yes, my lord."
Ainz's karma leaned negative quite heavily, but that didn't mean he had
any trouble summoning angels, whose karma was very positive. Some classes
came with a penalty that didn't let them summon anything with karma too
different from their own, but Ainz didn't have any such restrictions.
Incidentally, for those classes who did have that issue, the closer the
summoned being's karma was to their own, the stronger the being would be.
With every con came a pro—that's how things worked in the game
Yggdrasil.
Ainz headed for the yard.
Breaking in horses, training hunting dogs—it had been used for all sorts
of things, so the neatly trimmed lawn was surprisingly large.
"Okay, I'm ready. It'll take some time, so please chat with me while we
wait."
"You want to chat with me, my lord?!"
"Yes. Right. Well, tell me something about the ninth level, or— Oh. Will
you tell me about cleaning? About cleaning our rooms?"
Without waiting for Fith's reply, Ainz changed some of his gear and
began to cast.
He was using the super-tier spell Pantheon. It was a spell similar to the
tenth-tier Armageddon: Good and the super-tier spell Nibelung I, the exact
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opposite of the super-tier Pandemonium.
Ainz stood there listening to Fith talk as he continued casting. If he
needed to cast it in a hurry, he could have used a cash shop item, but it would
have been a waste.
Shooting the breeze with a maid isn't so bad. That was the sort of thing
that was on his mind.
The fact that no maids were allowed in Albedo's room was news to him.
"I see. That was all very interesting. I just remembered, though—go to my
room on the double and bring me Slimy Boy. This won't work without him."
"Understood!"
After watching Fith's maid uniform get disheveled as she jogged away,
Ainz stared vacantly at the large open space. While he waited, he reflected on
what Fith had said to him.
Albedo had told the maids she would clean her own room because she
considered it part of her training as a bride-to-be. And she didn't want anyone
else in the room Ainz had given her.
Ainz grumbled to himself, "Sheesh. Albedo, I understand how you feel,
but when someone's as busy as you are, you should leave the odd jobs to the
maids. This is a strange thing to say, but I guess I win as a ruler."
Eventually, he watched Fith come dashing back, out of breath, bearing
Slimy Boy, and Ainz smiled at her good work.
"Thanks."
He expressed his appreciation briefly and took the Lip Bug from her.
Then he stuck it to his bone throat, or rather his cervical vertebrae.
"Mm—mm. Mm."
He had no idea how it worked, but his voice changed. It had to be a
special characteristic of the monster, but he couldn't quite understand it. All
he could do was accept that that's what it did.
About the time he gave up on his questions, the super-tier spell finished
casting, and six angels appeared in columns of light.
They were lion-headed angels with one pair of wings spread out and
another wrapped around their bodies. They were clad in gleaming armor,
each of them bearing a shield with an eye pattern in one hand and a firetipped spear in the other.
These were angels with levels in the 80s, cherubim gatekeepers.
Ainz didn't know much about mythology, so he had no idea why they
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were called gatekeepers, but he had a decent idea what sort of abilities they
had as monsters.
Cherubim gatekeepers made for great tanks. They also had fairly good
detection abilities, so they were plenty qualified as guards.
"Protect me. Don't kill any enemies; to whatever extent possible,
incapacitate them without injuring them."
"Understood, Lord Summoner."
It wasn't a merciful order. He didn't have any qualms about killing his
enemies—he was planning for the possibility that someone was pulling the
strings from the shadows. Also, Momon had to be the one to kill them.
"We're off, then."
After setting up his defenses by deploying the angels around him, Ainz set
off.
Summons—including this super-tier spell—vanished after a set amount of
time, so he wanted to avoid wasting time as much as possible.
"Angels, Fith is also coming along. Protect her as you do me."
"Understood, Lord Summoner."
"L-Lord Ainz! I can't possibly be worthy of the same protection as your
precious Supreme Being body!"
"…Fith. You may be a maid, but you're also one of my friends' creations.
That makes you extremely valuable to me. Listen, I don't like repeating
myself. Remember what I said and pass it along to your fellow maids."
"Th-thank you!"
Incidentally, he didn't mention the eight-edged assassins, who were also
no doubt coming along. He could summon those as long as he had Yggdrasil
gold. They had no value to him besides the fact that it would be a waste to
lose them.
"Now then, let's go."
Ainz, with an entourage consisting of the six angels, Fith, and a few eightedged assassins—the rest would stay behind to guard this place—approached
the gate.
Standing there was the commander of over twenty death knights Ainz had
created, a crypt lord.
He was an undead with a level in the 70s, wearing a purple robe that must
have been gorgeous once but was now in tatters, plus a crown so radiant, it
didn't match the rest of his appearance.
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Crypt lords had commander skills that strengthened their subordinates, but
since the death knights this one was commanding were under Ainz's control,
the buffs weren't in effect. That said, he was still a great commander, and
Ainz had stationed him there because of his appreciation of his abilities.
"I'm going out now. Let Albedo know."
The crypt lord bowed low as Ainz walked past him into the city.
He didn't have any particular destination in mind.
More than a walk, he wanted an answer to the question Pandora's Actor
had lobbed at him. He wouldn't have been able to sort out even the things he
could manage on his own if he had to endure constant disruptions.
Ainz set out on his walk, envisioning the future of the Nation of Darkness,
Ainz Ooal Gown, which he controlled.
3
Ainz and his crew proceeded straight down the broad street.
He couldn't say it was very lively. Compared to his memories as Momon,
the difference was clear at a glance. The expressions on the people's faces
were dark, and they were all in a hurry for some reason.
Meanwhile, death knights strode right down the middle of the street. It
was probably the group he had patrolling the city as guards. He'd given them
simple orders to apprehend anyone fighting or otherwise being violent and to
protect anyone who asked for help.
Ainz shifted his gaze toward the wall.
Some of the many death knights he had created were on watch atop it.
There were others, like the ones at the gate and the ones on patrol, but
probably the weirdest way he was making use of them was having some
accompany the slum dwellers he had sent to establish a village.
The people with a high likelihood of ending up in the slums were the
second and third backup sons who didn't inherit fields. Those sorts of men
came to the city with their dreams, convinced they would be able to make it
there, but slipped into poverty when those dreams didn't come true. And
that's why Ainz sent them out with the promise of land.
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They were headed for the villages that had been rebuilt on the grounds of
the lands that had been burned in the Theocracy's conspiracy. Since they
were destroyed by external causes, it would be easy to repopulate them once
the original threat was removed.
Those villages had a history of being attacked, so Ainz had death knights
and soul eaters go along as guards. He also ordered the undead to help with
the field work.
Maybe they weren't very good at farming, but when it came to basic
physical labor, humans couldn't compare. The undead were heavy machinery
that could run twenty-four hours a day without fuel—perfect for working the
land or doing any other hard labor; they would surely contribute much to the
coming harvest.
What Ainz demanded of them was to establish a village and reach
minimal self-sufficiency within a year. From the second year, they were
supposed to have harvests on par with any normal village.
Any crops he received as taxes were going straight into the exchange box
to be converted into Yggdrasil currency. Albedo and Demiurge were thrilled
about this project before he even told them the details, so he was sure it
would go well.
And so he had lent out the undead so that establishing the villages
wouldn't drag on for years.
Incidentally, the undead were rentals, and the contract stated that in future
tax payments, a rental fee would be added on top. He didn't have to charge,
but he put the plan in place because he figured in the future, all sorts of
people would be using undead.
As part of that plan, he dispatched a large number of slum dwellers—
prioritizing families—out of the city, but it wasn't as if that was why foot
traffic in the streets had dwindled.
The reason there weren't many people out was probably that Ainz was
taking a walk. There were too many people whose eyes became saucers when
they saw him and either skittered back the way they came or dodged onto a
side street.
It was like walking in an empty wasteland.
Being feared wasn't a bad thing. It was ten times better than being
slighted.
But is this lifeless town really my country?
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As long as the Great Tomb of Nazarick and the NPCs who lived there
were happy, he didn't care about the rest. But what would his old friends
have said if they saw this? Would they have been drawn in by their nature as
undead or monsters and view humans as food? Or would they have retained
intense human emotions?
What the heck do I want to do with this country?
As Pandora's Actor said, he needed to decide national policy as well as
his goals for ruling the city.
For example, it could become a country that existed to produce wheat and
other food to throw into the exchange box to obtain coins to fortify the Great
Tomb of Nazarick.
It could become a country that bred humans for slaughter and to
accumulate experience points in the equipment Avarice and Selflessness.
It could become a country where undead performed all the labor and the
living didn't have to do any work at all.
It could…
From a country filled with love to one filled with resentment—what was
Ainz supposed to do with this nation bearing his guild's name? He couldn't
delegate this to his subordinates; it was his responsibility as Ainz Ooal Gown,
King of Darkness.
"Fith, what do you think about this city? How is this country?"
"My humble apologies. What kind of answer would be appropriate for
'how' it is?"
Too abstract? Ainz restated his question. "Do you think this country is
easy to live in? Tell me what you really think without any flattery."
"Yes, I think it's very easy to live in this country under your rule, Lord
Ainz."
Ainz looked to the heavens. He should have known this was what an NPC
would say.
"But…"
"Oh? What is it? Whatever it is, tell me."
"Yes, my lord. The ruler of this country is putting his precious body on
display, so why has no one come to worship you? They only peek out from
indoors… It's terribly poor manners!"
Fith was offended. Certainly, there were a lot of people in the shops along
the street peeking out at them with bated breath. Some were even scared stiff
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at the sight of the angels.
"…Fith, you don't think humans are worth much, do you?"
"My lord, it's as you say. They are poor things who were not created by
the Supreme Beings."
This was the basic attitude that most in Nazarick shared. A level-1 maid
was no exception.
"Fith, what's most important to me is you guys."
"Thank you!"
"But I should probably show a little affection to my subjects. They're the
people of the Nation of Darkness, after all."
"I humbly agree, my lord."
"Let's make an ideal town for them. A gentle world like a dream dipped
in sweet nectar. It'll be a place that will make them want to be ruled by me
forever."
"I think that's a wonderful idea."
"If I'm going to conquer the world, my target isn't only humans. All races
shall kneel before me."
"As it should be, my lord."
The ideal-homeland plan…
The plan they'd been carrying out on the sixth level of Nazarick had
originally been started in order to show any players they encountered that
they were a good guild, like, Look at all the races we've welcomed to
Nazarick!
Ainz felt that as an experiment, it was a good one.
"Let's tell the whole world that under the rule of the King of Darkness is
eternal prosperity."
"That's simply the truth, my lord."
If that was how it turned out, he might be able to show off the city proudly
if he ever found any of his friends, the other guild members.
The shape of Ainz's country was surely one where all the races under his
rule could coexist. He would take the form of the onetime guild Ainz Ooal
Gown from the Great Tomb of Nazarick and reproduce it in this world.
It would be a place where his friends, who might be out there somewhere,
could come and have a pleasant time with people of all sorts of races, even if
they were grotesques.
Ainz's eyes sparkled even more brightly.
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The Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown should be a country where all
sorts of races can coexist. Only the Nation of Darkness can achieve that.
Even if one genius king established a country, there was no guarantee that
his child would be an excellent king as well. And neither was there any
guarantee that his grandson or great-grandson would be excellent kings. He
had heard the saying somewhere that companies went bad in the second
generation and went under in the third.
But that wouldn't happen if an ageless, immortal genius king was the
ruler. The ideal government was dictatorship by a handful of geniuses. The
presence of figures like Albedo and Demiurge made the Nation of Darkness
capable—no, uniquely capable of producing an eternal paradise. Just like
Ulbert said, "A dictatorship by a superbeing would be amazing!"
Ainz considered it further.
The guardians, with Demiurge and Albedo in the lead, were racing toward
the goal of world conquest, and Ainz hadn't been able to completely refuse—
because he thought it would help get his name out to his friends.
But it wouldn't be bad to spread his name in a way that wasn't simply
ruling with force, right? Promoting the Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown
as an ideal homeland and conquering people with that sweet nectar was one
option.
It was a matter of carrots versus whips.
If Demiurge and Albedo were doing the whipping, Ainz could give out
carrots.
This is a terrific plan…
Ainz made up his mind. This was the shape of world conquest conceived
by Ainz and his vestiges of humanity, not the NPCs who looked down on
anyone who wasn't from Nazarick: rule by overwhelming attraction.
What do I need to do to reach that objective?
As he began walking again, he worked his brain as hard as he could.
Methods different from Albedo's and Demiurge's… Methods that don't
rely on force…
Ainz couldn't imagine the workings of a country. So he pretended he was
an employee at a small company.
It was a tiny company that took up only one floor of the building. The
only employee was Ainz.
Its product was the splendid governance of the Nation of Darkness. And
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he had to sell it.
First, he had to think of who would buy his product. He had to get it to the
people who needed it. But he didn't have enough information about who
wanted it. Why? It was simple. Because he hadn't advertised enough.
But it wasn't a matter of going to all different cities and handing out flyers
at the entrance. That would be a waste of time. Ainz was the sole employee.
He needed a different way.
There was no mass media to be found like there was in his old world.
There are networks of traveling merchants and whatnot by trade, so would it
make sense to advertise within those systems? Before he realized it, Ainz had
arrived in front of the Adventurers Guild.
He had gone there so often as Momon that it had practically become
muscle memory. That's probably a symptom of workaholism.
Ainz smiled wryly and opened the door.
The counter in the back came into view. There was one receptionist lady
sitting there. On his left-hand side was a large door, and on the right was the
board. Job requests written on sheets of parchment were posted there. And as
for adventurers looking them over…there were none.
The guild was empty. It was impossible to even compare it to the times he
had visited as Momon.
Ignoring the receptionist watching him wide-eyed, Ainz stood before the
sheets of parchment.
He still couldn't read the writing, but there were a few words he had
memorized. Among them were words for time.
A quick look told him the only jobs available were old ones from about a
month ago. In other words, there weren't many urgent requests; it was mostly
recurring tasks.
"…You at the desk. There aren't many jobs posted. Aren't there any new
requests?"
"Eep… N-no. What's there is all we have, Your Majesty."
Were there fewer adventurers around because there were fewer requests?
If so, that was Ainz's doing.
Ainz had the streets patrolled mainly by his military—death knights—to
keep the peace. The threat of monsters must have been eliminated as a result.
If he had the patrols continue, it was possible that the adventurers would
completely disappear.
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I need to create requests to get them to— No, there's no reason I need
adventurers here.
Anything an adventurer could do, his death knights could do. Well,
certain things, such as gathering herbs, would be tricky, but the answer was
to lend out death knights to escort apothecaries.
Ainz could currently think of no use for adventurers. For one, hiring them
cost money. E-Rantel's tax revenue had dropped—it couldn't afford
adventurers.
No one will be troubled if the adventurers leave.
Having decided that, he was about to leave the guild.
Besides, that job was so lacking in dreams and aspiration.
He remembered the first time he had visited this city's guild with
Narberal.
Adventurers traveled the world in search of the unknown. He used to
think it was a job that embodied the correct way of playing Yggdrasil.
If they're nothing more than anti-monster bodyguards, then once those
are unnecessary, they'll be unemployed. That's how it goes with any job. If
only it was more like in Yggdrasil, more dreamy… Dreams? Journeying
across the land in pursuit of the unknown? Could that be…?
Something lit up in the back of Ainz's mind.
If, hypothetically, the adventurer trade changed from being monster
extermination mercenaries to seekers of the unknown like in Yggdrasil, then
couldn't he have them promote the Nation of Darkness in uncharted lands?
Ainz didn't want to promote only to humans but to all races. If he wanted
to advertise exclusively to people, using merchant connections might have
been enough. But if that wasn't the case, maybe adventurers were the optimal
choice.
Ainz hmmed with a nod.
The receptionist had a dubious look on her face, but he ignored that—
because if he paid attention to her, the idea he had would fly off somewhere.
The CEO of his own little company, Ainz considered the next steps in his
plan.
But at present, the number of adventurers in the Nation of Darkness is
trending downward. If nothing changes, it will continue to dwindle, and in
the near future, they'll be pretty much gone. How can I prevent that from
happening?
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Increasing their number would be easy. All he needed to do was the
opposite of what he was doing now. In other words, have the Nation of
Darkness pay for monster extermination. But that ran contrary to Ainz's goal
of having adventurers pursue the unknown. One option would be to put in
requests for promotion, but Ainz didn't have the money.
The Great Tomb of Nazarick had mountains of cash, but his personal
assets had dried up. The NPCs would surely say that all the money in
Nazarick belonged to Ainz, but he was starting this project on his own
discretion, so he didn't really want to dip into their reserves.
As Ainz was thinking, he heard the door open.
When he turned to look, he saw a familiar adventurer staring back at him,
immobile.
Hmm? That's, uh, what's his name… Yokmoch? No. But it's something
like that.
It was right there, but he couldn't quite reach it. In that state of frustration,
he dug as deep as he could into his memory.
"Moknach…" When he managed to unearth the correct answer, he
inadvertently said it aloud.
Shocked to have been suddenly called by name, the adventurer completely
froze.
Crap!
It was too late to panic. He could tell the guild staffer was looking over at
them now to see what was happening, too.
There was no way the new ruler of E-Rantel, King of Darkness Ainz Ooal
Gown, would know the name of a mere mythril-plate adventurer. What
possible reason would he have for knowing that? He spun the gears of his
brain, but before he could come up with something, Moknach spoke.
"D-did you hear about me from Sir Momon?"
"Yes, I did. That's right."
Ainz jumped at that explanation immediately. Two conflicting emotions
streaked across Moknach's face at the same time: anticipation and fear.
Having recovered from the previous moment's scare, Ainz cautiously
analyzed the situation.
If he remembered correctly, this man was the leader of the mythril team
Rainbow. He first met him during the vampire hullabaloo. After that, he had
spoken with him a few times as Momon, but he hadn't seen him in a while,
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so he had nearly forgotten him.
Moknach admired Momon as a hero like all the other adventurers and
soldiers did. What did he think of the fact that he had been defeated by the
King of Darkness?
Why would Momon have spoken to the King of Darkness about me? Just
shooting the breeze? Or did he sell me out? Those were probably the sorts of
ideas going around in his head.
Ainz looked for a chance to turn this awkward spot to his advantage.
"When I asked Momon about capable adventurers, he mentioned you—
Moknach from Rainbow."
Moknach had been mostly keeping his eyes on the ground, but his face
jerked up when he heard what Ainz had said. "I-is that true?!"
"You doubt me?"
"No! I would never…"
When visiting a client, the first order of business was to praise them. Most
humans weren't averse to being complimented. Buttering up the customer
before launching into a sales pitch was biz talk 101 but also the core of the art
of negotiation.
Having successfully driven a wedge into the opening in the man's startled
mental state, Ainz was determined not to let this chance slip by. He launched
a question at him. "So why are you in E-Rantel?"
The best way to learn about adventurers was to ask an adventurer.
Moknach hesitated a bit, but then seemed to steel his resolve. "The
undead, Your Majesty. The Katze Plain is nearby. There is no shortage of
opponents to make money off of."
Ainz didn't really get it, but the guy was sweating bullets with a There, I
said it rebel smile on his face.
Ainz intended to take over the Katze Plain before too long. The rumors of
the ship that sailed on land were especially interesting to him.
"I see."
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
"No, I mean…"
This fellow wasn't very articulate. Ainz endured the urge to sigh and
pressed his question. "Is that the only reason?"
"…Besides that, well, yeah. Until Sir Momon showed up, we mythrils
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were the highest-ranking adventurers around, so we got lots of well-paying
jobs."
So it's about pay. Maybe the best option was to allocate a portion of the
nation's budget to rewarding adventurers.
"I'm also from around these parts, so I know lots of people. And all sorts
of magic items show up in this city, too."
"Oh, magic items?"
"Yes. A single item can save your life, so it's only natural for an
adventurer to choose a place with a good selection on offer as their base."
It was true that even in Yggdrasil, he had heard stories about parties being
saved from annihilation by a single item, and come to think of it, there were
lots of people who seemed to be adventurers at the market in the imperial
capital. In other words, if he could sell magic items on a larger scale than the
imperial capital, he could lure adventurers to his country.
If he made random items with data crystals and held an auction, people
would probably go nuts. But that would eat up Nazarick's assets, and that
was before he even considered that any technology developed as a result
could come back to bite him.
I guess sprinkling them around like bait wouldn't be bad? But I'd really
prefer to avoid using Nazarick's resources. I guess that means developing
various items with the technology of this world? And things that can travel
between nations? Mm…that's a tall order. I'll put this line of thinking on
hold for now.
"Umm…" Moknach's somewhat restrained voice brought Ainz back from
the depths of his thoughts. "Your Majesty, I wonder… Why did you ask me
that? Honestly…" Biting his lip, Moknach continued in a pained voice, "We
can't stand up to a single one of your undead, even in a group. And those
undead are protecting the city now. In the Nation of Darkness, adventurers
have practically no purpose."
What could Ainz say? What kind of answer would make a good
impression on the adventurer…plus the receptionist lady who was watching
them closely along with the other staff members who had appeared at some
point?
Would dissembling and saying, There's no reason I need to tell you, to
avoid making a big mistake, be the safer route? But that could make them
suspicious. He needed something more…
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No, believe in yourself. I'm a man who's gotten through plenty of sticky
spots like this. I'm sure things will work out this time, too—probably!
Ainz was filled with determination.
But if you understand that much, then what are you doing here, Moknach?
Is it because it's your hometown? Do you have a girlfriend or something?
The direction the King of Darkness took the conversation would depend
on the answer. "Before I tell you why, answer my first question. Why are you
in this city right now?"
"B-because…" Moknach trailed off. Then, though somewhat nervously,
yet with a resolute expression, he said, "Because of Sir Momon. If Sir
Momon is staying here to protect the city, someone like me—someone who
was born here—can't very well run away. It'd be so lame."
That instant, Ainz smiled.
Though he was slightly acquainted with the man as Momon, Ainz was
surprised that he was so open.
"I see. Then I'll answer your question as well." He left a weighty pause
and then continued in a dignified manner, "Because of Momon. I wanted to
know what adventurers with the potential to become like Momon desire,
what they're after."
Moknach's eyes opened wide. Ainz heard a few of the staff members
gasp.
"Momon is strong, but more than that, he's a noble man." Saying it
himself was awkward, but he couldn't help it, since those were the characters
he was playing. "And I see in adventurers the spark I see in Momon."
Perhaps his regular rehearsals were worth it. When he finished making his
powerful remark, it was like a bolt of lightning struck the ground behind
Moknach.
"B-but Momon is a Supreme Being—only a chosen few can reach his
level. There's no way we could be like him…"
"Are you saying Momon doesn't have an eye for potential?"
"What?! D-did Sir Momon say we have that potential?"
"Not in so many words, but…" Ainz performed the laugh he had practiced
—a kingly laugh. He made it seem like he thought it was funny even if it
wasn't. "Even if you don't reach it, what about your child? Or your
grandchild? Perhaps from among you, more like Momon will appear. I'm an
immortal being, the king of the Nation of Darkness. It's only natural that I
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would work toward getting the next Momon to pledge his wholehearted
loyalty to me. That is the purpose that I, as a ruler, see in the Nation of
Darkness's adventurers. Well, there is another, but I haven't quite figured it
out for myself yet, so allow me to omit it."
The area fell deathly silent.
Huh? Did I say something wrong? Doesn't this guy adore Momon?
Ainz was getting anxious when Moknach bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I am grateful for the opportunity to have met with you
like this and to have had the chance to hear some of your thoughts." When
Moknach lifted his head, the earlier impressions of anxiety, fear, and
suspicion had faded, and he was wearing a cheerful smile. "…You're a
formidable man. The charming charisma you possess is even greater than
your immense magical power."
"I'm glad, too—to have met one of the excellent adventurers I'm hoping
to win over in the future."
Moknach's face relaxed slightly, in a happy way. "But, Your Majesty, the
Adventurers Guild has always been uninvolved in politics. I'm the same way.
Do you think you can change our minds?"
"Hmm. That was my goal in coming here. Not that the idea is set in stone
yet… You at the desk. Tell the guild master the King of Darkness is here to
see him."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty!"
The receptionist who had been listening intently dashed off.
"Then if you'll excuse me…"
Moknach, completely changed from when he had first entered, bowed
politely and took his leave.
Okay…now what?
There were three important points to Ainz's half-formed idea of using
adventurers to spread word of how wonderful the Nation of Darkness was.
The first was strengthening the Adventurers Guild. Acquiring an
organization with only a dozen people in it wouldn't mean much.
The second was training them. Weaklings wouldn't be able to travel very
far, and if it took too long to share the news about the greatness of the Nation
of Darkness, there wouldn't be as many benefits.
The third was that he needed good-willed cooperation on the previous
points. He figured he could probably pull it off with Momon, but having
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Ainzach's voluntary commitment would make things easier.
First I should negotiate with Ainzach to solve this third issue. But, man,
making a presentation with no data is rough. Ahhh, my stomach hurts.
All he could do was hope the guild master was out, but the first thing the
receptionist said when she came back was, "Right this way."
Ainz looked up at the ceiling before following her.
4
Ainz traveled down the hallway he had walked many times as Momon and
was led into not the guild master's office but a room farther back that was
used to receive visitors.
There he met a man in the virile prime of his life with sharp features,
Guild Master Pluton Ainzach.
Momon knew the man—and had even been dragged to an adult
establishment by him before, but for King Ainz Ooal Gown, this was their
first meeting, so he had to keep that in mind and be careful how he acted.
"What a surprise, Your Majesty. I'm overjoyed as a citizen of this country
that you would grace our humble guild with your presence. It may be a
shabby place, but please take a seat."
Ainz accepted Ainzach's offer and sat down.
Fith stood behind Ainz. There were three angels in the room. The rest
waited outside.
"Really, I should be the one visiting you, so I thank you for coming."
Ainzach had taken a knee and now bowed his head.
The attitude made Ainz wince.
The tone of the man's voice was totally different from when he dealt with
Momon. It was warm and polite but only that. When Ainz realized it was
only business talk, he smiled wryly—not that his face moved, of course.
Ainz shifted his gaze to the other door in the room, the one he hadn't
entered through.
It was the door to the guild master's office. If he was Momon, they would
be talking in there, so the fact that they were in the sitting room made him
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feel like there was a barrier between them.
"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?"
Ainzach had raised his head and was looking at Ainz. I focused too much
on the other room and neglected him. Ainz scoffed at himself for his
foolishness.
He was only laughing at himself, but Ainzach's expression stiffened.
Ainz hated himself for being rude, but the King of Darkness couldn't very
well apologize. He decided to try to move the conversation forward and leave
things vague.
But what was the proper way to behave with the guild master?
Ainz was only just starting to feel out this role of king, and he had no idea
how to interact with the head of the Adventurers Guild. He eventually
decided to go with what he thought might work.
"You may have already heard, Ainzach, but I have a proposition for you."
"My humble apologies, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I haven't heard, so if
you would be so kind as to explain from the beginning…"
From their exchanges when he was Momon, Ainz knew that Ainzach was
a shrewd man who could tell a lie with a straight face. It seemed like there
was a fairly good chance he actually already knew what was going on.
Perhaps that was why he didn't appear at all surprised to see the angels.
In that case, they could cut to the chase. Ainz spoke frankly.
"I'm absorbing this guild into the Nation of Darkness."
"…I see. I'm sure no one will stop you."
"Oh? I heard that adventurer guilds don't align themselves with any
nation. You don't care?"
"Everything will be as you wish, Your Majesty. We exist under the rules
of your country. If you decide to rule the guild, I cannot protest."
Ainz chuckled to himself. It seemed like Ainzach noticed. The emotions
deep in his eyes seemed to waver slightly.
"That's true, but I imagine your plan is something like this, right? You'll
tell all the adventurers to head to the kingdom or the empire and then hand
me an empty shell of an organization."
As Ainz stared at him, Ainzach shrugged as if to say, So you've already
thought that far ahead?
"Your Majesty is as brilliant as I expected. Adept at not only ruling and
governance, you can even see through our thoughts… Did you use a spell to
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read my mind?"
"I didn't use any magic. It's simply experience."
"Because you've lived a long time? Dear me, what a formidable man you
are. What will happen to me, then?"
"Nothing."
"…I won't thank you."
"I don't need your thanks. I want you to listen to me. The reason the
Adventurers Guild didn't work for the country was because it existed to
protect the people. That's why it never gets involved in fights between
people. That's what I've heard—is it correct?"
"Your Majesty, what you say is true. Even when you occupied the city,
we didn't put up a fight."
"There was that Momon fellow who stood in my way, though, yes…?"
"Urk," Ainzach groaned.
Well, nothing good would come of forcing him into a corner. Ainz moved
the conversation forward, taking care to defend Momon. "Well, we can let
that go. Besides, we're cooperating on one matter—the peaceful rule of the
city, that is."
Ainzach looked like he wanted to say something, but Ainz continued
without reacting.
This was the most important part.
He had to convince Ainzach to cooperate on a friendly basis with the
Nation of Darkness.
Ainz recalled all the gripes and grievances he'd heard as Momon.
"…All right, I wonder about part of what you said earlier. You agreed that
adventurers exist to protect people, but how far does your definition of people
extend?"
"What do you mean?" Ainzach's expression said he didn't understand
what Ainz was getting at.
"Does people mean humanoids? Or just humans? Are elves, half elves,
and the other races living alongside humans included?"
"Well, sure, they're included."
"That's strange. In the empire, elves are slaves, right? Does that count as
protecting them? They aren't criminals who broke imperial law, right?"
Ainzach lowered his gaze. Then he looked back up at Ainz.
"…I'm one guild master from the kingdom. I can't claim to know what
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their philosophy is in the empire."
"Trying to escape with a vague answer…?"
Ainzach's eyes widened. Flames of fear blazed deep within.
"Your Majesty, I was being sarcastic…"
"Sarcastic? So it wasn't the truth? Then I'll ask again. Are you trying to
get out of this with a vague answer?"
Ainzach looked down. "…It's as you say."
"You say you protect elves and half elves, yet you don't. Why is that?"
Ainzach prefaced his response with the fact that he didn't know how
things worked in the empire. "Even adventurer guilds aren't completely
immune to a country's influence. Adventurers claim to be free and declare
themselves outside of any rule, but they still live under their nations' laws.
We're armed. That's why it's particularly dangerous to use our force against
the country. That's probably what the guild in the empire thinks."
"Yeah. But if you live under the laws of a country, then you should have
no qualms about being absorbed. So why are you so against it?"
"The empire and the kingdom both have their eyes on us. Only
adventurers have the power to fight strong monsters, after all. They won't
make any impossible demands as long as that stays the same. But it won't
work the same way with you, Your Majesty. If we were absorbed, it's
conceivable that you would force us to use our might as a military force
against the people."
"So the main reason you don't want to be absorbed by the country is that
you're scared that your power as adventurers would be turned on the
people?"
"That's correct, Your Majesty. We don't want to be used for oppression
or war; we don't want to be involved in anything that will result in so much
loss of life."
Got him. Ainz chuckled. He didn't say that he had known as much
already.
"Sit down. I'm going to explain what I want you guys to do." Ainz
ordered Ainzach to sit down facing him again. After the guild master
nervously took his seat, Ainz began his explanation. "I'm thinking about
having the adventurers perform a completely different job. I want them to
discover the unknown and make the world a smaller place."
Ainz had the feeling Ainzach was looking directly at him for the first
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time.
"For example, in the south between the Theocracy and the Sacred
Kingdom, there is a wasteland, but do you know the details of the terrain and
what sorts of monsters live there?"
"No, there are many different subhuman tribes that live on that land, but
no kingdom adventurers who went there ever returned, so we have almost no
information about the area."
"Then how about the mountains southwest of here on the border with the
Theocracy?"
"We don't know much about that area, either."
"Doesn't that strike you as pathetic? Well, no, considering the
adventurers' jobs, I suppose it can't be helped. They're an organization for
protecting the people. They don't need knowledge about places where there
are no people, then, do they? Although there could be herbs growing there
that might help people…"
Ainzach pursed his lips at the jab.
"Once the Adventurers Guild is under my control, I want to have
adventurers fill in those blanks."
"…Couldn't you have your men do it, Your Majesty?"
"Don't be a spoilsport, Ainzach. I heard that you used to be an adventurer
yourself, so could you say that again—keeping in mind the definition of
adventurer? Do you really exist only to battle monsters? I thought
adventurers were people who made the unknown known—at least, until I
actually investigated."
Ainzach bit his lip—so hard that it seemed like it would break and bleed.
"We have to protect the people."
"No, you don't. In the Nation of Darkness, I, the ruler, will protect the
people. You know it to be true based on the recent decrease in requests,
right?"
Ainzach assented with a groan.
"So what will you do now? Leave the Nation of Darkness to protect the
people in the kingdom and empire? Then you're no more than mercenaries
who specialize in monster extermination."
Ainz paused. Now it was time for the invitation. He had to use his full
brainpower when choosing each and every word. "Your suggestion to have
my subordinates perform these tasks, it isn't wrong. While my subordinates
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are adept at killing enemies, however, in most cases I question whether they
would be able to go into the unknown and build amicable relations with the
people they find there, embarrassing as that is to admit. That's why I'd like
the adventurers to take on this task, if possible."
He was extremely curious about Ainzach's reaction to this, but his
presentation wasn't over yet. "Well, I'd be having them do such dangerous
work, so I'd want to back them up in every way possible. In such a case, it
would make sense for the guild to be under my umbrella, no?"
"…Couldn't you put in requests like normal?"
"Ah, I see. You must be very confident in your abilities. I can't fault you
for that kind of courage."
"Wh-what do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"You're saying it's fine for the Nation of Darkness to disavow any
adventurers who journey into the unknown and have an unlucky encounter in
an area with people who espouse a different culture, right? And you'll clear
up any issues that arise on your own as the guild? If you're going to exist as
an independent organization, that would be only natural. You'll have to agree
to resolve problems in a way such that the Nation of Darkness doesn't incur
any losses."
Ainzach fell silent.
"That's what it means to exist independently and not under a nation,
right? In other words, if a foreign country took action, you guys would be
responsible for handling it… Does what I'm saying seem strange to you?"
"Not at all, Your Majesty." Ainzach shook his head to emphasize his
position. "I agree with every word you've said."
"There you go, then. But if we did that, the number of adventurers—
people in such a technical trade—would decrease. In the time it takes to
develop capable people, attrition of already outstanding individuals would be
a huge loss. That's why I want the guild under my umbrella. And then rather
than issue orders, I'd do my utmost to provide you with support."
"That's quite an enticing proposal… If you don't mind me asking one
question, though, would this exploration of unknown lands be for the purpose
of helping the Nation of Darkness invade?"
"That's a difficult question to answer. There's no way I can claim that it
would never turn out that way. We might even find that the people in the
unknown lands are planning to invade us and end up attacking preemptively.
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For the subhumans in the wasteland, it might be that we invade in the name
of demonstrating our power to those ogres, orcs, and so on. If you found
violent monsters sharpening their claws nearby, wouldn't you want to get the
jump on them?"
"Yes, I see what you mean. But…"
"…Hmm."
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
"No, sorry to break the flow of the conversation. You were going to say
something more, weren't you? Go ahead and continue."
"…Understood. What I was worried about was the possibility of annexing
peaceful people by force."
"For example, what race are you thinking? Elves?"
"Well, perhaps."
"That has to do with national policy, so I can't just lump them all
together. If it would benefit the Nation of Darkness to invade and rule them,
then I would do that, but if there are no merits, I wouldn't. Isn't that only a
matter of course when it comes to a country? I will say, though, that if it's
simply an invasion, I have an army plenty large enough. I don't expect
adventurers to collect intelligence on enemy countries or test out invasion
routes. I just want them to seek the unknown and make lots of discoveries.
That I can promise. By the way," he began again and asked Ainzach a
question. "You guys consider attractive races separate from the rest, huh?
Why didn't you object to the annexation of peaceful peoples when I
mentioned invading ogres and orcs?"
"B-because they're subhumans…"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha. I see; I see. So that's how you think. I understand now, yes.
So what's your answer?"
Ainzach seemed like he wanted to say something, but he shook his head
right away. He must have had a change of heart. "Do you need an immediate
answer on this, Your Majesty?"
"I'd like a reply, but I imagine there's a lot of groundwork to be laid
down, consultations to be made. I'm sure it will take a little time. But first, I
want to hear what you think, Ainzach." Ainz sat up sharply and fixed his eyes
on Ainzach, the distance between them negligible. "I don't like that you're all
merely exterminators. It's so sad—and you call yourselves adventurers.
Ainzach, what do you think? Won't you adventure for the Nation of Darkness
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—for me? I really wish for you all…" Ainz paused momentarily. He put
energy into his gaze and his tone. "…I wish for you all to be adventurers."
Tension filled the room. Ainz held his breath—not that he needed to
breathe any air to begin with—and observed Ainzach, waiting for a response
as if he was observing an opponent who had just collapsed from a special
attack.
"…I think it's a very enticing proposal."
The light in Ainz's eyes seemed to dim. Usually in cases like this, the next
comment would be the reason why it wouldn't work out.
"But I need to gather opinions from a lot of different people about
whether we can accept it or not. Certainly, if you really want to utilize
adventurers in that fashion, it sounds like a dream. And it would make sense
for the guild to be structured under the country's umbrella. If you're asking
for the opinion of one former adventurer…I'd like to cooperate."
Huh? So this went well, then?
"I see…"
Ainz leaned back on the sofa.
The joy of his presentation going well slowly overcame him. It was like
the feeling of leaving a client's office and calling one's company from a café
to report in, wanting to shout, We did it! He never thought he would be able
to use his experience as an adventurer in this way. No, it was probably
because he had that experience that he had even come up with this idea.
He remembered there was one other thing he had to bring up—about the
Nation of Darkness's future.
"Oh, there's one other thing." Ainz held up a bony finger. "Earlier when
you mentioned protecting the people, you agreed that it meant humanoids,
right? Regarding the fact that adventurers existed to protect the people."
"Yes, that is what I said, Your Majesty."
"And when I was talking about invasions, you said you didn't care about
subhumans, right?"
Ainzach nodded as if to say, What about it?
"The Nation of Darkness accepts all races as citizens. Not only humanoids
but subhumans and grotesques as well. If you say that the purpose of
adventurers is to protect the people, I'm going to have you protect subhumans
and grotesques as well."
Ainzach's eyes widened. "What are you saying?!"
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"…What's wrong? I don't understand what you're all riled up about. My
country doesn't distinguish between humanoids, subhumans, and grotesques.
As long as I rule over them, they are all people."
"Th-that's i-insanity. It can't be done, Your Majesty!"
"You don't think so? I heard there's a country north of the kingdom called
the Council State or something like that. Isn't it true that all sorts of races
coexist there?"
"I have heard that about that country, but… No! You're telling us to
coexist with races that consider us food?!"
"Aha! Yes, that's right. I won't permit free citizens of the Nation of
Darkness to eat one another. I'll enact a law against it. Does that make it
better? I won't stop anyone eating people from other countries, although I
don't mean to go poking my nose into my citizens' diets… Well, wait, it's
probably not good for your mental health to see members of your own race
being sold as meat at market… I guess there's some room to think this over
more."
According to Lupusregina, the villagers in Carne were coexisting with
goblins and ogres, so it probably wasn't impossible for the city dwellers,
although he understood that it would be more difficult to manage with more
people involved.
"Wh-what in the world are you thinking?"
"Don't act like you're so confused. Or rather, why don't you cooperate
with your fellow living beings? As an undead, I can't comprehend it. To me,
there's no difference between humans and goblins. Everyone is equal under
my rule. Of course, above you all are me and the people working directly
beneath me."
Ainzach's face went through a flurry of expressions and eventually
composed itself once again.
"So goblins will be beneath you—as citizens of your country?"
"Were you not listening to everything I just said? I told you ogres and
orcs would be included, didn't I?"
"O-of course I was listening. I thought you meant as slaves…"
"That's just the sort of thing I would expect someone from the race that
enslaved elves to say. I'll repeat it: All citizens beneath me will be equal."
Ainz felt, as he looked at Ainzach, who seemed to be breathing raggedly,
that the man wasn't grasping his intentions.
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To speak in extreme terms, all citizens would be slaves of the inhabitants
of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but Ainz didn't phrase it that way. It wasn't
necessary. If they didn't notice, he didn't care.
"There are already a number of goblins under my protection. A group of
them will probably come to E-Rantel soon. You should try talking with them.
I have no doubt your conception of what a goblin is will be shattered. And
lizardmen apparently don't eat meat very often at all. They eat fish. Dryads
and trents are fond of clean water and sunlight. They only attack humans out
of self-defense."
"You rule over all those races already?"
"Of course. I've already had a number of subhumans and grotesques as
citizens in the past. Oh, but we're getting off topic. Ainzach, I can assume
your stance on the Adventurers Guild being absorbed as an organization of
the Nation of Darkness is one of approval?"
"…If you're not lying, Your Majesty, then I'm fine with it."
"You sure are a worrywart. I'm not lying. I'm going to have adventurers
pursue the unknown." If possible, he wanted them to go in composite teams
of various races. "I'll leave the explanation to the adventurers up to you.
Anyone who doesn't like the idea of being an adventurer in the Nation of
Darkness as a constituent member of the country is free to leave."
"You're sure?"
"Forcing them to work won't turn out well for either of us. Still, I think
making big changes to the way things work would be a pain, so let's maintain
the current system to some extent. For the time being, the main change will
be a review committee from the Nation of Darkness to preside over the guild
master."
It was also important to provide added value so the adventurers would
want to belong to the Nation of Darkness's guild. "As for national support,
first I'll establish a training center. Having adventurers getting killed by
unknown monsters in uncharted lands would be a major loss. I want training
to be more thorough—at a training center that incorporates actual battles
against monsters. Maybe building a dungeon and having them clear it would
be a good idea. It would help get them accustomed to team combat as well."
He could have the auto-spawning undead from Nazarick work on that.
And then once it was done, they could be the monsters in it.
"That's a wonderful idea. But it sounds like quite the construction
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project."
Ainz would use undead who didn't require a salary, so he would probably
be able to build it cheaply. But he didn't have to admit that. It was important
to make people indebted to him when he could.
"I'm sure it will require an unprecedented initial investment, but it's
within the realm of necessary costs. Adventurers are important assets to the
Nation of Darkness."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"It's nothing. So what do you think? Adventurers should find this an
attractive offer, right?"
"Certainly…it's quite enticing for lower-ranking adventurers… But what
if they switch to the kingdom or empire once they're trained up?"
"I won't allow it. It's going to be an organ of the state! That would be
treason."
"I see… I'll need to explain that properly."
"What would attract medium- and high-ranking adventurers?"
"That would probably be the amount of compensation."
"Well, you can't eat on dreams alone."
"There's that but also the fact that you can't face powerful monsters
without collecting powerful weapons, armor, and items. Those items are
expensive."
"Ah, so it's about gear." Mass-producing items would make them
cheaper, but there weren't very many high-ranking adventurers. That meant
the items would be custom-order equipment, which would raise the price
again. The other issue was probably a lack of creators who could produce
such items. Perhaps it would be a good idea to solve that problem, too. "I also
want to let as many adventurers as possible know about my proposal—the
ones in the kingdom and empire, as well. Do you have any ideas how to do
that?"
"The Adventurers Guild you're creating will be far better than the ones in
the kingdom and empire. If you spread information everywhere, the other
countries' guilds will take measures to stop you from poaching their
members. Adventurers are like a trump card in some ways. I don't think there
would be very many rulers happy to see an exodus of talent from their
country."
"You're right. What do you think we should do?"
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"It's difficult to provide an immediate answer. Could I have some time to
think?"
"Indeed. I need to think about what to do going forward as well."
He had the feeling he was biting off a bit more than he could chew with
this major plan. He would probably need to take a step back and think, talk
things over with some people.
Ainz stood. "All right…" He was about to say, If you'll excuse me, then,
but that wasn't what a king would say. "That's it. Farewell."
Ainzach stood and bowed. "Understood, Your Majesty."
Without looking back, Ainz left the room through the door that Fith
opened.
He wanted to sigh in spite of himself, but he was still in the other party's
building. It was too soon.
Followed by his cherubim, Ainz left the Adventurers Guild. Then, after
walking a little while, he finally emitted a small sigh.
Ahhh, I'm beat.
Ainz Ooal Gown wasn't saying he was tired, but Satoru Suzuki inside him
was clamoring for a break to rest his overheated brain.
I'll take a break before talking to Albedo about the idea to fold the
Adventurers Guild into our organization. I have to think of some pros so she
won't be able to pass on the idea… I guess I have a lot to do.
Ainz walked on in silence. He prayed that something good would come to
mind while walking and refrained from using travel magic.
Ainzach opened the door leading to his office, and a new guest entered.
The extremely lean, nervous-looking man with a delicate frame was
Ainzach's old friend, the head of the Wizards Guild, Theo Rakheshir.
"What a surprise, Pluton. I never imagined the King of Darkness would
show up while we were talking. Do you think he caught on to something?"
"I don't know."
Ainzach had been in a meeting with Rakheshir since early in the morning,
as was their habit.
Since the city had been captured by the King of Darkness, they met only
in the morning—because they knew many undead disliked the sun. Of
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course, given the undead patrolling the city, that measure was useful only for
easing their minds.
Their meetings were generally for sharing information, but they hadn't
touched upon the future plans of the guilds. Mainly because while the Nation
of Darkness was being established, those who could leave for the kingdom or
empire had already left. The Wizards Guild had sent most of their magic
items away, and only a few members remained in the city. It was essentially
as if the city's Wizards Guild had disbanded.
But in terms of intelligence analysis, there were many important matters
that required attending.
Adventurers had weak national ties but would be accepted in the Nation
of Darkness? Would he send people after fugitive adventurers? If they made
it over the border, would there be international demands to turn them in?
What about wizards?
How could they reach out to Momon, who had put himself in harm's way
to protect the people? And how should the Adventurers Guild treat Momon?
The shrines had kept silent, and the King of Darkness had drawn a line,
but would that status quo continue? Would a resistance rise up in the future?
These were all difficult problems the pair had trouble answering even
after wringing all their knowledge out. If some sort of incident happened and
they weren't prepared, they would be in trouble. The biggest problem was the
shrines.
Would the shrines allow themselves to be ruled by a king who was one of
their intolerable enemies, an undead? Their current silence made the question
even more unnerving.
There were also the shrines from neighboring countries. If they weren't
careful, it was possible that the shrines from other countries would
independently declare a holy war on them, forcing the shrines within the city
to make a move as well.
The reason no one from the shrines was present at these meetings was
because their position was uncertain. Ainzach and Rakheshir were wary
about inviting them only to end up embroiled in some conspiracy.
That said, they didn't think the shrines could beat the Nation of Darkness.
What they were worried about was a massacre. If Momon became a sword
for the King of Darkness and started slaughtering them, what would they do?
And in case something like that truly came to pass, who would provide
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medical treatment for the citizens of this country?
That was what they had been getting headaches about when the King of
Darkness showed up.
"But he did notice you were here." The fact that the king had looked at the
door and laughed to himself proved it. "It's possible that he got word of our
secret meetings somehow."
"What? Then…"
"Probably. I bet he meant for you to hear all that, too."
It didn't take much to hear what was going on in this room from the next,
so he knew that Rakheshir must have been listening in on their conversation.
"It's not just in your head?"
"No, it can't be. At the very least, His Majesty knew someone was there.
He might have thought it was someone from the shrines."
At the time, it was such a surprise, Ainzach had been shocked and
confused, but thinking over it now, it was only embarrassing. He had snuck
around hiding his friend and earned himself a king's snickering for his
narrow-mindedness.
He should have called Rakheshir in; they could have had a frank
conversation among all three of them.
Not that he felt his conversation with the King of Darkness had been a
heart-to-heart. But the king had spoken to a citizen with all the dignity of a
ruler. Meanwhile, how had he acted?
Amid Ainzach's brow furrowing, Rakheshir addressed him coldly. "So
what are you planning on doing? No, you don't even have to say it; I already
know. You're calling him 'His Majesty' now."
"Don't you think I did it because someone could be listening in?"
"If they are, then you gave away the fact that we noticed."
"You wouldn't consider the possibility that I was under some kind of
Charm spell?"
"I wouldn't say there's zero chance of it, but no, it couldn't be that.
Charm spells have a time limit. I'm sure even the King of Darkness can't
keep one going indefinitely."
"You never know. Maybe the King of Darkness can."
"Please stop. You might be right, and that's disturbing. He can use the
godly eighth tier of spells, after all."
The two of them smiled, and then Ainzach's expression grew serious once
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more. "I think we can cooperate with him."
"You're going to assist with the invasion?"
"…Isn't it only natural to see strong countries governing the weaker
ones?"
"You'll tacitly allow it even though you know it will only end in misery?"
"We don't know that for sure. In the first place, has His Majesty made
anyone miserable since he took over here?"
Rakheshir fell silent.
Actually, to their surprise, they were unable to name anyone who had met
with misfortune.
"Aren't some adventurers out of work?"
"Well, yes, but that's… Don't get snide with me."
"Yeah, that was a cheap shot. Anyhow, he was here, so shouldn't you
have asked him what he intended to do about the shrines?"
"Hold on. What would we do if by me probing, he said, Now that you
mention it, they're in my way. I'll abolish them? I don't want to live with the
weight of being the spark that led to a massacre."
"Do you think he would do something like that?"
"No, quite the opposite. He has an extraordinary intellect. Honestly, it
surprised me. It almost makes me wonder if that undead face of his is just a
magic disguise. Yes—he reminded me of Sir Momon."
"I can't think of any way that's not rude to Sir Momon."
In response to his scowling friend's offended jab, Ainzach winced.
"You're right. It's not very nice to lump everyone's hero and an undead king
together. But they are the same in that they both possess power that deviates
from the realm of what normal humans are capable of, aren't they? In a
word…yes. I get a unique feeling from them, vibes they must only put out
because they are both transcendent."
"I see. Then I suppose I sort of understand."
The pair fondly envisioned their hero Momon.
"All right," said Ainzach after a pause, fixing his gaze squarely on
Rakheshir. "If you don't intend to cooperate with His Majesty, Rakheshir,
could you stop visiting me?"
His reasoning was obvious. It was possible that documents related to
running the nation would begin appearing in his room. It would be
problematic for an outsider to come into the space at that point.
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The King of Darkness's words had impacted Ainzach so much that he felt
motivated to say such a thing to his friend.
The new image of what an adventurer would be called to him. Some
people did become adventurers for a chance to trek through lands unknown.
Most of them, however, either caved in when faced with the reality or died.
Only a handful of adventurers were capable of such a journey. But if the King
of Darkness, a caster with absolute power, was backing them, he could see
new possibilities opening up.
This was the birth of true adventurers.
Rakheshir murmured, "Ainzach, you know our Wizards Guild is pretty
much disbanded, right?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then as your old friend, I'll support you. And once this is over, shall we
go off together in pursuit of the unknown?"
"Ha-ha!" Ainzach laughed. "At our age? Heh-heh, you want to?"
"Could you really resist? Make sure the King of Darkness doesn't have an
age cutoff for the Adventurers Guild."
The pair's cheerful laughter echoed throughout the room.