Overlord

Part 2

"Thank. You. Demiurge."

Once his master left, the first thing Cocytus did was express his gratitude to Demiurge. Demiurge responded to the deeply bowed Cocytus with the same serene smile as always.

"No, there's no need for thanks."

"How. Could. That. Be? Without. Your. Help. The. Lizardmen. Would. Have. Been. Exterminated."

"…Cocytus, I believe the reason why Ainz-sama approved of your suggestion was because Ainz-sama had foreseen such a development."

As Demiurge delivered his summation with an upraised finger, a startled gasp rang through the air. The sound seemed to have come from himself, or the Guardians around him.

"In other words, I believe Ainz-sama anticipated that you would say such a thing. That was why he sent you to the Lizardman village. I felt that was the case because Ainz-sama seemed most delighted to hear you oppose the destruction of the Lizardmen village. In contrast, he sounded quite disappointed when you could not bring up an alternative solution."

"You. Mean. To. Say. Ainz-sama. Was. Disappointed. Because. Things. Did. Not. Go. According. To. Plan?"

"Precisely. In other words, even the conversation we are having now might well have been foreseen by Ainz-sama."

"As. Expected. Of. Ainz-sama. He. Has. Planned. Everything. Out. With. Meticulous. Perfection."

"B-But, a-ah…"

"…Spit it out."

Aura bade her little brother Mare to speak, in a stern tone of voice.

"Well, rather than say that he had planned to be defeated, isn't it more like our master had anticipated that Cocytus would have investigated the Lizardmen's strength and then mentioned that victory might be in doubt?"

A profound sense of shame fell over Cocytus as he remembered his exchange with Demiurge back then. After all, he had messed everything up.

"He couldn't have come up with something like that if he didn't understand Cocytus so well. Well, that's Ainz-sama for you…"

"While we have already seen Ainz-sama's outstanding warrior prowess during the battle with Shalltear, to think he also possessed such extraordinary talent as a schemer. I cannot help but prostrate myself before him in awe. While Ainz-sama may have said otherwise, I feel that nothing can go wrong if we simply obey Ainz-sama's orders…"

"He's really amazing. He truly lives up to the name of the one who united all the Supreme Beings."

Shalltear excitedly added her own praise after Demiurge's. The other Guardians nodded in agreement.

♦ ♦ ♦

After returning to his room, Ainz jumped onto his bed. He hung briefly in the air before his body sank into the bed — and then he started to roll.

He rolled right, and then he rolled left.

His luxurious robe was crumpled from this, but Ainz paid it no heed, giggling quietly as he rolled around. The reason Ainz was doing such a childish thing was because there was nobody in this room besides him.

Soon, Ainz had indulged his childish d.e.s.i.r.e for the soft sheets. He then lay on his back, facing the ceiling.

"Ahhh, I'm so tired… ah, I want to loosen up and get drunk… although I can't do that now."

After complaining to the air, he sighed deeply — although Ainz could not breathe, so he was just going through the motions.

Ainz was undead, so physical and mental exhaustion were foreign to him. However, in human terms, he had spent every day hard at work for the past month. If he had a stomach, it would be in ruins by now.

Ainz was currently filled with stress.

The warrior Momon had defeated the silver-haired Vampire — Shalltear. Perhaps someone who was not in full possession of the facts might think it was simply impressive, but to the mysterious person who had used a World Class Item on Shalltear, it would mean something else. The opposition might have their eye on Ainz, or they might try to make contact with him.

Therefore, Ainz spent his days on high alert, with many cash items ready so he could make his escape at any time. During his free time, he indulged in a little bit of mental roleplay — or exercising his imagination, more like — and studied whether he would be able to escape if the enemy came for him, while at the same time gathering information about his foe.

This nerve-wracking daily life had little effect on Ainz Ooal Gown, but it tired out the remnants of his humanity — of Suzuki Satoru's personality. The reason why he indulged in imm.a.t.u.r.e behavior when he was alone and had free time was probably a sign that Suzuki Satoru was under a lot of stress, hidden beneath the facade of Ainz.

Perhaps that griping had come from the personality of Suzuki Satoru overriding that of Ainz's.

"The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick… no, Ainz Ooal Gown… isn't a stock corporation. As a joint venture company, we're supposed to be a moral enterprise, so we ought to pay all employees the overtime they're due…"

After whining to himself like that, Ainz furrowed his nonexistent eyebrows.

"Hm? …Don't tell me I'm not entitled to overtime because I have a post allowance? Uwah…"

Ainz rolled around again, and then froze after about half a dozen iterations.

"All right… that's enough useless thinking for one day… That said, I'm really impressed that Cocytus actually said something like that."

It had come as quite a surprise. To think Cocytus actually felt sympathy for the Lizardmen.

In truth, Cocytus's actions had been a big headache for Ainz.

Suzuki Satoru was the sort of person who would thoroughly research his sources and regurgitate them by rote when called upon to deliver a briefing. Therefore, he was not used to dealing with unexpected things. However, as long as it was written down in his notes, he could use them to deal with it. In other words, the success of Suzuki Satoru's briefings rested on how much research he did and how well he could use it to respond to the circ.u.mstances. He was extremely inept in dealing with situations which required adaptability; in fact, he hated them.

And then, Cocytus had shattered that tiny wish of his.

He had been extremely worried about what Cocytus would say, but he was also very happy.

That was the joy a parent might have — as though a hitherto docile and obedient child had expressed his own opinion for once. The important thing was that Cocytus's growth had far exceeded Ainz's expectations.

When Ainz had returned to Nazarick earlier, he had asked one of the maids to cook something — a steak. Perhaps she might need practice when it came to the doneness and other major points of the meal, but Ainz did not have such high expectations of the steak. Neither did he want food which granted bonuses, like food in YGGDRASIL. All he wanted was something edible.

However, the result could only be described as a lump of charcoal.

No matter how often that maid practiced, she could only make chunks of charred meat.

Ainz had accepted that outcome as he accepted the maid's heartfelt apologies. After all, it was the same as him trying to equip the greatsword in his wardrobe.

In YGGDRASIL, one needed specialized skills to make food. It was only to be expected, since food and drink could grant special bonuses when consumed. However, that maid did not possess such skills.

In other words, if one lacked the proper skills to perform a task, it would end in failure.

He had given Cocytus command over the weak undead because he felt that he would be able to learn more from their defeat.

In the end, Ainz had been pleased with the results. Cocytus had shown Ainz that he had the possibility for growth.

Of course, there was a huge different between theory and practice.

Ainz's upcoming objective was to thoroughly master the details of this world's unique magic — if such magic existed. Currently, Ainz was still unclear whether magic was a skill or knowledge.

However, this experiment showed that one's knowledge could still grow.

Cocytus had proved the possibility of that development. He had done very well.

Ainz thought.

A lack of growth was equivalent to stagnation. Even if he was powerful now, he might be surpassed one day.

Even if he had a hundred years' advantage in military technology, he would still lose his pole position if he did not continue improving himself. There might be a strong nation nearby, but they would be utter fools if they assumed that they would always be a strong nation and did not seek improvement.

Ainz looked at the veiling as he muttered this.

"Ahhh, it's so scary, I'm so scared…"

The remnants of Suzuki Satoru's personality wailed in fear of the unknown.

Growth was change. Then, who could guarantee that their absolute loyalty would not change? Even if it did not, he was still afraid that someday they would consider him unworthy of being the ruler of the glorious Nazarick. He feared being forced out of his position as guildmaster.

"…I have to become a leader that the Guardians will want to follow… Why isn't there anyone to teach me the path of rulership…"

There was probably nobody in Nazarick who was designed for such a purpose.

As Ainz fell into contemplation, he thought of two people, from the Five Worsts of Nazarick. One of them was Kyouhukou, who bore the title of Duke, and the other was Gashokukochuuou, who had the title of King. Ainz wondered if he could ask them to teach him, and his answer was simple and succinct.

"…Hell no."

He did not want to learn from them unless he had no other choice,

"Forget it… as long as I don't mess up too much, I won't need to retire. Also… yes, about those two-legged sheep…"

Ainz had already surmised the true identity of the two-legged sheep which was why he had not asked about their appearance. They were monsters he had seen in YGGDRASIL before.

"They have the heads of a lion and a goat, and a serpentine tail. Their hands are those of lions and their feet are those of goats. They are Chimerae…"

In YGGDRASIL, Chimerae walked on two legs, attacking with lion's paws, which served as arms. Each of them had two heads, one of a lion and one of a goat. That was because these monsters were based on the visual data of monsters known as Baphomets.

So why had Demiurge not come out and said that they were Chimerae? Ainz had his doubts, but then he also had an answer.

"In other words, they're mutant Chimerae. Am I right, Demiurge?"

Ainz chuckled, and then he added a mental note to his opinion of Demiurge: he had terrible naming sense.

"Well, the Chimera Lords in YGGDRASIL looked kind of… no, fish-like Chimerae look disgusting. So these two-legged sheep are a new breed of Chimera… that makes them Holy Kingdom Chimerae… it might be good to bring one of them to Nazarick. And then there's Victim… hm."

Victim looked just like how Ainz remembered, but one thing stood out in his mind.

"The language he's using… is that Enochian, the language of angels? It feels like he's saying something else entirely…"

It was translated, so Ainz did not know what sort of language he was using, but it felt weird to him. Of course, that might be because Ainz did not know Enochian at all.

"Forget it, let's not worry about it. All right, it's about time to set out…"

Ainz rolled around again. He stopped when he was face down, to verify something that had been bothering him since just now.

He pressed his face to the bed, and sniffed.

Ainz had no lungs, so he was merely going through the motions. Strangely enough, he could smell something.

"This is the smell of flowers… did someone spray perfume on this bed? Are the beds of the wealthy like this? That's pretty surprising… maybe I should keep them in mind when I'm pretending to be wealthy, then? Umu…"

Part 3

There was an ability known as danger sensing.

Among adventurers, thieves and those with sensory skills prized that ability. As the name implied, it allowed its user to sense danger.

There were two main variations of this ability. One kind disregarded logic and analysis, making snap decisions based on one's perceptions. The other was the product of experienced reasoning and deduction. The proverbial sixth sense and intuition belonged to the first category, while those who picked up on minute sensory traces and observed changes in the environment fell into the latter category.

One would naturally learn the second type when on the battlefield or when travelling alone, even if one did not go out of the way to hone it. It was a form of experience gained from being in hazardous environments.

The Lizardmen were superior to humans in that aspect. This was because their biological abilities — their senses — were sharper, and because they lived in more hostile conditions. A human being would typically live in a safe place that was far away from monsters, but Lizardmen often had monsters as neighbors.

In Zaryusu's case, he was a traveller, and thus used to long, solo journeys. Thus, he could accurately and keenly gauge the changes in the air and mood.

His eyes snapped open as he sensed a tension filtering through the air.

The familiar sight of the room — although he had only lived there for a few days — greeted him. However closely a human looked, they would not be able to see within the lightless interior, but that was not a problem for Lizardmen.

There was nothing unusual about the room.

Zaryusu looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that there was nothing unusual around. At the same time, he sat up.

As an outstanding warrior, Zaryusu could go from sound asleep to fully awake in an instant. His eyes would not be weighed down by sleep — he could charge into battle right now with no problems.

This was also related to the Lizardman habit of light sleeping.

However, Crusch showed no signs of stirring from where she was sleeping beside him.

All she did was m.o.a.n softly as she was deprived of Zaryusu's warmth.

Under normal circ.u.mstances, Crusch should have sensed the change in the air and woken from her slumber. However, she did not seem to have done so.

A sense of regret filled Zaryusu — had he placed too much of a burden on Crusch?

As he recalled last night, he felt that perhaps Crusch's burden was greater than his own. It would seem that the female Crusch had been under more strain than the male Zaryusu during the process of defeating the Elder Lich.

He would have liked for her to be able to continue sleeping, but upon listening carefully, he could hear the sounds of many Lizardmen hurrying around. In an emergency like this, it would be more dangerous to let her sleep than to wake her up.

"Crusch, Crusch."

Zaryusu shook Crusch several times, using some force.

"Hm? Mmm…"

After twitching her tail, she opened her crimson eyes.

"Hm? Uuuu…?"

"Seems like something's happened."

Those words snapped a half-asleep Crusch to full wakefulness. Frost Pain lay by his side, and after taking it up he rose to his feet, followed shortly by Crusch.

The two of them headed outside, and they immediately realised the source of the disturbance.

The sky above the village was covered in a thick layer of dark clouds.

When they looked into the distance, they realized that these clouds were different from regular clouds, because the sky in the distance was bright and clear.

In other words, this meant that—

"They're… coming again?"

A signal of another enemy attack—

"Looks like it."

Crusch agreed with his assessment. Debate broke out among the Lizardmen of the Five Tribes as they gazed into the cloudy sky. However, there was no fear on their faces.

That was because they had achieved victory even in these dire circ.u.mstances, and it had made them all stronger.

The two of them ran to the main gate of the village, accompanied by the sound of splashing. They passed several Lizardmen preparing for battle, and reached their destination before long.

There were many warrior Lizardmen gathered at the main gate, and everyone was peering outside. There were some familiar faces among them, including Zenberu, who had fought and bled with them, and the chief of the Little Fang Tribe beside him.

Zenberu waved to the two of them as they splashed over, and then jerked his chin to indicate that they should look outside the gate.

Zaryusu and Crusch stood by Zenberu's side and looked in that direction.

Facing them, on the other side of the boundary between the marsh and the forest, were serried ranks of skeletons.

"So they've come again."

"Hm…"

Zaryusu clicked his tongue after answering Zenberu.

They had expected as much, but this was still too quick. They had thought that the heavy losses that they had inflicted would take the enemy some time to replace.

As it turned out they had been completely off the mark. Their foe had actually mobilized such a large army in such a short time.

"…Still, they ought to be weaker than the skeletons which that Elder Lich summoned."

There was a hidden meaning to those words. Zenberu was implying that the skeletons before then were stronger than the Skeletons that had attacked earlier.

Zaryusu kept his eyes trained on the skeletons facing them. This was in order to grasp their opponents' strength and prepare the appropriate defenses.

Indeed, they were all skeletal creatures, but they were dramatically different from the Skeletons they had fought previously.

By looks alone, the biggest difference lay in their equipment. The previous Skeletons were only armed with rusted swords, but these skeletons had full sets of gear. In addition, they looked more presentable than those from the earlier encounter. There seemed to be three broad classes of personal equipment on the skeletons present.

Most of the skeletons were outfitted in b.r.e.a.s.tplates, bearing an inverted-triangle shield — a heater shield — in one hand, and all manner of hand weapons in the other. They even had quivers and bows on their backs. These armed skeletons were fully equipped for attack and defense and for fighting at close or long range.

Then, there were skeletons who were similarly accoutred with b.r.e.a.s.tplates, but sporting tattered red capes and helmets, wielding bastard swords and round shields.

The last group comprised the least numerous, but best-equipped skeletons. They wore suits of shiny golden full plate armor and gripped shiny pikes. Not a single spot of dirt marred their brilliant red capes.

As Zaryusu inspected them, he realized something. He rubbed his eyes several times, wondering if they were mistaken. However, the reality before him remained as it was.

"Eh…? No way…"

"How, how could this be…"

Crusch realized that Zaryusu was muttering in a pained voice as she gasped in shock. Just then, Zenberu spoke up:

"…Oh, it seems you noticed too."

Zenberu's voice sounded similarly tortured.

"Mm…"

Zaryusu stopped there. He did not want to continue, because he would be afraid if he continued to speak, but he had to say it:

"…Those look like magic weapons."

Crusch nodded steadily from beside him.

All the weapons wielded by the skeleton army were magical in nature. Some had flaming swords, while others had hammers crackling with electricity. Some had pikes whose heads were sheathed in green light, while others had scythes which dripped a viscous purple fluid.

"Not just that. Take a look at their armor and shields. They're all… enchanted as well."

Zaryusu took a closer look as he heard Zenberu speak.

And then, he g.r.o.a.n.e.d in dismay. That was because Zaryusu realized that those shiny suits of armor did not reflect the sun's light, but seemed to glow from within.

What kind of ruler could outfit this many skeletons in magic items? If it was only a matter of simple sharpening enchantments, Zaryusu had heard that certain great nations could amass quantities like this after long planning. However, imbuing this many magic weapons with elemental properties — and in the variety before him — was another matter entirely.

Zaryusu remembered the Dwarves Zenberu had spoken of several days ago.

The Dwarves were a mountain-dwelling species, who possessed exceptional skill concerning metal. During a drinking party, the Dwarves had once shared a heroic legend — that of the Emperor who founded the Dwarven Empire, a hero clad in adamantite armor, a man who felled Dragons by himself, and the "Magesmith" of the Thirteen Heroes. Even those legends had not spoken of an army — over five thousand strong — of this size, outfitted in magical equipment like this.

Then, what was Zaryusu looking at now?

"…Is that an army from the legends?"

If they had not come from a human myth, then it must have come from some kind of divine legend.

Zaryusu shuddered. He realized that he had challenged a foe who was not only beyond his expectations, but one that should never have been provoked.

However, he had gathered everyone here with the intention to die. How could someone who had come up with such a ridiculous plan be afraid now? He already knew this foe was beyond the bounds of his imagination. The solution was how they would deal with it.

"It can't be. That must be an illusion or something."

As everyone heard those words, a look crossed their faces which seemed to say, "What rubbish are you spouting?" Their enemy was not moving, but they felt real enough. They emanated a frightful presence and they could not possibly be mere illusions.

Still, these doubt-inducing words were spoken by the chief of the Small Fang Tribe. He had not said them because he had gone mad.

"What basis do you have for that?"

In response to Zaryusu's question, the Small Fang chieftain replied confidently:

"We've sent out rotating scout patrols, but nobody reported seeing undead like that. There's no way we wouldn't have spotted them if they were in such numbers. Of course, all the scouts we sent out returned safely."

"I see… Still, I don't think they're illusions."

"…But… no, maybe they're not. If they aren't illusions, maybe they burrowed through the earth or used similar means of movement. A tunnel would explain why they weren't spotted earlier."

"It doesn't matter if they dug through the ground or flew through the sky, what do we do about them? Though it doesn't look like they're going to fight just yet, they don't look like they want to negotiate either."

"That seems to be the case… although, given the present circ.u.mstances, I feel the enemy is going to try something…"

Zaryusu stared at the skeletal army.

He was looking for their commander — and then, a gust of bone-freezing wind blew over them. It was not a one-time occurrence — the chill wind blew over and over.

This preternaturally frigid wind was not a natural phenomenon. There was no doubt that it was the result of magic.

"Wind? Eh… it can't be! Isn't this the same kind of magic… how is that even possible…"

Crusch trembled as she hugged herself. She did not look like she was doing so purely because of the cold, so Zaryusu asked:

"Crusch, what's with this cold wind…"

"…You might not believe me if I say this, but please listen to me. I originally thought that the weather changes from before were the result of the fourth tier spell 「Control Clouds」, but I was wrong. 「Control Clouds」 can control clouds, but it cannot generate cold winds like this. Therefore… this isn't just controlling clouds, but altering the weather. In other words, I think the enemy used a sixth tier spell… 「Control Weather」."

Crusch lowered her voice so nobody could hear, and continued, "However, that spell is beyond my ability to use, so I'm not too sure if that's the case."

Zaryusu knew how shocking spells of the sixth tier were. Magic like that was beyond even Igva, the strongest opponent Zaryusu had ever fought, and it was considered the most powerful form of magic in the world.

"Is this… the power of the Supreme One? I see… that would explain it."

If he could use magic of the sixth tier, then the title of "Supreme" would be well-deserved.

"Oi oi oi, when I look around at everyone, it doesn't look good."

Zenberu's mumbling highlighted the mood in the air.

Such cold winds could not blow in this weather — in other words, this was a supernatural change in the environment that was beyond their ability to comprehend. The Lizardmen's morale plummeted to rock bottom.

Previously, only clouds had appeared. The priests could still control clouds if they gathered together, built a huge bonfire, and conducted a ritual. However, when the Lizardmen felt the chill kiss of this autumn-like wind, they realized how powerful their foe was to be able to manipulate such normally uncontrollable natural phenomena.

Even without Crusch's words, the constantly-blowing wind clearly ill.u.s.trated just how powerful their upcoming opponent was.

"Cheh, they're making their move."

Zaryusu gritted his teeth and suppressed the urge to swish his tail with sheer force of will. So they're moving out now? he thought.

The warrior Lizardmen panicked as the skeletal army advanced with steps with such regularity that they seemed to have been measured with a pace stick. Some of them even growled in warning. However, Zaryusu was baffled as he watched the skeletal army move.

That was not a prelude to battle.

Just as Zaryusu and Zenberu were about to ask the panicking Lizardmen to calm down—

"—Calm yourselves!"

A shout that swallowed the land and shattered the sky rang forth.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Their eyes settled on Shasuryu.

"I say again, calm yourselves."

The only thing that could be heard in this silent space was his confident, dignified voice, echoing in their ears.

"Also, do not be afraid, warriors. Do not disappoint the ancestors who stand behind you."

Shasuryu passed through the quiet, now-calm Lizardmen, and came to Zaryusu's side.

"Little brother, what's the enemy done now?"

"Mm, Ani-ja. They've started moving… but they don't seem to be getting ready for a fight."

"Muu."

The five hundred skeletons who moved out formed up into ten ranks.

"What are they doing?"

As though waiting for that question, the skeletal army moved again.

With perfect coordination, they split in two from the center, leaving a space between them that was roughly twenty skeletons in size. Within that space was a figure.

It was not very large. Even at a distance of two hundred fifty meters, it was clearly smaller than Zaryusu.

It wore a black robe, and radiated a dreadful aura of evil. It looked similar to the Elder Lich they had fought yesterday, so it was probably a magic caster as well.

However, the key difference between the two was their power.

A chill ran up Zaryusu's spine as he saw it. His instincts told him that the difference between the being before him and the Elder Lich from yesterday was like the difference between a warrior and an infant.

Even at this range, he could feel the ice-cold and malevolent presence it emanated. In addition, its equipment was in a league of its own.

It was like an avatar of irresistible death — an absolute ruler.

"A ruler of death… is it?

The words which fell unbidden from Zaryusu's mouth perfectly described the monster before him.

Indeed, that person was a king that ruled death.

"…Oh!"

What did this ruler of death have in mind?

The Lizardmen panicked as one as they looked at that lord of extinction. Just then, an magic array roughly ten meters across expanded from around that magic caster in a hemisphere.

On the hemisphere were translucent sigils that resembled letters and symbols, glowing with a bluish-white light. These sigils shifted with bewildering speed, each different from one moment to the next.

The clear blue light changed shape continuously, illuminating the surroundings in phantasmagoric radiance. If this were not the work of an enemy, perhaps they might have been entranced by it, but right now they were not in the mood for such things.

Zaryusu, unable to understand what was going on, felt confused.

Most magic casters would not project magic arrays like that into the air when casting their spells. The enemy's actions were far beyond Zaryusu's knowledge. Therefore, Zaryusu asked the female who knew the most about magic:

"What is that?"

"I, I don't know. I don't know what that is either—"

Crusch's reply sounded a little afraid. It would seem her knowledge of magic made her even more frightened of this unknown phenomenon.

Just as Zaryusu was about to comfort her with a pat—

Perhaps the spell had cast, but the magic circle fragmented and transformed into countless motes of light, which flew to the sky. And then, they spread from the air, like an explosion —

—And the lake froze over.

Nobody had any idea what was going on.

There was the outstanding chief Shasuryu, the incredibly talented priestess Crusch, and the widely-travelled Zaryusu. Even these individuals, who were extraordinarily gifted in their respective fields, could not immediately comprehend what was happening at the moment.

They had no idea why their feet were stuck in the ice.

Soon — after their brains managed to parse what was going on — the cries of despair rang out.

Indeed, every Lizardman was wailing.

Even Zaryusu was doing so. Crusch, Shasuryu, and even Zenberu, the boldest of them all, was no exception. The terror which sprang from the deepest reaches of their souls drove them to cry out in fear.

The scene before their eyes was too horrific to bear. The lake which could never freeze, which had never frozen ever since they had been born, was now a solid sheet of ice.

The Lizardmen hurriedly raised their feet. Fortunately, the ice was not very thick and broke immediately, but the shattered portions immediately froze back over. The bone-chilling cold from below proved that this was no mirage.

In a panic, Zaryusu hurriedly scaled a dirt wall and looked around, and then he was dumbstruck by the ridiculous sight around him.

Everything, as far as his eyes could see, was frozen over.

It was impossible to imagine that such a huge lake could have frozen solid, yet the glittering ice before his eyes was reality.

Zaryusu feared for the fish farms, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

"No way…"

Crusch, who had climbed up with Zaryusu to look around, was just as dumbfounded as he was. A despondent voice came from her gaping mouth.

Much like Zaryusu, she could not believe what she was seeing.

"Monster!"

He cursed loudly. At the same time, he hoped that the cursing would somewhat ameliorate the terror in his heart.

"Get them up here!" his brother Shasuryu bellowed.

Several Lizardmen had already collapsed. The warrior Lizardmen who could still move worked together to extricate their fallen friends from the frozen swamp.

The Lizardmen who had collapsed were ghastly pale and shook uncontrollably. Perhaps the cold had stolen their vitality.

"Ani-ja, I'll go take a look around!"

With Frost Pain in hand, Zaryusu would not be affected by cold effects of that level.

"No… don't go!"

"Why, Ani-ja!?"

"The enemy ought to be making their move soon! I forbid you to leave this place! Grasp the situation and don't let any information slip past you! You've travelled the world and acc.u.mulated all sorts of knowledge; you're the only one who can handle that task!"

Shasuryu's eyes left Zaryusu, and he spoke to the warriors around him.

"I will now cast a spell that will defend against the cold, 「Protection Energy – Ice」. Tell everyone in the village not to touch the ice."

"I'll help with the spells too."

"Thank you! Crusch, you split up from me. Heal anyone in critical condition!"

Crusch and Shasuryu began casting spells on the now-safe Lizardmen.

Zaryusu remained on the dirt wall, his keen gaze intently focused on the enemy formation and taking in every move the enemy made. He had to carry out the mission his elder brother had entrusted to him.

"There we go."

Zenberu, who had climbed up beside him, leisurely regarded the enemy forces.

"Come on, loosen up a little. Your big bro's counting on your knowledge, right? He won't scold you if you miss something. What's more important is that you don't get overly focused and develop tunnel vision."

Zenberu's relaxed tone helped cool Zaryusu's head down.

Much like how they had done in the battle with the Elder Lich, they could divide the load among themselves and work together, while he oversaw everything.

Zaryusu looked around and found that the warriors were climbing the dirt walls and observing the enemy. Indeed, he was not fighting alone, but with everyone.

It would seem he had been rattled by that overpowering force — by that spell.

Zaryusu exhaled, as if to expel the acc.u.mulated unclean air within himself.

"Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

"…That's true, because you're here too, Zenberu."

"Haah, don't look at me when it comes to brainwork."

Their eyes met and they laughed. Then they turned their attention back on the enemy.

"Still, that's one hell of a monster out there."

"Yes, it's on a completely different level."

The King of Death regarded Zaryusu and the Lizardman village with a majestic gaze as he stood, like the ruler of this world and the next. What should have been a tiny object in the distance seemed to have expanded to dozens of times its actual size.

"…He ought to be that Supreme One they were talking about."

"Most likely. I hope he's the only one who can freeze a lake with magic like that."

"Yeah, me too. We Lizardmen must look like tiny ants to someone who can pull off something like that. Damn, dammit! We're nothing more than worms to him. Speaking of which… they're moving."

The magic caster who had frozen the lake raised the hand which was not holding a staff and waved it at the village. He must be giving an order, Zaryusu's instincts told him, and in the next moment his instincts were validated in a horrifying way.

"Ohhhhh!"

The voices came from everywhere in the village.

"What… what is that!? What the hell is going on!?"

Zaryusu had thought he could no longer be surprised, but after seeing what was before him, he could not help but wail in response.

Before his eyes was a massive statue hewn of stone, with a pair of arms and legs.

Its sturdy, slab-like c.h.e.s.t pulsed with red light, like a heartbeat. Its limbs were thick and stubby, and it looked almost adorable… well, it would have been, if it were not over thirty meters tall.

This massive stone statue suddenly appeared from the forest. Calling it an illusion might actually have been easier to swallow.

The statue moved slowly, and produced a gigantic boulder out of nowhere.

And then, it tossed the boulder.

Zaryusu reflexively shielded his eyes. Certain death awaited anyone who was hit by that huge rock.

The earth shuddered and a tremendous crash assaulted Zaryusu in that world of darkness. The dirt wall shook violently.

After that was the sound of heavy rain — of the sand and debris which had been tossed up falling back to the earth. It was accompanied by surprised cries from the village.

They were prepared to die, but they were not prepared for this unimaginable terror. The shocking lesson from just now made even the veterans of that battle shriek like children.

Zaryusu breathed a sigh of relief as he realised that he was still alive. As he nervously opened his eyes, he saw the undead army on the move, and he noticed that the gigantic statue was nowhere to be seen.

The huge rock which had not been there before now stood between the two forces. The undead troops approached the rock, and then they fell to one knee after raising their shields as if to block the sky. The other skeletons jumped up on those shields, and after nimbly maintaining their balance, they raised their shields as well.

In the moment that Zaryusu realised what the enemy was doing, he trembled all over, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Don't tell me… stairs? They're using a legendary army like that as stairs!?"

The skeletons drew close to the giant rock with startling speed, and then the staircase formed by the undead army finally took shape.

Then, the other undead soldiers made their move. They looked more refined than the skeletons from earlier, and there were about a hundred of them. They held lances with banners attached, of the kind that lancers might carry.

The bright red cloth — their banners — were embroidered with the same sigil.

Their capes rippling in the wind, these undead marched onto the marsh with immaculate coordination. They crunched the ice under their feet as they advanced in silence. Then, another group of skeletons marched onto the marsh with the same fluid movements, taking care to maintain the proper spacing from the first group. They crossed their lances with those of the warriors opposite them.

The crossed lances formed a passage which led to the huge rock.

"…Is that a king's path?"

Zenberu was right.

The magic caster of death walked down the path made by the undead. The silhouettes of several people were visible behind it. Nobody had noticed their arrival.

At their head walked the magic caster of unfathomable might.

He was dressed in a black robe that seemed to be made of darkness itself, and an ebony radiance emanated from the staff he carried. That radiance shaped itself into the tormented faces of human beings, which dissolved and disappeared into nothing. Beneath the hood of his robe was a skeletal face, and within its empty eye sockets danced points of bright red light.

He was adorned with countless items of magical jewelry, the likes of which were beyond Zaryusu's comprehension. He strode forth with the air of a monarch.

A pale-skinned female trailed behind the king of death. She resembled a human being, but she differed from them in one key respect — which would be the wings at her waist.

"Could she be a… demon?"

♦ ♦ ♦

Demons.

There were devils who destroyed with brute force and fiends who corrupted with intellect. These outsiders were collectively known as demons. They were said to be monsters of legendary cruelty and malice, who existed to destroy all intelligent beings of good alignment. Their names were a byword for evil.

Zaryusu had heard of demons during his travels.

He had heard of their fearsome nature. Apparently, two hundred years ago there was a monster who was a king of demons — the Demon God, who rallied demons to his banner and nearly destroyed the world.

The Demon God was finally defeated by the Thirteen Heroes, and the traces of that battle could still be seen to this day.

If the undead were monsters that hated the living, then demons were monsters who wanted to make the living suffer.

Behind the demoness was a pair of Dark Elf twins, and then a silver-haired girl. In addition, there was a sinister-looking monster which floated in mid-air, and finally a tailed being who resembled a human male.

The creepy monster alone did not seem very strong, but the tip of his tail began to twitch just by looking at each of them. His primal instincts screamed at him to flee with all his might.

The group advanced in silence, passing beneath the lances and banners, climbing the stairs leading up the huge rock. They trod the undead soldiers with no hesitation whatsoever, standing like kings and queens atop the massive boulder. The king of death at their head waved his hand.

In an instant, a high-backed throne which glowed with a black light appeared, and the undead king promptly sat upon it.

Behind them, the people who seemed to be his confidantes formed a line, looking at the village as though they were waiting for something. However, they did not do anything else beyond that.

What was going on?

Several Lizardmen looked uncomfortably at each other, and in the end they finally decided to let the wisest of their number do the talking.

"…Ah, could, could you tell us what we should do, Zaryusu-san? Should we prepare to run?"

That voice was utterly devoid of fighting spirit. The drooping tail spoke volumes about what was in his heart.

"No, there's no need for that. Consider the Elder Lich from before. We now face a magic caster who vastly exceeds that Elder Lich, so it should be child's play for him to launch an attack from a distance like this. In all likelihood… he wants to tell us something."

Looks of understanding dawned on the Lizardmen's faces.

Through all of this, Zaryusu's eyes had been firmly fixed on the group before them. He was like a peasant looking up to his king as he ceaselessly examined the monsters atop that huge rock.

He did this so he would not miss anything about them.

Now that they were so close, he could examine them in great detail, and they could even meet each other's eyes.

Was that king of death observing the Lizardmen from his place atop his throne? The Dark Elves did not seem particularly hostile. The silver-haired girl had a mocking smile on her face. The demoness's gentle expression was paradoxically spine-chilling. The creepy monster's expression was unreadable. The tailed man's eyes were devoid of any emotion.

After they studied each other for a while, the undead king once more raised his free hand to his c.h.e.s.t. Several Lizardmen saw this, and their tails thrashed violently.

"—Don't be afraid. Don't disgrace us in front of our opponents."

Zaryusu's razor-edged criticism drove all the Lizardmen to stand up straight and thrust out their c.h.e.s.ts.

Numerous clouds of black fog appeared before the king of death — twenty of them in total. They whirled ceaselessly, growing larger and larger, until they formed a single cloud of black fog about one hundred fifty centimeters in size. Soon, countless frightening faces appeared in the fog.

"That's…"

Zaryusu recalled the monsters who had come to the villages as messengers, and the undead creatures he had seen during his travels.

Crusch had already explained this once in the village, but it was very difficult to harm incorporeal monsters without the aid of enchanted weapons, weapons made of special metals, magic, or specialized martial arts.

Even if one put all the Lizardman tribes together, they would only have a few magic weapons. In other words. Just defeating one would be very challenging.

To think that their foe could casually summon twenty such monsters with a wave of his hand.

"…So this is what they mean when they say one can control death."

Our enemy is an incredibly powerful monster, one whom that powerful Elder Lich would pledge his loyalty to, Zaryusu thought despondently.

The king of the dead muttered something, and then cast his hand out, like he was ordering an attack. The monsters than flew over to encircle the village, and they began to recite in unison:

"We hereby relay the will of the Supreme One."

"The Supreme One requests a dialogue. Dispatch your representatives forthwith."

"Any delays will only incur the wrath of the Supreme One."

After their monologue, the incorporeal undead returned to their master's side.

"Wha? …Don't tell me… that's it?" Zaryusu asked, with a stupid look on his face.

He sent such powerful undead just to pass on a message?

However, the more unbelievable thing was what came next. After receiving directions from the ruler of death, the silver-haired girl behind him clapped forcefully.

WIth that clap — all those undead were annihilated.

"What!?"

Zaryusu could not hold back his cry of shock.

Those summoned monsters had not been recalled, but destroyed.

Clerics could destroy the undead. While just banishing them was hard enough, with a sufficient disparity in power levels, a cleric could not only turn undead, but outright destroy them. However, doing so to many undead at once was an arduous task.

In other words, the silver-haired girl was a follower who was as powerful as the king of death. That being the case, the people beside her might well be similarly puissant.

"Hahahaha—"

Zaryusu could not stop himself from laughing.

That was only to be expected. What else could he do but laugh? They were so much more powerful—

"Brother!"

"—Ah, Ani-ja!"

Zaryusu looked down in response to the call from below and found that Shasuryu and Crusch were at the foot of the wall. The two of them climbed the dirt wall and together they looked at the magic caster.

Crusch forced herself into the space between Zaryusu and Zenberu, almost making Zenberu fall. However, that should still have been forgivable.

"Is that the enemy general? He feels so powerful that I'm getting chills down my spine just looking at him. While he looks like the Elder Lich you defeated… there's no comparing their strength, is there…"

"…Ani-ja, are you done on your side?"

"Muu. It's over for the most part. Crusch and I have exhausted our mana. And after hearing those messengers… we felt that it would be better to settle this matter first. As for what those messengers said… Zaryusu, would you be willing to come with me?"

Zaryusu looked silently at Shasuryu, and then nodded deeply. Shasuryu looked briefly uncomfortable, but resumed his usual expression right away, so quickly that nobody had realized he had ever looked that way.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Ani-ja."

Shasuryu jumped off the dirt wall with that apology, landing with a splash as he broke through the narrow ice of the marsh.

"Then, I'll be going."

"Be careful."

Zaryusu hugged Crusch tightly, and then he jumped off into the marsh after Zaryusu.

Zaryusu and Shasuryu trod the thin ice on the surface of the lake underfoot as they set forth together. After leaving the main gate, Zaryusu could sense the undead king's entourage eying them, as though their gazes were exerting an actual physical pressure. He could also sense the uneasy looks from behind him, and the most worried of them probably belonged to Crusch.

Zaryusu fought the urge to stay with her.

Just then, Shasuryu spoke.

"…I'm sorry."

"…What are you sorry for, Ani-ja?"

"…If negotiations break down, they might kill us as an example to the others."

Zaryusu had been prepared for this. That was why he had hugged Crusch tightly before going.

"…Given their numbers, I couldn't let you go alone, Ani-ja. If only one person went, they'd probably think we were snubbing them."

Zaryusu was a famous individual among the Lizardmen and he was ideal for negotiations. However, he was a traveler, and his death would not harm the unity of the Lizardmen. From that point of view, there would be no regrets if he died.

Even if a hero died, the tribe could still keep fighting as long as there were other chiefs around. The shame would be the loss of the Frost Pain he carried; without it, they would be unable to withstand the cold of the lake.

The two of them walked forward in silence, every step taking them closer to death.

They reached the stairway of undead which led to the throne, and raised their voices. If the throne had been set further back, perhaps they might have been allowed to climb up, but given that it was situated at the edge of the rock, it probably meant that they did not want to let the Lizardmen climb up.

Kings had to have a commanding vantage, after all.

There was no such rule among the Lizardmen, but many species had the practice of superior beings overlooking inferior ones. Granted, this would be very rude if they had come to conduct a dialogue.

In other words, this was a dialogue in name only. There was no intention to speak to them on even terms.

Instead, actually expecting equal treatment was a sign of their ignorance. Zaryusu and the others might have won the earlier battle, but after seeing the array of the enemy's top people upon the huge rock, even they would be forced to conclude that their prior victory held no meaning whatsoever. It was nothing more than child's play.

"We have arrived! I am Shasuryu Shasha, representative of the Lizardmen, and this is the greatest hero of the lizardmen!"

"I am Zaryusu Shasha!"

Even so, there was no flattery in their strident voices. They knew it was a foolish gesture, but it was the last inch of dignity they possessed. The earlier battle might have been a sideshow in the eyes of their opponents, but they could not abandon the pride of the warriors who had fallen on that battlefield.

There was no response. The king of death merely swiveled his head to regard them from atop his throne, eying them with no reservation whatsoever. There was no sign that he was going to do anything at all.

The person who answered them was the demoness who sprouted black wings from her waist.

"Our master feels you have not adopted a sufficiently respectful listening posture."

"…What?"

After hearing their doubt-filled voices, she called on the tailed being who looked like a human male.

"—Demiurge."

"『Kneel』."

Zaryusu and Shasuryu suddenly fell to their knees, their heads sinking into the marsh. It seemed like a perfectly natural motion to onlookers.

The cold mud caked their bodies, and the shattered ice immediately froze over once more.

They could not stand. No matter how hard they tried, their bodies would not budge an inch. It was as though a pair of huge, invisible hands were pressing down on them and taking the freedom from their bodies.

"『Do not resist』."

In the instant that voice filtered into their ears again, Zaryusu and Shasuryu felt as though their bodies had suddenly grown an additional brain — an organ that received commands from others, and which their bodies obeyed.

After seeing their powerless bodies kneeling pathetically in the mud, the demoness seemed quite pleased as she reported to her master:

"Ainz-sama, they are now ready to listen to you."

"Thank you — raise your heads."

"『You are permitted to raise your heads』."

Zaryusu and Shasuryu turned their heads, the sole part of their bodies they could move, and looked up like they were desperate to see their king.

"I am… Ainz Ooal Gown, master of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Firstly, I would like to thank you for helping me complete an experiment."

An experiment? You killed so many of us (the Lizardmen) and you dare call it an experiment!?

His resentment fanned the flames of anger in his heart, but he resisted it. After all, now was not the time to make a scene.

"Well then, let's get to the point… submit to my rule."

The magic caster Ainz raised his hand, silencing Shasuryu, who was about to speak.

Shasuryu knew that trying to speak anyway would not be wise, so he could only keep his mouth shut.

"—However, you have just defeated us, and you are unwilling to be ruled by me. Therefore, we will attack again in four hours. If you can still win, I shall no longer act against you. In fact, I guarantee that I will pay you the appropriate reparations."

"…May I ask a question?"

"That is fine. Ask away."

"Will you be the one leading the attack… Gown-dono?"

The silver-haired girl behind him frowned, while the demoness's smile only grew wider. Perhaps they were displeased by the addition of that honorific. However, they did not do anything out of the ordinary, possibly because their master had not brought it up either.

Ainz ignored them, and continued speaking.

"Hardly. I will not be making a move. The attacker shall be one of my trusted aides… and only him. His name is Cocytus."

As Zaryusu heard this, a deep seated sense of despair filled him, like it was the end of the world.

If Ainz attacked with an army, the Lizardmen might have a chance of victory. In other words, he would be hoping to prolong that distasteful war he called an experiment. In that case, they might have a scant, fleeting chance of victory.

However, he was not dispatching an army.

Only one person would be attacking.

An army which had been defeated had arrayed its troops in a grand display, yet they were only sending one person to attack. Unless this was a punishment, what Ainz's words meant was that he was absolutely confident in that person.

A person who had the trust of that unbelievably powerful king of death. Then, the only answer was that the person in question was also incredibly powerful, to the point where the Lizardmen had no hope of victory.

"We choose to surrender…"

"It would be too boring to surrender without a fight. Do put up some token resistance. We would like to enjoy our victory."

Ainz interrupted Shasuryu, preventing him from speaking further.

So you're going to make an example of us, you bastard!? Zaryusu cursed in his heart.

The reality was that the strong would use slaughter to wash away the stain of defeat.

In other words, they were going to carry out a live sacrifice. This would be a show of utter dominion, designed to wipe out any trace of rebellion within the Lizardmen.

"That is all I wish to say. Then, I shall look forward to the events of four hour's time."

"A moment please — will this ice melt?"

Whether they won or lost, it would be very hard for the Lizardmen to survive if the lake was frozen over.

"…Ah, I almost forgot," Ainz replied casually. "I merely wished to avoid staining my robes in the marsh. I will dispel the magic once I return to the shore."

What!?

Zaryusu and Shasuryu were so shocked that they could not speak. In fact, they wondered if they had misheard him.

He froze the lake just because he didn't want to get dirty?

This was no longer merely unbelievable. They were going up against someone with such shocking power, who could easily bend the world to his whims, and for such a pointless little reason to boot.

So this was the kind of mighty being who was their opponent. Zaryusu and Shasuryu felt a terror they had experienced when they were alone by themselves as children.

"Then, see you later, Lizardmen — 「Gate」."

Having said his piece, Ainz waved his hand, and a hemisphere of darkness appeared in front of the throne. He then stepped into the darkness.

"Farewell, Lizardmen."

"Goodbye, Lizardman-sans."

"Seeya, Lizardmen."

The two women and the Dark Elf boy attending Ainz bade farewell to the lizardmen in a disinterested tone before stepping into the darkness as well.

"Er, erm, then, ah, bye bye, take care."

"Kcab og ot evah uoy. (Goodbye, then.)"

The creepy monster vanished into the darkness after the Dark Elf girl.

"『Releasing control』. Then, do enjoy yourselves, Lizardmen."

Finally, the tailed man stepped into the darkness. There was a gentle sound, and the force binding the two of them vanished with him.

Zaryusu and Shasuryu remained kneeling in the mud where they had been abandoned, without the strength to stand up.

They did not even pay attention to the continuous pain which came from the freezing cold filtering up into them. That was because the shock they had just experienced far exceeded any physical pain they might have felt.

"Bastards…"

That uncharacteristic curse from Shasuryu was filled with a complex blend of emotions.

♦ ♦ ♦

They were greeted by the various chiefs, who had climbed up onto the dirt walls to avoid the cold. There were no other Lizardmen around.

They had probably done so because they were looking forward to discussing matters in private. Sensing this, Shasuryu decided not to mince words and told them the events of the dialogue that was not a dialogue.

There was no great reaction to Shasuryu's somber narrative, only mild surprise. It was probably because they had expected a conclusion like that.

"I see… but will the ice melt? If it doesn't, we won't even be able to fight."

"It'll be fine. They said they would melt the ice."

"Did you bargain for it?"

Shasuryu did not answer the question from the Small Fang Tribe's chief, merely smiling by way of reply. The chief knew what that meant, and shook his head in resignation.

"While you were heading out for those talks, we looked around… and we found traces of the enemy in the lake. probably skeletal troops. In all likelihood, they were surrounding us and awaiting orders.

"Don't think… enemy… will let us go."

"They seem quite serious about this, which means…"

"It's probably as you're guessing."

The four chiefs who did not take part sighed deeply. They had probably reached the conclusion that what awaited them was a live sacrifice.

"Then, what should we do?"

"…Mobilize all the warrior Lizardmen, and… the ones present…"

"Ani-ja… can you allow only five people to take part?"

Zaryusu glanced at the baffled Crusch from the corner of his eye, and pleaded with all the males present.

"If the enemy's aim is to demonstrate his power, they will probably not exterminate the Lizardmen. That being the case, we ought to have someone who can lead the surviving Lizardmen. If all of us here perish, it will be a great blow to the future of the Lizardmen."

"…He's got a point, doesn't he, Shasuryu?"

"Mm, Zaryusu… you're right."

The two chiefs looked at Zaryusu and Crusch, and nodded.

"—That's fine. I approve of it."

After receiving the approval of Zenberu, the last chief, Shasuryu could no longer find any reason to deny his younger brother's request.

"Then it's decided. I also thought that someone would have to stay alive to lead the united tribes — Crusch ought to be good for that duty. Perhaps her albinism might affect her duties, but her priestly powers are irreplaceable."

"Please wait, I want to fight too!" Crusch shouted as she protested her exclusion at this juncture. "Besides, if one of us has to stay behind, wouldn't it be better if it was Shasuryu? He's the chief that everyone trusts most!"

"It's for precisely that reason that we can't spare him. The enemy wants to fill us with despair and make us tractable with a show of overwhelming force. However, do you think they would spare a Lizardman who could inspire hope like him? I don't think so.. right?"

"Also… Crusch is the least popular of the chiefs due to her albinism."

Crusch was speechless. It was an unarguable fact that others thought poorly of her because of her condition.

Crusch knew she could not persuade the others, and instead turned to Zaryusu.

"I want to go too. When you called me here, I had already prepared myself. Why are you still saying something like this?"

"…At that time, I thought we might all die, but now there's a chance that one of us might live."

"Are you kidding me!?"

The air trembled, as if in response to Crusch's anger. The sound of slapping resounded from the dirt wall, as Crusch's tail thrashed wildly in the grip of her emotions.

"—Zaryusu, go convince her. See you in four hours."

Shasuryu strode off after leaving those words behind. Then, there was the sound of ice cracking and water splashing. The other three chiefs leapt off the dirt wall, following behind Shasuryu. Zenberu waved to the two who remained as he left.

After watching them leave, Zaryusu turned to Crusch.

"Crusch, please understand."

"What's there to understand!? Besides, you might not lose! If I contributed with my priestly powers, we might win!"

How hollow those words sounded. Even Crusch, who had spoken them, could not bring herself to believe what she had just said.

"I don't want the female I love to die. Please grant the last wish of this foolish male."

Crusch embraced Zaryusu, a pained expression on her face.

"You're too selfish!"

"I'm sorry…"

"You're probably going to die…"

"Mm…"

Indeed, his chances of survival were very slim. No, he could conclude that they were nonexistent.

"In just a week you won my heart, and now you want me to watch you die?"

"Mm…"

"Meeting you was my fortune, and also my misfortune."

Crusch poured her strength into the arms embracing Zaryusu, as though she never wanted to let go.

Zaryusu could not speak.

What should he say?

What could he say?

His mind revolved around the same question.

After some time, Crusch raised her head, her face filled with determination.

A wave of unease washed over Zaryusu. He had the feeling that Crusch would insist on following him. Then, Crusch issued a simple and forceful ultimatum to Zaryusu.

"—Get me pregnant."

"—What?"

"Hurry!"