Chapter 3: The Impending Crisis
1
The Great Rift.
It referred to the huge chasm that ran along the western side of the Dwarven Capital, Feoh Gēr.
It was a massive crevasse, over 60 km long and 120m across at its narrowest point. Its depth was unknown. Nobody knew what was waiting down there, and nobody had returned alive from the two expeditions that had been sent out to investigate it.
For the longest time, this natural barrier had protected Feoh Gēr from all manner of monstrous attacks. They could thwart any monsters from the west that tried to invade so long as they defended the suspension bridge which ran across the Great Rift.
Yet today, Feoh Gēr’s garrison — the military base that stood between the Great Rift and Feoh Gēr — was in a whirl of shouts and confusion.
“What’s going on? Someone tell me exactly what is going on!”
That cry came from the commander-in-chief of the Dwarven Army, a veteran of over 10 years of service.
The information coming in was garbled and contradictory, and nobody had any idea of what was happening. The only thing he could be certain about was that something had happened at the fortress which defended the Great Rift.
“The most recent information we have says that the Quagoa are attacking!” one of the platoon commanders said, repeating a report from the fortress.
News like that was hardly uncommon. The Quagoa and the Dwarves were mortal enemies, and they frequently attacked in groups of hundreds. There had been more attacks during the commander-in-chief’s ten years of service than he could remember, but until now all of them had been turned away at the fortress. None of them had managed to get close to the garrison, much less Feoh Gēr itself.
This was because the Quagoa were a race that was strong against weapon attacks, but very weak against electrical attacks. Knowing this, they had stocked the fortress with magic items that could produce [Lightning] and comparable effects.
[Lightning] was a spell that pierced the enemy in a straight line, and thus extremely effective against an enemy which lined itself up to attack a bridge. It could wipe out an entire wave of Quagoa in one shot, and on top of that, the Dwarves guarding that place were armed with crossbows enchanted with the ability to inflict additional electrical damage.
In contrast, the Dwarves in the garrison were inferior in both gear and numbers. However, it was not because they did not wish to allocate military power to an important base, but because the Dwarven Army had always lacked in manpower. Thus, the fortress had to draw its defenders from their meager pool of troops, and they had to do so in numbers which would not invite censure.
Despite all this specialization against Quagoa attacks, the fortress was now in a state where they did not even have the people left to call for aid. What did that mean?
“Don’t tell me they were attacked by too many enemies for them to fight off! Have there been any other messages from the fortress?”
“Nothing until now.”
Cold sweat poured down the commander-in-chief’s back.
The words “big invasion” appeared before his eyes. There had been rumors of such a thing several years ago, but even so, he had been trying his best to deceive himself, saying that there was no such thing. Yet, it was unfolding before his eyes.
The commander-in-chief pulled himself together. Now was not the time to contemplate such ghastly things.
What was the right thing to do now?
A gently-sloping tunnel in the shape of a spiral led from this garrison to the fortress, and ahead of them was the capital Feoh Gēr. The cavern where the garrison was located at was their final defensive line, and on top of that, they had gates of mithril which were alloyed with orichalcum. They could withstand an enemy attack from the tunnel if they closed the gates.
Should they close the gates?
If they did so, they would not be able to send out reinforcements from here. In other words, they would be abandoning their comrades, who might be fighting for their lives at the fortress.
Still, his hesitation only lasted for a moment.
There were less than 20 people in the fortress. There were over 100’000 Dwarves in Feoh Gēr. There could be only one answer when one thought of which side had priority.
“Close the gates!”
“Relay the orders! Close the gates!”
Before the echoes faded from the air, a thrumming sound came from the earth. Slowly, the gates covered the entrance. These gates, which had not been touched except during training, were now being used for their true purpose.
“Sir! It’s the Quagoa!”
“What?!”
After hearing the cry from the soldiers guarding the tunnel entrance, the commander-in-chief turned to look. He saw the disgusting form of a demihuman, foaming at the mouth, its eyes bloodshot.
Without lightning-enchanted weapons, even one of them was a formidable foe. And now, hordes of them, so many that they could not counted with both hands, were rushing at them.
How could this be? Had the fortress really fallen? How many men had the Quagoa brought with them? Could they hold against them even if they shut the gates?
The commander-in-chief had these and many other questions in his heart, but in the end he shook his head.
“Don’t let them in! Spearmen, forward!”
With great cries, the soldiers formed up into a spear line.
Even seeing this did not slow the speed of the Quagoa charge. This was because they trusted in their fur and hide to protect them against metal.
The commander-in-chief clicked his tongue. The Quagoa had made a wise choice. Their skin was such that crossbow bolts might bounce off when fired at them. The only thing a spear line could do was to hold them at bay. However, the people here had anticipated that the Quagoa would try something like this, and they had naturally taken steps against it.
“Mages! Blitzkrieg!”
A third-tier area-of-effect spell, [Thunderball] and two second-tier spells, [Thunderlances] came from the balcony overlooking the spearmen, at an angle which would not hit them.
The casters of these spells were the three most powerful mages in the army.
The group running at the head of the horde was instantly slain by the [Thunderball], as one would expect of the Quagoa’s bane. The Quagoa behind them stopped to avoid being hit by it as well.
It was only for a short period, but it gave them breathing room.
The gates closed with a great clang. The sounds of hammering and banging filtered through from the other side of the sturdy doors.
The tense atmosphere in the air lightened somewhat. However, the commander-in-chief, the men around him, and everyone here knew that this was not over yet.
The gates were very tough. The teeth and claws of regular Quagoa would not be able to damage them. However, some Quagoa had teeth which were said to rival the hardness of mithril. While these were leader-level beings, it would not be unusual to find such entities participating in an attack like this. There was no way to rule out any problems.
“Dammit! If only the gate was electrified!”
That was a suggestion the commander-in-chief had made when he had first taken his position. After all, the gates alone were not reliable enough as a final line of defense. Of course, there had been various reasons for why they could not enchant the gates, such as a lack of national power, but a big part of that had been because the fortress had always managed to stop any enemy invasions. Thus, the higher-ups had the attitude that “as long as the fortress holds, everything will be fine”.
Looking around, he saw grim and dark expressions on everyone’s faces.
This was bad. If they lost their hope for the future, they would end up losing when the fighting became desperate.
The commander-in-chief decided to turn the situation around, and shouted:
“Well done! We’ve ensured the city’s safety! But it’s not guaranteed by any means! Start setting up barricades in case the enemy breaks through the gates! Hurry up!”
New determination filled the faces of the Dwarven soldiers. The knowledge that there was still something they could do rekindled their motivation. Even a fragile hope was better than none at all.
The commander-in-chief’s chief of staff stood beside him and whispered into his ear.
“Sir, should we bury the gate with sand and dirt?”
The commander-in-chief pondered the other Dwarf’s words.
If they sealed it off completely, many Dwarves would express their disapproval.
“They have no idea what’s going on.”
The commander-in-chief noticed his chief of staff’s expression. He had probably assumed the commander-in-chief’s statement to be a reply to his question.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you. I meant that lot — the Regent Council.”
“You’re one of them too, aren’t you, commander-in-chief? So that’s their response to a complete lockdown? Personally, I don’t think sealing it off is enough. We should abandon Feoh Gēr.”
The commander-in-chief narrowed his eyes and dragged his chief of staff by the hand to a place where the men would not hear them.
He did not want their conversation to be overheard by anyone.
“You think so too?”
They had no idea how many Quagoa were on the other side of that gate.
The enemy attack had been too swift and they had been forced onto the back foot. Thus, they had lost many chances to learn about the enemy. What they were doing now was like locking themselves up and closing their eyes.
The only solid piece of data they had was that the enemy had enough fighting power to bring down the hitherto impregnable fortress, and they had to think of a way to deal with that.
Under these circumstances, and after taking their fighting power into consideration, it would be extremely difficult for the Dwarves to open the gates and beat back the enemy. The best solution might well be to abandon their capital.
“Then, how much time will burying it in dirt and soil buy us?”
“If we collapse the cavern, we’ll be able to buy a lot of time, but if we use sand and dirt alone, we’ll only gain a few days at most.”
“What dangers will a collapse pose?”
“As you know, we aren’t far from Feoh Gēr. Although I can’t really be sure without having the Tunnel Doctors check, there’s a chance that it might affect the city as well. The worst case scenario is that a shortcut opens up from beyond the gates and the Quagoa pour through it and into Feoh Gēr…”
“In other words, we need to find out right now. Then, next question. Do you think the fortress fell under sheer weight of numbers? Why didn’t the people in the fortress inform us sooner?”
“I thought of a few possibilities. Personally, the most likely option is that the Quagoa have enlisted the help of another species.”
“Could it be the Frost Dragons?”
The Quagoa had conquered the former Dwarven capital of Feoh Berkanan, and had taken it as their home. However, the Royal Palace at the heart of the city was ruled by a Frost Dragon.
Both parties did not have a perfectly cooperative relationship, but since they lived together, they might help each other out.
The commander-in-chief’s face blanched. Frost Dragons were essentially natural disasters once they reached a certain age.
There had originally been four Dwarven cities.
Feoh Berkanan, which had been abandoned during the attack of the Demon Gods 200 years ago.
Feoh Gēr of the east, which was their current capital.
Feoh Raiđō to the south, which had been abandoned several years ago.
And finally, Feoh Tiwaz, to the west.
This western city had been destroyed during a battle between two Frost Dragons — Olasird’arc=Haylilyal and Munuinia=Ilyslym, and it was little more than tumbled ruins.
“I feel that it’s very likely. While I don’t know what they did to induce that arrogant lot to take action, the other alternative is that they did it themselves; either they invented some kind of spell, or they found a route that bypassed the Great Rift.”
“Even we Dwarves haven’t found a way around the Great Rift.”
“Still, how many years ago was that? Perhaps the Quagoa dug a tunnel or something as other monsters moved, or the earth’s crust shifted and gave them a detour. If you think about it, they might have gone above ground too.”
“The Quagoa on the surface?”
“There might be an individual with that ability.”
The Quagoa were completely blind under the sun, so it was impossible for the Quagoa to move their forces on the surface.
However, that was merely wishful thinking on his part.
No, it was too late to regret it now. He had to take that into consideration when planning future strategies.
“Chief of Staff, we need to consider that they might be able to travel aboveground and enhance our surface defenses accordingly. Send a few people over without compromising our defense here. We also need to get word to the Council and have them evacuate to the south.”
In addition to this garrison, the fortress in front of the Great Rift and the Council Chamber in the city itself, there was one more military base in the Dwarven city of Feoh Gēr.
It was a fortress erected for the benefit of those people taller than Dwarves — humans, for example — at the exit leading to the surface. The commander-in-chief gave the order to reinforce that area and stay alert for any surface attacks.
“Understood!”
“Also, have the men prepare to bury the door. If we need the Council’s permission, I’ll find a way to convince them.”
“What if the Council takes their time deliberating?”
“Do your best. I’ll do my best too.”
That was all he could say. Of course, his plan was to push for it as hard as possible, in his position as one of the eight councillors, but if the others vetoed him, then all he could do was try as hard as he could on his own.
“Report! Report! I have a report! Where’s the commander-in-chief?!”
Looking toward the source of that voice, the commander-in-chief saw a Dwarven soldier mounted on a Riding Lizard.
Riding Lizards were a kind of Giant Lizard. They were large reptiles that measured three meters from head to tail. They were not very numerous, so the Dwarves raised them as mounts and used them as pack beasts for day to day work.
However, most runners would not use them to relay a message. They were only employed in dire circumstances — when they needed to let the garrison know about the conditions on the frontline.
Unease filled the heart of the commander-in-chief.
“Where’s that man from?”
“He should have been posted to the fortress at the surface entrance this week.”
That validated the feeling of dread in the commander-in-chief’s heart. No, given the man’s expression and his near-crazed tone, it was plainly obvious. Asking that much was simply because he did not want to acknowledge the reality before his eyes.
“I’m here! What is it?”
The messenger ran towards the commander-in-chief at full speed. It could not be delayed. This was something which had to be heard immediately so a course of action could be quickly determined.
The messenger fell off the Lizard’s back, and shouted as he desperately tried to right himself.
“Commander-in-chief! There’s an emergency! Mon-monsters! There’s monsters!”
He had expected it to be about Quagoa, but he quickly ruled that out. The man would not have used those words to describe Quagoa.
“Calm down! We can’t figure out what you’re saying! What happened? Is everyone else alright?”
“Y-yes! There’s scary monsters at the entrance! They say they want to talk about the Quagoa army headed this way!”
“Whaaaaaaat?!”
Their timing was too perfect. He could not imagine that the two events were unconnected. Could they be the bosses of the Quagoa, or the ones who helped them cross the Great Rift?
“Who, who are they? What do they look like! Chief of Staff! Gather every man who can move right now!”
“Understood!”
The commander-in-chief did not even have the time to watch his panicked subordinate leave.
“How many of those monsters are there?! What are your losses?!”
“Y-yes! There’s about 30 of them. But they don’t seem to want to fight! They even said they wanted to make a deal with us, but they looked very evil, so I don’t think that was their real intention. There must be some sort of scheme at work!”
How exactly did they qualify as evil? More importantly, this man had not described them yet. After being questioned again, the soldier gulped and explained,
“They’re fearsome-looking undead surrounded by an inauspicious-looking aura!”
“What?! The undead?!”
Beings who hated the living, who sowed death in their wake, the enemies of everything that lived.
Several images appeared in the commander-in-chief’s mind as he heard the word “undead”. For instance, Freezing Zombies, Frost Bones, and the like. However, none of those undead were powerful adversaries. This man should have known that. In that case, why was he so afraid?
Besides, why had the undead come here? Were they here to delight in the mutual massacre of the Dwarves and Quagoa, both of which were living beings?
“Chief of Staff, are you ready yet?! Move out once you’re done! We don’t know what kind of undead are out there, but do not take them lightly! Don’t let them underestimate us! They may not be acting haughtily, but if they look down on us, we’ll be in danger!!”
2
The group advanced, with Gondo in the lead.
Since Gondo usually travelled underground, he was not very familiar with the surface. Therefore, he had to rely on his sense of direction over the terrain when it came to moving forward. Initially, Ainz was worried about this. But after seeing Gondo advance without hesitation, he began to trust the man. Now, he had wholly entrusted the task of guidance to him.
The fact was that Gondo had no reason to deliberately lead Ainz astray now that the Quagoa were attacking the Dwarven capital. That being the case, there should be no problem having him lead the way.
Under Gondo’s leadership, Aura’s magical beasts moved across the snow like it was a grassy plain.
They boasted high dexterity and great stamina, as expected of high-level magical beasts. Even in the thin air of the snowy mountains and bearing Ainz and the others on their backs, their speed did not decrease one bit. They headed north at speeds of over 100 km per hour.
They had spotted several flying monsters during their journey, but a few threatening growls from the magical beasts scared them all away. Thanks to that, their travel time was cut to a minimum.
In less than a day, they had reached the sole remaining Dwarven city, Feoh Gēr.
Ainz guided his beast over to Gondo and asked him a question.
“…Well then, Gondo. The southern city of Feoh Raiđō was accessed through a fissure in a cave. Is Feoh Gēr like that as well?”
If that was the case, they would need to search for a way in. Gondo — who had initially been frightened by his magical beast, but was now used to riding it — replied:
“Umu. Most cities where Dwarves live are like that. However, Feoh Gēr was designed with considerations for large-scale trade with humans, so it’s slightly different from Feoh Raiđō. Firstly, it’s easy for humans to find, and in order to minimize any discomfort for visitors, they built a huge fortress on the outside. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Ainz looked around after hearing that, but he still could not find any trace of a structure.
“You won’t see it if you don’t head further northeast.”
Gondo’s words were full of confidence. It would seem he was quite certain of where their destination was. Since he was the only one who could lead them, there was nothing Ainz could do if he was wrong, so all he could do was trust him.
While saying “Is that so,” Ainz cast his [Message] spell.
The captured Quagoa had been taken to Nazarick. There, they had been questioned, and their knowledge used to supplement Gondo’s report.
The Quagoa were a race that submitted to the strong, but the Quagoa of the Azellisian Mountain Range were divided into eight clans, all of whom were united under the Clan Lord. They numbered 80’000 in total.
After analyzing this information, Ainz stamped them as a race which held no charm for him.
If he had to choose between helping the Dwarves or the Quagoa, Ainz would choose the former without hesitation.
However, he learned that the metals which the Quagoa ate when they were young determined their strength when they matured. If he let them eat the metals of Nazarick, it could give rise to a powerful individual.
Then, he thought about the prismatic ores in the Dwarven Kingdom.
Even if he had not eaten one of the prismatic ores, perhaps this Clan Lord had reached his station by eating one of the rare metals of YGGDRASIL.
If he was strong enough to capture, then it was worth investigating him.
I should consider taking them in if they can obey the Sorcerous Kingdom, even though I’m not confident about feeding 80’000 people. After all, that’s the sort of country I want.
The country Ainz wanted.
It was a nation where many races lived in harmony under his rule. It was a nation which reproduced the image one had of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown.
It was a nation where his friends, wherever they were, could live and smile.
That being the case, he ought to show these Quagoa some mercy.
Still, if they swear their loyalty to me, where should I put them? This mountain is a little sparse… what about the mountain range to the south of E-Rantel? But there might be residents there too… Umu, what a pain. The Lizardmen have the same technology level as them. Perhaps my experience in ruling them could be put to use. It might be a good idea to let Cocytus handle them.
After thinking this far, Ainz considered the opposite side of the coin.
What if they don’t bend the knee? Shall I rule them by force? Shall I exterminate them? Or should I kill all the adults and use the children for experiments? Is forcing them into one clan and then ruling over them the best way?
As he considered various matters, Gondo’s shout interrupted Ainz’s train of thought.
“Over there!”
Ainz looked where Gondo was pointing, and sure enough, there was something which looked like a fortress built up against the side of the mountain.
The group headed straight for it. While there were many ways to conceal themselves, there was no point in doing so, and thus they proceeded directly and openly.
As they closed the distance to the fortress, the defenders at the fortress spotted them, and the sentries came to life.
Much like what he would do before a sales pitch, Ainz inspected his clothing, and made sure his robe was neat and tidy. Of course, it was a magic item and could not get torn or wrinkled, but his memories as Suzuki Satoru told him that he should check anyway.
After they approached the fortress, the Dwarves cocked their crossbows and took aim from the windows.
The only people who might be lethally wounded by the bolts were Gondo and Zenberu.
While he had thought of sending them to negotiate to prove that they had no hostile intentions, they might end up being shot by bolts if things went wrong, so he abandoned that idea. Instead, Ainz would proceed first, while Gondo and Zenberu would show up later.
He halted his beast outside the effective range of their crossbows and then dismounted. Because he was still within the maximum range of the crossbows, he ordered Shalltear and Aura to stand by and protect Gondo and Zenberu.
After that, all that remained was anti-player strategies.
If there were any players, they would immediately take a defensive stance and fall back. While he could not confirm the presence or absence of players during his talks with Gondo on the road, it was more likely that they did not exist. However, if he was careless, he might end up losing the NPCs (the children) and Ainz did not want to experience that a second time.
All the Dwarves watching him from the window had the same frozen expression on their faces. Thanks to their messy beards, he could not differentiate one individual Dwarf from another, but how should he put this — they looked comical.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, Ainz stepped forward, faking an air of calm.
His hands were raised, to show that he had no hostile intent.
As he drew closer to the fortress—
“Hold it right there!”
—A warning cry rang out. It sounded like its owner was having a seizure. Granted, he was undead, but Ainz could not help sighing internally as he mused, this is a pretty bad reception for someone who’s showing no signs of hostility.
“Why have you come here, undead!”
Ainz stroked his shiny cheekbones.
“I am the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown of the Sorcerous Kingdom, and I have come to forge a friendly relationship with the Dwarven nation. We will not attack you if you do not attack us, so please lower your weapons.”
Confusion appeared in the eyes of the Dwarves watching from the windows. Ainz took this chance to continue speaking:
“After capturing the Quagoa who invaded Feoh Raiđō, I learned of their plans to attack this place. If you have no faith in your strength of arms, then I — my Kingdom — will gladly render assistance. Yes, that’s right — it will be a good show of friendship.”
He smiled, but because he had no skin, the benevolence of his gesture did not carry over to the opposite side.
“What about that Dwarf behind you? Is he a hostage?!”
It would seem the Dwarves were still wary of him.
“How rude. I am a king, you know? Is that any way to talk to a king?”
The Dwarves looked at each other, and then one of them responded.
“No, no… hang on, show us some proof that you’re really a king!”
“—-I see. That does make sense,” Ainz agreed. “Then, allow me to introduce him. He is one of you, Gondo the smith, whom I met in Feoh Raiđō.”
Ainz showed off the kingly movements he had been taking great pains to practice.
With the air of a natural-born leader, he gestured to his subordinate to step forward.
A deep sense of satisfaction filled Ainz as he heard the stifled gasps of awe coming from the Dwarves. It would seem his long hours of practice had not gone to waste.
Now that Gondo was here, Ainz — who was in a good mood — showed off another pose of a gracious king and yielded the floor to him.
“Sorry, but can you enter the fortress and explain the situation to them in detail?”
“Umu, leave it to me.”
Gondo advanced to the fortress gates and requested permission to enter, but the gates did not open.
“…What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Maybe something happened?”
“… Is, is that really him?! Is that really Gondo the Weirdo? Maybe someone used magic to take his face!”
Ainz frowned as he heard the Dwarves’ voices. Staying alert was very important, and even Ainz approved of it. Still, they would not be able to make any progress if nobody trusted them.
However, he had heard something about the possibility of meeting an acquaintance here. If that was the case, they would be very fortunate.
“I say, Gondo, can you prove yourself to them by showing your knowledge of this city? Like say, where you live, something that only a person who lived in this city would know?”
“Oh, ohhh, yes… I’ll tell that guy’s wife his secret. Ah, there’s a restaurant called the Black Gold Beard Pavilion! It’s run by a guy whose face looks like an anvil. His food tastes terrible, and the only decent thing there is the stew!”
The Dwarves fell silent. Ainz looked at Gondo, somewhat lost for words. His reply seemed like he was trying too hard.
“Idiot! That place isn’t for eating, but for drinking! Their stout tastes best!”
“Liar! It’s the red mushroom beer that’s the most delicious!”
“What are you saying, their cloudy wine is the best! Just imagine that bubbly fragrance!”
(TL Note: 濁り酒 – nigorizake)
“None of you know what real beer tastes like! Bearded Lady’s the best!”
Ainz made a mental note that the Dwarves liked their beer a lot, and then replied to them:
“How about it? Can you accept that this is the real Gondo? Speaking of which, all we wanted to do was inform you that the Quagoa are trying to circle around the Great Rift and attack this city. All you have to do is send our warning to the people at the top. This way, our country will have discharged its duty, even if the Quagoa attack is a fierce one. It would be quite upsetting if you chastised us afterwards.”
Several Dwarves pulled their heads back from the windows.
Some time passed. It would seem several people were having a discussion.
“Wait there! We’ll send a report to our commander-in-chief!”
According to Gondo, that person was the highest appointment holder in this country’s military.
It would seem they realised that this had to go to their highest authority.
“Kukuku~”
Ainz did not suppress his chuckling.
There was a clattering noise, and when Ainz glanced towards its source, he saw that Dwarves had trained their crossbows on him once more. Their breathing was ragged; they seemed to be in the grip of powerful emotions.
Crap. Are they angry because I laughed?
“Forgive me. In any event, is it all right if only Gondo enters? He’s proven his origins, hasn’t he?”
“No, he can’t, no, it’s not allowed, stay there! Wait there!”
He had not been laughing at them, but it would seem he had upset them all the same.
Ainz’s strong emotions were suppressed, but small emotional ripples could sneak by.
How would a company react if a salesman whom they had never met before before smiled at them as though he had something to hide? Ainz was annoyed at himself for not thinking about that. It had resulted in a mistake.
I should be more careful, Ainz thought as he backed away together with Gondo.
And so they stood there for some time.
When Jircniv came to visit, I provided refreshments, furniture and made all sorts of preparations to welcome them. Don’t the Dwarves do things like that? …No, the circumstances now are different from back then.
In contrast to Jircniv’s prearranged visit, Ainz was essentially a cold-calling door-to-door salesman. He should be grateful that they had not chased him away on the spot.
In addition, he would not be able to enjoy any drinks they gave him, considering his body.
Still, we did give the Dwarves very valuable information. I was hoping for an appropriate response. Well, I can use that as fodder for negotiation during official diplomatic relations. I’ll bear with it for now.
Still, it would probably be better to change and avoid giving offense.
First, he took out a fake Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown. It was a perfect cosmetic copy, down to the metal used in its construction. However, that was all; it did not possess even a tenth of the power of the original, and it was merely socketed with jewels that had the same color as the original.
Ainz imbued the staff with a red glow, which quickly darkened. Why did it have such an adjustment function? His past companions’ obsession filled him with irritation.
It did not seem to be linked to his own aura.
Ainz radiated a black halo from behind him, but as expected, the staff’s aura did not change.
Is it just a visual effect?
There was a sudden clatter, which snapped Ainz out of his thoughts. When he turned to look at the source of the sound, he saw three Dwarves seated on the ground.
They looked like the Dwarves manning the fortress, but at the same time they seemed more impressive. In truth, two of them were better-dressed than the other. That one must have been a soldier in this fortress, and the other two would probably be his superiors.
…Why are the three of them sitting there? Is sitting down to talk the proper etiquette amongst Dwarves? …They’re staring at me with eyes wide open. It would be annoying if it’s a Dwarf-only expression.
Their mouths were hidden by their beards, so it was difficult to see the looks they had on their faces.
Baffled, Ainz nevertheless extended a hand to the seated Dwarfs.
One could take that as the intention to help them up, or that he wanted to shake hands. But in truth, he wanted to tell them that he would rather talk while standing.
It was hard adjusting to different cultures. If he handled this poorly, the other side might take offense.
If they attacked him with something like, “You should have done some research on our country’s customs since you wanted to form a relationship with us”, he would have nothing to say in response.
Though he was very uneasy about this, Ainz gave thanks to his unmoving face, and kept his hand extended.
The Dwarves glanced back and forth between Ainz’s face and hands, a troubled look on their faces.
Hm? Could it be that they’re afraid of me?! …Well, given that I look like this… it can’t be helped, right? Reactions like this are kind of expected from humanoid society…
Although they feared him in E-Rantel as well, they had not reacted in this way. Therefore, it might be that taking the hand of a highly-placed person was impolite in their society.
In the end, the worried Ainz decided to pull them up by the hand.
Since they have the time to waste on this pointless business, it should mean that the Quagoa haven’t attacked yet. If they did attack, we could have them owe us a big one, but just warning them about it would count as a small favor, so I should bear with it. Ahhh, what a shame. Still, which one of them is their leader?
“Well then, I am the Sorcerer-King Ainz Ooal Gown. Are you the gentlemen who are in charge of welcoming me?”
He did not know which of the higher-ups was of higher rank, so he addressed the space between them. Then one of the Dwarves nodded forcefully, like he was trying to shake something off his face.
“Ahem! I, I am the man in charge of the military—”
“The military— I see.”
So this was the commander-in-chief. Ainz was surprised. He had not expected their top man to come down in person.
Could it be that this country has heard of the Sorcerous Kingdom before? Or rather… was it because I brought them news at a very opportune time?
“—Are there any problems with the Quagoa? I do apologize for making you come down in person during a busy time, commander-in-chief.”
The commander-in-chief’s eyes went wide.
“I see… so you already know why I came, then?”
What the hell is he talking about, Ainz thought. Naturally, he did not actually say it.
“—Of course. That is correct.”
He nodded magnanimously, in the regal manner he had practiced many times before.
“…I see. …Well, as you know, we’ve somehow halted the Quagoa advance for now — no, we’re trying to hold them back.”
“Ho. Hoho. …And?”
Ainz wanted to ask the Dwarf what he thought Ainz knew, but since Ainz had already pretended that he was well-informed, that line of questioning was ruled out.
But has anything leaked out about me?
All he could do was hang on to that thought as he looked forward to their response.
“Before that, I heard from my men that you obtained your information after questioning some Quagoa captured in Feoh Raiđō. Do you have any evidence to support it?”
“There is Gondo, a citizen of this country—”
“—Material evidence.”
“Hm, so, you want to see the captured Quagoa, then? I can bring forth several of them and you can ask them yourselves.”
“An immediate answer… It seems I will have to be frank with you, then. …At this rate, an evacuation to Feoh Raiđō will be very difficult.”
“Commander…!”
Judging by the reproachful tone taken by the man beside the commander-in-chief, Ainz guessed that the man was harping on the fact that the commander-in-chief was talking about military secrets in front of Ainz. However the commander-in-chief calmly continued:
“His Majesty already knows everything. It is as he said — the fact that someone who should be commanding at the frontlines is here is a clear sign of a stalemate. Since he already knows that, it should also be easy to imagine what our troops — who cannot look forward to any reinforcements — intend to do.”
No, I was just asking to be polite. However, Ainz could not speak the truth, and instead he nodded, in the practiced manner of a true ruler.
The commander-in-chief described the terrible state they were in.
The fortress defending the Great Rift had fallen, and they had been pushed back to their final defensive line. Only one gate stood between them and the enemy, and if it fell, the foe would pour into the city and many Dwarves would die. While they had originally planned to buy some time for people to flee to Feoh Raiđō, it was clear that the survival of the entire species would be in doubt if the plan was not radically altered.
After Ainz learned of the Dwarves’ dire straits, he smiled in his heart. Everything was developing in a favorable direction for him.
“How about this? I will lend you the use of my forces to beat back the Quagoa for the time being. What do you think?”
The commander narrowed his eyes, as though to hide the emotion within them.
“Can you do that? But…”
Traditionally speaking, one would need to put down the terms of a deal in writing before a contract could be signed. There were many advantages in handling matters in that way. However, if he freely lent them his strength, he would earn the gratitude of everyone present. One could make gains with a loan that one could not with a written agreement, and Ainz was gunning for that.
Between the fixed and the formless, the formless was generally more troublesome. It was like paying for a meal at a restaurant based on one’s mood. There was the chance that one would be overcharged compared to paying a fixed price.
Generosity is often similar to greed, hm? Did Punitto Moe-san say that?
“After coming all this way and taking so much effort to find you, it would be quite troublesome for me if the country I wished to befriend was destroyed. Won’t you accept my help?”
“…But if we don’t have the approval of the Council…”
“Well, as long as there’s enough time, it should be alright. This is simply an offer of assistance from me. The final decision is yours. Of course, the Council should settle important things in session… but you should know how this sort of thing usually ends up. Meetings go on from dawn to dusk and in the end nobody can come to a conclusion. While it would be a shame to let my journey up to now go to waste, it can’t be helped.”
“…Your Majesty, are you confident in your ability to repulse the Quagoa?”
“If they are only of the calibre that we saw in Feoh Raiđō, then it should be child’s play.”
Mm, Gondo nodded from the side.
“Of course, that is before the Quagoa break into the city. It is very difficult to eliminate only the enemy during a chaotic melee. I trust you wouldn’t want to stand by and let the fighting spill over into the Dwarven city? So I think that right now, your one little door is your last chance, right?”
A bitter expression came over the commander-in-chief’s face—
“—How much longer do you have? How many more days can the gate hold out?”
Ainz’s repeated hammering on the point seemed to have made up the commander-in-chief’s mind for him.
“…I understand. Your Majesty, I pray you will lend us your nation’s strength.”
“Commander-in-chief!”