“Alright! Go! Don’t forget, your mission is very important!”
Yozu gave another order as he watched them leave.
Needless to say, it was to fall back immediately to meet with the Lord of the Clans.
Chapter 4: A Craftsman and Negotiation
1
The two summoned Death Knights vanished from the other side of the gates. They roared in anticipation of joyful slaughter, while the cries of the dying rang out. Once the gates slowly closed, the thickness of the double doors meant that the sounds of carnage on the other side did little more than tickle the eardrums.
“Things should be alright for now.”
There was a time limit on Death Knights that were not made with corpses. Even so, if the estimates of Quagoa combat power from their captives was accurate, they should be able to defeat a sizable portion of the attackers even without knowing their opponents’ numbers. If the enemy was not incompetent, they would surely pull back to regroup after taking sufficient losses.
I hope they don’t retreat just yet. If they build a camp, it’ll mean the danger is still clear and present. That way, the Dwarven nation will have to work with us. I should order the Death Knights to hold back for now… it’s quite troublesome when you can’t win by too large a margin.
As Ainz contemplated these details in silence, he glanced to the commander-in-chief, who was looking at him with a twitching smile on his face. Ainz had no idea why he had that smile born of terror on his face — and in that moment an imaginary light bulb shone above Ainz’ head.
He should have become used to my appearance by now, so it’s probably because of the Quagoa screaming outside. Well, it’s true that the wails of the dying can be somewhat disturbing.
That said, Ainz felt that he should not mind the screaming of the enemy so much. Still, he would not be human — or a Dwarf, rather — if he did not think that way.
But how can someone like that be a commander of warriors? This is somewhat worrying.
He knew he was thinking too much about this, but Ainz continued looking at the commander-in-chief. At this moment, Gondo approached him.
“Then, Your Majesty. I shall be returning home for a bit.”
“Ahh. Then, will you help me settle things on your end?”
“Of course. I will arrange for it and send it out. It’s alright if the time or whatever isn’t adjusted, right? I can count on your spells if something happens, right?”
Ainz extended a fist and bumped it against Gondo’s. They had talked about many things before coming here, and it would seem it had been effective.
Gondo really does talk a lot…
He tended to monopolize the conversation, and he spoke at such lengths that it seemed never ending. This must have been the result of being obsessed about the almost lost-art of runesmithing and then being ostracized. That was why he kept babbling about the topic to Ainz — who had an interest in the topic — like a burst dam.
Ainz could understand how he felt, because there were times when Ainz had also wanted to talk to people who shared his interests. However, Ainz was not going along with this long monologue out of the kindness of his heart.
Gondo lightly tapped his magic rucksack and began walking away.
The commander-in-chief seemed to have something to say to the retreating Gondo, but he did not call out to him.
“Then, what should we do now? Should we wait a while before opening the gate and inspecting the results of the battle?”
The commander-in-chief must have anticipated Ainz’s question. He replied instantly, as though he had already prepared the answer beforehand.
“It is deeply disrespectful to have the sovereign of a nation waiting here. I feel we should proceed to the Council Chamber and present your suggestion to everyone.”
“Why not take a look at the aftermath?”
“I think Your Majesty’s introduction is more important. I sent a message to the Council while the Quagoa were attacking. They are probably still fumbling for some way to deal with the situation now. I feel that we should present them with new information before they panic and give bad orders.”
“I see. In that case, I have no objections. Please, lead on.”
“Understood. However, Your Majesty’s magical beasts will surely terrify the common folk. It shames me to ask, but could you have them stand by here? We will take care of them to the best of our ability if you inform us of the key points…”
Ainz looked towards Aura, who nodded.
“I see. Then they shall wait here.”
Ainz indicated to a corner of the garrison with a bony finger, and the commander nodded in agreement.
“Also, there is no need to care for them. We will take care of that. I will have three of my followers accompany me.”
Ainz selected Shalltear, Aura and Zenberu. He ordered the others to wait here.
The commander-in-chief looked somewhat relieved. It would seem he did not want to have the undead strutting through the streets.
“Then, shall we go?”
“Ah, please do.”
Ainz and company walked proudly through the Dwarven city, led by the commander-in-chief. An almost painful amount of curious stares focused on him, while Dwarven mothers who saw Ainz hid their children indoors. That made him somewhat disappointed.
Of course, he could have been less obvious if he wished.
If he had put on a mask, much fewer people would have stared at him. That said, there was a reason why he did not choose to cover his face.
It was because he wanted to announce his arrival in the city of the Dwarves. It was not very likely that there would be a player in the Dwarven nations if it had to seek external help against an invasion like this. However, there might be low-level players here, or items they had left behind.
Like that spell-sealing crystal.
In order to avoid being attacked by such items, he would have to manufacture proof of his visit in an aboveboard manner. In this way, they would not be able to settle things clandestinely.
In addition, while he had not yet decided what sort of ambassadorial party he would send, it was quite likely that he might end up using undead beings for that purpose. Therefore, he wanted to let them get used to it.
“Still, nobody seems worried, despite the extent of the Quagoa invasion.”
Ainz asked the commander-in-chief that question after seeing two red-faced Dwarves stagger out of a tavern, arms around each other’s shoulders.
The unmistakeable scent of alcohol surrounded them.
“That is because the people do not know the Quagoa have attacked.”
“And… why is that?”
Their sense of self-preservation appeared to be terminally defective.
The commander-in-chief seemed to have read Ainz’s mind, and he replied:
“The Quagoa advanced too quickly, so the information did not spread. Depending on the Council’s decision, it ought to start spreading within an hour.”
“Hm. Well, I did order my subordinates to retake the bridge, so once they do so, the city will be safe for the time being, no? This is quite an important factor for when we begin trade with this country.”
“That is hard to say. Given the size of the enemy force, we don’t know when the opposition will begin their advance in earnest. Once we take the bridge back, we’ll need to solidify our defenses, investigate their flanking route, and plan a strategy against them.”