“Is that so… So did those great people really feel that runecraft was no longer necessary?”
Gondo’s tears flowed down his cheeks
Ainz was shocked, Outside of childhood, a man’s tears were a rare thing.
Those tears must have been shed because he had learned that the art which he admired and which he took such pride in had been judged worthless and abandoned by his country.
But was that really the case, Ainz thought. Given the Dwarven nation’s circumstances, it would be very hard for them to refuse the request of a nation who had pledged to send them reinforcements.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. That was a truth among nations.
Even Ainz would kill hundreds of millions of people for Nazarick.
Still, there was no need to tell Gondo any of this.
“Indeed, Gondo. This country seems to view its runesmiths as disposable. They handed them over with hardly any resistance when I asked for them.”
Gondo, as well as the runesmiths who might hear of this from him, had to abandon their country to some extent. While it was very difficult to completely forsake the land of one’s birth, it was still a necessary step to have them devote their utmost loyalty to the Sorcerous Kingdom.
Ainz gently patted Gondo’s shoulder.
“However, the same is not true of me. I sense potential from the runesmiths.”
Even if Gondo’s dreams could not be realized, monopolizing these skilled people and using their research might allow him to develop a countermeasure against enemies with runic weapons.
Knowledge was power.
“…Even if you’re discarded by one country, it’s not over as long as another one needs you, don’t you think?”
Ainz patted Gondo’s shoulder several times. Gondo wiped his face clumsily.
“…Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Please allow me to meet your expectations with all my strength.”
“Umu, umu. I shall look forward to it.”
Ainz smiled — although his face did not move — as though to say, “I trust you.”
Then again, Ainz had been thinking.
It would be good if he could learn about the Dwarven Capital. He would probably need to have Gondo do some legwork to obtain more information. And then, he had to speak to the commander-in-chief.
Dragons in YGGDRASIL could live forever. It would not be strange for them to be individuals of unimaginable power. So in all likelihood there’ll be a Frost Dragon waiting for me…
Suddenly, the face of a young man — no, a young woman appeared from within his memories.
“Come to think of it, she did say she wanted to help me learn more about them… What a shame.”
Chapter 5: Frost Dragon Lord
1
It was the next morning. Ainz had decided to set out early to take back the former Dwarven Capital, Feoh Berkanan, but just as he was about to leave, a familiar face appeared at the door.
It was Gondo.
Ainz tilted his head. He had no idea why he might be here.
“—Are you here to send me off?”
“No, I have come to lead the way.”
Ainz blinked. Granted, he had mentioned that he would need a Dwarf to show him the way. Judging by how the Council had immediately complied with the request, Ainz surmised that this Dwarf’s mission would be to keep an eye on him, so he thought that they might select an unrelated Dwarf.
“After parting ways with you yesterday, I heard many things from the other runesmiths. I feel that I know the route to the Royal Capital better than any other Dwarf.”
“Then, can you find an alternate route if the tunnel to the Capital collapses? You may need to adapt to changes in the situation as they come up. Is that alright?”
“I’ve studied up as much about them as I could. Please allow me to guide you.”
“Umu.”
Ainz began to think.
In truth, bringing Gondo along carried more demerits than merits. However, if the Council had approved, then if Ainz was the only one who disapproved and requested a change, the chances of him getting someone else as a guide would be very low.
“…Are you a warrior, or do you have some way to fight?”
“No, I don’t. I have no confidence in my skills pertaining to that field. However, I am prepared to face any danger, and nobody will blame you if I perish. In addition, I have my father’s cloak. That was also a reason why they chose me.”
The cloak of invisibility lent a lot of weight to his argument.
While Ainz had planned to protect his guide anyway, he felt uneasy about bringing along a Dwarf with no combat ability. And while he could still resurrect him with magic even if he died (provided he had sufficient levels), Gondo might have the mindset of “it’s all over” if he died.
“Do you need to verify if I’ve chased all the Quagoa out of the Royal Capital? If you die along the way, it’ll make things very difficult for me… and then there’s the matter of the runesmiths. I’d much rather you stayed here.”
Gondo slowly approached Ainz and quietly said:
“The Royal Capital has a vast treasury. If it hasn’t been plundered yet, then it will contain many Dwarven treasures. There should also be some of my father’s weapons and technical manuscripts from the royal family in there. Who knows, there might even be secret manuals left behind by runesmiths of the past.”
“Hoh…”
With that response, Ainz indicated that Gondo should continue.
“I wish to secretly obtain them…While it seems rude to ask this of Your Majesty, may I please ask you to turn a blind eye to this when you retake the Capital?”
“…Before that, do you have any way to open the Treasury?”
“No. However… I believe Your Majesty should be able to do something about that, right?”
Does he really think I can do anything?
“So you want me to become an accomplice to a petty thief?”
“I believe the correct explanation of what would happen is that Your Majesty wished to see if the Treasury had been burgled, and thus opened it to check. Then, you were briefly distracted, for just long enough. I would be that petty thief, bearing no relation to Your Majesty.”
“…The line of Dwarven royalty has been severed. Is that correct? Is there a ledger recording the treasures that should be within the vaults?”
“I am afraid there is none.”
“It is very important to make sure of that. It would be very dangerous if there was a record, you know? I cannot approve of this…More importantly, does that treasure not belong to your country? Does it not shame you to steal it?”
Gondo laughed scornfully.
“Well, those manuals don’t mean anything to a country that gave us and runecraft up, don’t you think?”
It’s treason, then? Though that thought passed through Ainz’s head, the truth was that it did him no harm. On the contrary, letting these books languish in the Dwarven nation would be a waste.
More to the point, Gondo’s theft would completely break his ties to the Dwarven Kingdom. The Dwarven Kingdom would not tolerate a criminal who had looted their treasury. This matter could be used as a form of blackmail, and it would become a shackle that would render Gondo completely incapable of betraying the Sorcerous Kingdom.
However, it could also be used against Ainz in a similar manner.
“…Indeed. There’s no point in letting people who don’t need it have it either. Indeed, it might be that my eyes might fail me at that time. Still, like I mentioned earlier, you need to search out any catalogues of the treasures. I’d like to avoid any future disputes.”