“Is there a need to be that cautious?”
In a game, one could still recover from a loss. However, in this world, there was the chance that they would not be able to bounce back. This was especially true when it came to Ainz, who had not yet finished his experiments on player deaths.
“All these are things you do in response to the circumstances. Shalltear, you need to think, no?”
In any event, he should leave things at that. Ainz turned towards Aura.
“Then, Aura, what is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Aura’s eyes were sparkling.
He had no idea what had brought that on, but perhaps she had felt impressed by the tactics he had explained to Shalltear.
Hm~ it might be the absolute basics, but I guess I should give Aura some guidance too, no? Should I lend out that book of PK tactics? But that’s the only thing I have which gives me a leg up on the NPCs… What should I do. Also, letting information spread too widely isn’t good, someone told me that before…
Just as Ainz fell into thought, Gondo spoke up.
“Ah, I’m sorry to interrupt you while you’re discussing strategy, but shouldn’t we move forward? If the path collapses, we’ll have to find another route.”
“That’s true… Shall we travel by magical beast?”
“It might be better not to. We might encounter small passages along the way, and if we’re mounted, we’ll have to leave the beasts there.”
He had thought of using a ridable undead creature like a Soul Eater. He could simply re-create one if there were any problems. However, it would be wiser to listen to the words of his guide.
“I understand. Let’s go, then.”
“His Majesty has set out!”
As they heard this, six of the Dwarven Councilors — the High Priest of Earth, the Director of Food Production, the Cabinet Secretary, the Brewmaster, the Master of Caves and Mines, and the Merchant’s Guildmaster — shivered in delight.
It was true that the Sorcerer King had not done anything so far. Still, they could not rest at ease when an undead being — one who hated the living — of such power walked the streets.
The people here were gathered to ensure the safety of the city and its people. Thus, they had to consider the worst possible scenarios that might result before committing to a course of action. For instance, the Sorcerer King might have suddenly turned violent and begun massacring children. These worries plagued them all day, and they considered various countermeasures and useful proposals.
Now that the object of their whispered discussion was no longer here, what was wrong in savoring the sweet release from their burdens?
“Bring the wine! Bring the wine!”
Just as the parched earth craved the rain, alcohol was essential for exhausted hearts to heal.
Nobody could possibly object to that.
“Still, he’ll be back, right?”
The air turned stagnant all of a sudden, and a gloom settled across all of them.
Their pumped fists sank powerlessly down.
“Should we run?”
“Where can we go? If we flee after signing that pact with him… Also, we asked him to reclaim the Royal Capital for us, right? If we were in his place, wouldn’t we be angry at this?”
“Well, he might get angry… but I wouldn’t have the confidence to take a hardline stance against a being like that.”
“Ah. Yes, I understand how you feel.”
“…Is that really alright? What happened to your pride, Merchant’s Guildmaster?”
“Ah, it’s not as though we could make a fair deal with such a thing, right? Generally speaking, deals can only be made between two equal parties in equal circumstances, right? Therefore, it’s de facto impossible to make a proper deal with someone who’s far more powerful than you.”
The Dwarves sighed as one.
Nobody here felt that the Sorcerer King would fail to reclaim the Royal Capital. That much was obvious just by glancing at the magical beasts he left behind. And then, he was a person who had the luxury of leaving behind monsters like that when he knew there was a Dragon waiting for him.
“Then, let’s change the subject. Can anyone estimate when he’ll return?”
“How would we know? It’s not as though we can ask the man himself. If he chuckled and said ‘Right now’, I’m pretty sure I’d piss myself.”
Those were shameful words, but none of the Dwarves laughed at them.
“…It can’t be helped. If he did that to me, I’d piss myself too.”
“Same here. I might even shit my pants.”
They looked at each other as they uttered those crudities.
“Have we learned anything new? Do we know anything about that Gondo?”
“Nothing at all, only that he gathered the runesmiths.”
“The runesmiths? Was it about going to the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
“Who knows? Why don’t we summon one of them and ask him about it?”
“That’s a good idea, but it’ll tip our hand to His Majesty, no? It’s too dangerous to act rashly. Only an idiot would touch a heated crucible, after all.”
“If that’s the case, then we’ll have to tell the runesmiths that we want them to go to the Sorcerous Kingdom. Then we can casually ask them about it. How about that?”
“…I’m not confident in my ability to do so.”
The Dwarves murmured, “Me too” in response.
“Alright, then let’s forget about asking them. It would be foolish to dig needless holes and end up falling to our deaths.”
Everyone here agreed with that. If they angered Ainz by prying too deeply, many lives might be lost.
“Then, let’s inform the two of us who aren’t here about tomorrow’s business and not to interfere with the smiths. I heard the commander-in-chief will be coming here afterwards, but what about the forgemaster?”
“I’ll go, then,” said the Cabinet Secretary. “I’m interested in the sort of masterpiece he’ll produce. Also, I’m wondering what sort of metal the Sorcerer King gave him.”
“He only said it was a rare metal, but you can’t get any rarer than adamantite, can you?”
“So it would be more like orichalcum, then?”
The Dwarves were an underground race. Even if their jobs had nothing to do with metallurgy, they would be very interested in a metal they had never seen before.
“If only we could grab him and make him show us. He’s been very busy of late, right?”
After receiving the metal from the Sorcerer King, the Forgemaster hurriedly returned to his workshop. Everyone knew the reason for his haste, and so they did not stop him.
“Well, the smithing should be well under way, considering it’s him. Making a chain shirt ought to result in a few extra loops, so maybe we could borrow a few of those.”
After a chorus of approvals, the Council session dissolved.
After that, their tired bodies craved rest, but the Dwarves were a race which hosted drinking parties even as they spoke of taking a break.
“Wine tastes especially good at the workplace,” they said as they downed special, Dwarf-only beverages with high alcohol content. Amidst all this, the Cabinet Secretary suddenly thought of something snuck out of the meeting room that was now a beerhall.
Needless to say, he was going to meet the Forgemaster.
The Forgemaster’s workshop was huge, as befitted a man who was responsible for the Dwarven nation’s blacksmithing. In all likelihood, it was one of the biggest buildings in Feoh Gēr. It employed many Dwarven artisans and its heat — which could melt adamantite — and the pounding of its hammers on anvils had never stopped before.
However, it was silent today — an occurrence which made the Cabinet Secretary’s hairs stand on end.
He was sure that the crucibles were lit.
That was because the temperature went up as he neared them.
In that case, what was the reason for this silence?
The Cabinet Secretary quickened his pace, as though impelled by the unease flowing out of him.