“…Hm. It looks like there’s a fresh Quagoa corpse inside that cave. But we haven’t caught up with their unit yet. I guess a day makes a huge difference.”
“Still, we’ve closed the gap greatly. We’ve almost caught up with them now,” Aura said after inspecting the footprints on the ground.
“…Really now. Then, let’s discuss what we’ll do afterwards…Gondo, we’ll be reaching the Royal Capital soon, right?”
“Yes. I’ve only heard of it in legends, but if those caves were the legendary Maze of Death, then we ought to be there soon.”
A bitter expression came over Gondo’s face.
“Was that really a Maze of Death, though… The legends said that those who didn’t know the way would only find death at the end of their journey…”
Ainz could not answer that question. After all, it had been too simple a challenge. Perhaps it was only a ruse, designed to trick the opposition into thinking they had cleared it before the true trap was sprung. That was not entirely out of the question.
“…When that happens, all we need to do is break through any traps that await. That said, stepping into a preset snare is the height of foolishness. Let’s slow down and advance while staying alert.”
They had been moving at great speeds to catch up with the enemy. However, they had not caught up with them yet, even after coming all the way here. They should rethink their strategy while operating under the assumption that the enemy had already returned to their base.
“Then, we shall consider what we will do after reaching the enemy headquarters.”
After verifying that everyone had nodded, Ainz turned towards Gondo.
“To begin with, Gondo and I will take on the Royal Palace. I will handle the Dragon there.”
Neither the Guardians nor Gondo objected to this.
The highest-ranked Dragons were some of the strongest opponents in YGGDRASIL. It was very dangerous to move separately from the Guardians while they did not know the enemy’s strength. However, Ainz possessed a World-Class Item. It possessed many powers, and one of them was very effective against Dragons. Therefore, even in the worst-case scenario, he ought to be able to escape it.
In contrast, if he brought the Guardians with him and the enemy was more powerful than expected, then he would have to work harder in order to make his escape.
With Gondo around, the worst that could happen was that Ainz would have to abandon him. He could not abandon the lives of his friends’ children. Therefore, the best solution was to not have them with him in the first place.
Dragons, huh… I’m looking forward to this.
In YGGDRASIL, Dragons were mighty foes and also a bounty of riches.
They dropped good data crystals, and they had a higher chance of dropping artifacts than normal monsters. One could harvest their skin, meat, blood, fangs, claws, eyeballs, scales and other body parts for various uses.
One could say they were delicious enemies.
Knowing that he would soon encounter his first Dragon in this world filled his heart with a blend of unease, anticipation and desire. Ainz was so delighted that he was barely able to contain himself.
According to the Dwarves, the mighty Frost Dragon which had laid waste to the Western city might be there. If things went poorly, he might face another battle with questionable odds of victory, much like the one with Shalltear.
Could the Dragon have defeated the Death Knights? I can still manage if it was the same entity, but it’ll be troublesome if there was another one. Should I remain hidden and bring up everyone except the Hanzos — no, this ought to be the right choice.
“—Ainz-sama?”
“Hm? Ahh, Shalltear. Forgive me, I was lost in thought. Then, I shall give you two your orders as well. Aura and Shalltear, you are to face the Quagoa and have them submit to my rule. If they dare to refuse, then show them the power of Nazarick!”
The two Guardians replied with forceful affirmatives.
Ainz’s gaze shifted to Gondo. He did not look like he had anything to say. That attitude seemed to imply that he would go along with any decision Ainz made.
While Ainz had agreed to clear out the Quagoa, Ainz did not intend to completely exterminate them. He simply felt that the genocide of a race which did not exist in YGGDRASIL was a bit of a waste. Indeed, killing them all might eliminate this race from the world. No, even if that were not the case, they might end up being beneficial to Nazarick in the future.
Of course, they might also be harmful to Nazarick. However, extirpating them before verifying that was something of a waste.
Extermination is easy, but revival is difficult. Thus, there’s only one path I can take. And besides—
“If they are fools who will not swear their loyalty to me, then reduce their numbers to around 10’000 or so. Try and keep the strong ones alive. However, after considering future issues, do not select them purely based on strength. You must make sure an equal number of them are female. In addition, you must not let any of them escape, do you understand? Especially the one that is the equivalent to their king.”
“But… Ainz-sama…”
Ainz urged Aura — who looked depressed — to continue speaking.
“We don’t know exactly how large the Dwarven capital is, but it seems like quite a large area. It’ll be difficult for just the two of us to ensure that none of the Quagoa escape from such a broad space. What should we do?”.
“Hm. A reasonable question. Because of that — Aura, it’s time for you to shine. Use the World-Class item I gave you earlier.”
“Is, is that really alright?”
“Umu. This is when it should be put to use.”
“I, I understand!”
Tension was written all over their faces.
“While that there are no use limits on that World-Class item, if the enemy fulfills certain conditions and escapes, ownership of the Item will automatically shift to them. That is the worst-case scenario and must be avoided at all costs.”
Ainz recalled the incident where Ainz Ooal Gown had seized possession of it.
How many mails had the enemy sent, begging them to “give it back”?
Ainz snorted.
“If you didn’t want to lose it, shouldn’t have used it,” was the matter-of-fact reply. Nothing was more stupid than a guild which could not accept such a rational conclusion. If they did not want it to be taken, they should have stashed it in their treasury and never taken it out. Therefore, Ainz kept harping on it, even though he felt that there would be no problems with its use.
“Also, you must be cautious of foes you cannot suck into it, because such enemies possess World-Class Items as well.”
“That means you won’t be able to enter either, right, Ainz-sama?”
“Not when it opens up. However, there are ways to go in if you choose to do so. You need to pay attention to the time lag when that happens… Alright, let’s go, then.”
Led by Aura, the group set forth.
Perhaps they were near the former Dwarven Royal Capital, but even the naturally-formed caverns were easy to traverse. All the stalactites and stalagmites had been cut down, probably for convenience of passage. They walked on for a time, surrounded by the labor of the Dwarves.
Aura — who walked at their head — suddenly stopped. Then she cupped her hand to a long ear, listening intently.
Ainz and the others kept quiet, waiting for Aura to give the word.
“Ainz-sama, I can hear many living beings ahead, numbering in the hundreds. I can’t gauge the exact distance, but I think we’ll make contact with them within minutes.”
“Hoh… have we caught up to them?”
“No, they don’t sound like they’re moving. It feels like they’re waiting…”
“I see. Did they sense our pursuit? Are they ambush troops?”
If that were the case, they had probably used some sort of divination magic to spy on Ainz and the others.