Chapter 10 - Volume 2 (1/2)

Overlord Volume 2 Chapter 2 + Interlude

Journey

Part 1

There were two routes leading northeast to Carne Village fro the outskirts of the forest The other went eastwards, then north

This ti the edge of the forestuard’s perspective

That said, everyone still wanted to go by that route This was because Ainz wanted to fulfill the job Peter and friends first offered theh it seereat risk — in the sa two hares would catch neither — the presence of the hty Momon and Nabe meant that they could take that route with peace of mind Another reason was that Nabe had de」 outside the city, in order to prove that she could cast third tier spells

In addition, they would not be entering the forest, just travelling along the edges Thus, any , and could be taken down by everyone working together It was also a good chance for each adventurer teath They had taken these points into consideration beforeE-Rantel, the sun was at its zenith, and the travellers could see a vast stretch of dense and prireen forest in the distance The thick tree trunks stood tall, while their leafy branches spread wide Because light could not penetrate into the depths of the forest, there was a feeling that they would be sed by the blackness The gaps between the trees looked like a gapingfor prey to throw themselves into it, which contributed to the sense of unease that they felt

♦ ♦ ♦

The group was arrayed around the wagon as they on Lukrut the ranger walked ahead of hion, while Dyne the druid and Ninya the ht up the rear

Visibility was good, so everyone was not too tense However, Peter’s voice contained its first hint of severity as he spoke:

“Moh we should be able to handle any monsters that appear, please be careful all the same”

“Understood”

As Ainz nodded, he suddenly thought of soaiven location, but in reality, that would be impossible Only the Gods knew if a troublesome enee several days ago and after interrogating the prisoners of the Sunlight Scripture, Ainz was quite confident in his strength Of course, that was in his capacity as a ically created plate armor, there were very few spells that he could cast

Could he serve as an effective frontliner with all his strengths sealed off? In addition, as a bodyguard, his victory condition was not defeating the ene Nfirea froht about that

If the situation warranted it, he would reic But if he did that, he would have to kill his companions or alter their memories, and Ainz did not want that at all

It’s a pain in the ass

Ainz turned to look at Narberal, who nodded under his gaze

The two of theencies Narberal would cast s came to that And if that did not work either, Ainz would shed his armor and take the situation a little seriously

As he saw the two of the his full helm — It would seem that Lukrut was under some sort of ht hearted tone:

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry Things won’t be too troubleso will escape reat, aren’t I, Nabe-san?”

In response to Lukrut’s earnest demeanor, Narberal merely sneered:

“Momon-san, may I have permission to pulverize this… inferior lifeforraced me with her cold words!”

Everyone smiled bitterly as Lukrut raised his thumb, but they did not seem to mind Narberal’s harsh retorts They did not think that Narberal really thought of hueneral as inferior lifeforms, just certain individuals (Lukrut) in particular

Ainz denied Narberal’s heartfelt request, feeling a craut If only she could hide her inner thoughts while travelling around hu, and he interrupted froion fro of the Forest” Therefore, we shouldn’t meet any monsters unless our luck is very bad”

“The ‘Wise King of the Forest?’”

Ainz recalled what he had learned in Carne Village

The Wise King of the Forest was a ly powerful Because its lair was in the depths of the forest, there were virtually no eye-witness reports about it, although its existence had been a topic of discussion since very long ago Soed silver beast with a snake for a tail, which had lived for hundreds of years

Ah, I’d like to see it He did not know if the stories were true or false, but if it really had lived all these years, it should possess a surprising intellect After all, it was called the Wise King of the Forest If he could capture it… he should be able to strengthen Nazarick

Ainz pieced together a hazy iht the monster looked like in hisof the Forest,” it ht extinct… like a utan? That nae?” And it has a snake for a tail… does a monster like that exist?

Ainz felt that YGGDRASILhis brains, he found an answer:

A Nue! …That creature has a er, and a snake’s tail… although I’ht have been suht of YGGDRASIL’s Nue, Lukrut called out to Narberal again in a flighty tone:

“Well then, if we complete this mission perfectly, I wonder if o up a little ust welling up froerated look of shock, but nobody spoke up for him Everyone seemed to treat them as a coressed forward, under the blazing sun that tanned the skin Their boots were covered in the juices of trarass and s their sweat, Ainz was extreht did not fatigue hi this clumsy, heavy aretic and cheerful, talking and laughing with the others, ere uys, you don’t have to be so alert After all, nothing escapes my eyes and ears Even Nabe-chan trusts me, look how relaxed she is”

“It’s not because of you It’s because we have Mo drastic ht happen, Ainz put his hand on Narberal’s shoulder and her face i their interaction, Lukrut tossed out a question:

“Huh, so it looks like you and Momon-san really are lovers?”

“His, his lover! What are you saying!? That should be Albedo-sama!”

“You!” Ainz shouted despite hi, Nabe!?”

“Ah!”

Narberal’s eyes ide and she covered her hed, and then coldly said:

“…Lukrut-san, could you not make baseless speculations?”

“…Ah — sorry about that It was just a joke But ah — does that nificant other already, Mo Lukrut did not look rery as he was just now It would see Narberal for this expedition was a foolish decision

Still, despite his poor choice, Ainz had no alternatives in the matter After all, he had nobody else to draw upon besides her Als, Ainz Ooal Goere hetero theht into a human city As for Narberal, at least she had a huuise Thus, she was one of the few people he could use… though he had not factored her personality into the equation when he made his choice

Given the present circuht have been a better choice, but it was too late to regret his decision at this point

Narberal’s face was ashen white froaffe Ainz patted her on the back several tiive the firstwould come when they repeated their mistakes It would be bad if she fell into despair or withdrew fro theirwas that she had only mentioned Albedo’s name There was no need to alter their memories… probably

“Lukrut, don’t talk nonsense and stay alert”

“Got it”

“Moue’s rudeness We know that prying into other people’s private lives is taboo”

“No, no I’ as you can be more careful in the future”

The two of the along the lines of “Ah — Nabe-chan hates ative number,” as Lukrut rounded his shoulders in defeat

“That idiot…! I’ll scold him after this I pray you will pay no heed to what he just said”

“Well, about that… Hm I’ll leave that task to you, then Since Lukrut’s on lookout duty, we can leave that to him, and I’ll talk a bit about myself”

“It’s fine, it’s fine We’ll make him work hard for the trouble he’s caused you”

After Peter smiled to hi places with Ainz — fell back to walk alongside Narberal

“I have so Ninya nod his head, Ainz began with his questions Nfirea seemed interested in their conversation and looked over

“People who have been charht reveal the inforical counter questioned several times?”

“I’ve never heard of a spell like that”

Ainz turned, and his helmet faced Nfirea

“Me neither There are ways to modify a spell so it activates at a certain time, but I don’t think they’re as elaborate as what you describe”

“…I see”

Ainz was slightly disappointed when he did not get the answer he was looking for

If that was the case, he would have to worry about how to deal with the surviving ht Scripture later

Since there were so few survivors left, it would be a waste to expend them to no effect In order to discover why they vanished after death, he had vivisected theical medical techniques, but it had ended up as a bust If they died fro infor the chance to ask three questions

Even un, who had been the first to die They had lost Nigun, who knew the most, for the sake of a few simple questions

Still, that loss let Ainz know that he could not take on this world with his knowledge of YGGDRASIL alone, so that could be counted as a lesson learned At the very least, they had learned how to proceed froht distractedly about that, Ninya continued speaking:

“That said, I only know a little bit about ic casters on a national level could create spells like that The Slaine Theocracy has acadeic casters — while the Empire has institutes which produce their arcaners, sorcerers, wizards, and other arcane rand Republic, which uses soons”

“I see In other words, spells like that could be created with the assistance of an entire country”

According to the inforrand Republic was a nation of demihumans, ruled by a council It was in opposition to the Slaine Theocracy, which cha thing about theons said to possess awesome power

Ainz was interested in that country, but he had not found his feet in this world yet, and did not have the excess energy to spread his tentacles to that nation at therequired a considerable amount of Nazarick’selse?”

Ainz continued questioning Ninya as he walked, until he was satisfied

He asked Ninya and Peter so s that the other Swords of Darkness looked at hi?” The topics he touched on were quite diverse, including ion, ah he had to ask his questions carefully, the ansere still very helpful Ainz was certain that this had greatly increased his knowledge about this world

Yet, he did not feel that was enough Learning about one thing s, especially when it ca what a world would becoreatest influence of that could be seen in the technological level of this world It looked like it was in the Middle Ages, but in truth it was closer to the Modern Age The reason for these advances in technology wasto understand the technology of this world As a person born in a world advanced through the power of science, there was no way for him to draw parallels bethat he knew and a world that had developed with the aid of ar, and spices, as well as spells which restored nutrients to the soil, rericulture

Then, there was the fact that the sea was apparently not salty All these facts about the world were vastly ree

Ainz lost track of ti his curiosity

“Movement,” Lukrut suddenly said, in a voice which held a hint of tension It was cohty attitude he had taken while flirting with Nabe In his place was a professional, seasoned adventurer

Everyone turned to the direction where Lukrut was looking, and readied their weapons

“Where?”

“There Over there,” Lukrut said in response to Peter’s question He pointed at a corner of the forest, but nobody could see anything through the clutter of the forest Even so, none of them doubted him

“What should we do?”

“We shouldn’t force our way in If they don’t leave the forest, we’ll leave the to do is follow the plan and have Nfirea-shi+ fall back!”

As they discussed their next move, there were movements in the forest, and then monsters slowly revealed themselves

There were fifteen creatures that were the size of children, surrounding six huge creatures

The first group were the demihumans called Goblins

Their twisted faces had flattened noses, while two fangs thrust forth froht brohile their filthy, matted black hair looked like it had been styled by wax

They wore tattered clothes, which were a burnt sienna, though it was unknohether it was dyed that color or stained that way by dirt On top of that, they had fashi+oned tanned animal hides into a crude form of armor Each held a wooden club in one hand and a sof hue, roughly two hundred fifty to three hundred centiht

Their lower jaws jutted out, and they looked retarded

Their heavily ed on the ground due to their hunchbacked stance They used logs as clubs, and wore animal skins around their waists They reeked sodistance separating them

Their tanned brown skin was covered in warts, while their lance, they looked to be very strong, and they resembled shaven, distorted chires

Alh for a long journey

The monsters watched the adventurers warily as they advanced onto the grassy plains They ht have been some distance away, but there was an unly faces

“…There’s quite a nuht”

“Mres are the kind who’ll attack once they outnuent beings would probably not judge their opponents’ strength simply by their numbers”

Ainz could understand and accept this, but the fact that it was coaht or skin color, the Ogres and Goblins before him all differed from each other In other words, they were not identical individuals It felt like he was faced with twenty one unknown a unknown ion, without the benefit of a walkthrough site As he recalled the feeling of that battle in Carne, Ainz beganto himself

“Then, Mo the reed to divide then them now?”

“Can’t we split into two teams and dispatch the enemy as they come to us?”

“It would be troublesome if they all went to one side Nabe-san, can you use 「Fireball」 to elio?”

“I cannot use 「Fireball」 The strongest spell I can use is 「Lightning」”

Ainz thought about the restrictions he had given her earlier

“「Lightning」 is a spell that pierces in a straight line, right?”

“Then, what if we got the enemies to form up into a line, and then take them all out in one shot from the side?”

“In that case, we’d need a defensive line that can take the eneentleon?”

“Moive me a hard tihter those Ogres”

As they heard Ainz’s confident voice, understanding dawned on the faces of the Swords of Darkness Their hearts filled with the peace ofthat they could leave that task to hi to worry

“Understood However, we can’t just watch the enemy attack, so we’ll support you from the side as ic?”

“Ah, not for us Friends fro your coin the engageht slip past”

“If that’s the case, shall we do the usual and lure them out first?”

“An excellent idea! Moe, but hoe deal with any fish which slip the net?”

“I’ll hold down the Ogres with the martial art 「Fortress」 Dyne, you’ll handle the Goblins Ninya will cast a defensive spell on me, and while it may not be necessary, you should also watch out for Nabe-san’s safety and use attack spells whenever possible Lukrut, go take care of the Goblins, and if any Ogres make it past the defensive line, you’ll have to block the out the Goblins, Ninya”

Everyone looked to each other and nodded, showing that they understood Peter’s instructions Their coy was smoothly decided, and their silent teahly impressed by this display, made a noise of quiet approval

He recalled YGGDRASIL once more Back then, Ainz and his comrades hunted , blocking, and then attacking They could fight well as a group because they were thoroughly faths

Perhaps he was being biased, but Ainz earnestly believed that their coordination was not an easy thing to replicate The Swords of Darkness could not possibly co like his own teamwork in their movements

“Moic?”

“No, there’s no need The two of us will be enough”

“That’s… pretty confident”

There was some unease in Peter’s words If the person responsible for holding the line fell easily, it ht lead to a do apart He should have felt uneasy about that

After all, this was not a ga their lives

“You’ll see once it begins,” Ainz said, ter the conversation with a curt reply

“Peter-san, we’ll start once your preparations are finished”

♦ ♦ ♦

Lukrut drew the string of his co With a whoosh, the bowstring sliced through the air, launching an arrow in a straight line It struck the ground about ten meters away from the Goblins on the plain

The sudden attack made the Goblins sneer at Lukrut from behind their shi+elds

The object of their mockery was the et that was over one hundred twenty otten that

The vast disparity between the attack they had received and their numbers made the Goblins’ violent instincts swell They shouted in unison, and charged at Lukrut ild abandon The sores followed from behind them as well

Driven into a frenzy by their bloodlust, they did not form up into ranks, nor did they protect themselves with their shi+elds Their minds were a sea of white

As he verified that fact, Lukrut smiled thinly

“Loose!”

He sent another arronrange when the enemy was ninety meters distant This time, the arrow did not fall short, but pierced a Goblin’s cranium The Goblin at the end of the forround, where he died

The distance between them shrank, but there was no worry in Lukrut’s hand, which was holding his bow This was because he was confident that someone would protect him, even if the enemy reached him

“「Reinforce Armor」”

Ninya cast a spell froue’s voice, Lukrut nocked another arrow to his bowstring

Fifty h the head of another Goblin, who collapsed and did not get back up Dyne decided to ile, the Ogres had large strides, and so their speeds were roughly the sae of nearly one hundred er legs ended up in front while the Goblins lagged behind The two groups dreay froet too many of them in the area of his spell’s effect

Still, that was enough After, Dyne’s first objective was to pin down one Ogre

“「Twine Plant」”

Dyne cast his spell, and vegetationinto vines that tangled around its feet Ire roared in frustration

At the same time, Ainz — followed by Narberal — strolled leisurely forward

They walked like they were taking a stroll, not standing fast against chargingat the head of the mob approached hirasp the hilts of his swords Narberal too reached under her cloak and brought forth her sheathed sword

Moreat arcs in the air

The dazzling light reflecting off the blades asp in surprise

The swords that Ainz wielded — each over one hundred fifty centi — looked exceptionally ornate They resembled works of art more than tools of war

A pair of intertwined serpents were carved into the blades Their tips were rounded and wider across than the rest of the sword, like a pair of opened fans The edges radiated a cold, sharp radiance

They were the weapons of a hero

Ainz was holding a pair of hero’s swords

As they beheld his ure, Swords of Darkness drew a breath in unison If what they had seen before asp, what they saas a scene that struck theer they were Long swords like the ones Ainz was holding could not be wielded easily, even eight-reducing ic Granted, they already knew that Ainz possessed preternatural arth from their short time with hi those greatswords with such ease

However…

Ainz casually whipped theh the air like a pair of sticks Truly, it was an awe-inspiring sight

“Moh speaking for everyone else

As a warrior hi one’s arms would have to be to pull off a stunt like that His shock was because he had no idea how long Moh he had always felt that Mo confronted with the truth s treent Goblins were terrified by the sight of Ainz, their legs slowing froo for Peter and the others

Only the Ogres, ere too stupid to be afraid and ere supre toward Ainz

As they closed in on hireatswords reatclubs, had a longer reach than hires were about to make their move, Ainz stepped forward

His movements were as swift as the wind And then, faster than that, he swung the greatsword in his right hand The flashi+ng blade left a silvery afterih the air

The stroke was an astounding one — it raised goosebuh the blade was not aimed at them, they could not help but feel that death stood by their side

It was over in a single blow

Ainz turned his gaze froh waiting for Ainz to look away, the upper body of the Ogre slid off and fell wetly to the ground, leaving itsYet, the spray of blood and organs and the vile stench that hung in the air proved that this was not an illusion

The Ogre had been cut diagonally in half

The battle was still on, but both sides were ht

It was slain in a single blow Not even an Ogre’scut in two

“…A”

Someone muttered those words, which carried clearly across the silent battlefield

“…Absolutely incredible This is beyond mithril or orichalcu a foe into two parts

This was not an impossible feat of arms A rare few exponents of swordsht be able to do it However, it was coth ielding a two-handed greatsith one hand After all, two-handed weapons were, as the na the weight of the weapon and the leverage of its length to do dath alone

Therefore, froht be enchanted with ic iteular warrior with both arht, the Ogres unconsciously stoppedoff with looks of fear on their faces Ainz strode forth, shrinking the distance between hi?’

His casual, relaxed words resounded through the battlefield

These sires with fear After all, they had seen with their own eyes the vast disparity between their oer and Ainz’s

On his part, Ainz closed the gap to the Ogres with startling speed Hisa suit of full plate armor should not have possessed

“Uooooh—!”

With a cry that sounded like a cross between a wail of despair and a shout, the Ogre before hi Ainz However, everyone here knew in their guts that the Ogre was far, far too slow

As Ainz closed in, he swung the greatsword in his left hand horizontally

The Ogre’s upper body spun through the air, landing some distance away from the rest of its body

This time, it had been transversely bisected

“Momon-shi+… are you ascene unfolded before their eyes, none of the themselves to refute Dyne’s words

“…Then, as for the rest of you…:”

Ainz stepped forward The ugly faces of the ogres froze, and they retreated even faster

The Goblins circled around the Ogres and Ainz’s defensive line to attack Peter and the others Swords of Darkness, stunned by the sights they had just seen,

Peter raised his broadsword and large shi+eld, prepared to take on the ten or so Goblins headed toward hi into the air, and then Peter evaded the arterial spray before entering melee with the other Goblins

“Take this!”

The yellow toothed Goblins responded with a garbled cry that was hard on the ears

Peter adroitly blocked the Goblin’s club with his shi+eld, while his ically reinforced armor took the rest of the hits with a low-pitched sound

“「Magic Arrow」”

Twoto attack Peter fros had been cut

Half of the Goblins surrounding Peter rushed the other three adventurers, but none of the Goblins dared attack Narberal, who stood beside the storm of death called Ainz

Lukrut put down his coether with Dyne, ielded a ainst his

Lukrut and Dyne were hly even Although the Goblins were being eli, under the present circumstances Lukrut’s face was a mask of pain as he endured the pain from his arm — it had been struck by a Goblin’s club — as he thrust his shortsword into the gaps of his opponent’s leather armor Dyne had taken several hits as well, and as a result his er

Ninya surveyed the battlefield anxiously, with an eye toward conserving his spells Although soht have to deal with theaged in a fierce battle with six Goblins, and the struggle went back and forth several times

The reason why they had not been overwhele had been blunted After seeing Ainz’s preternatural ability to kill Ogres in one blow, the Goblins’ morale plummeted, and they could not ht

Then, Ainz swung his sword in a grand, sweeping arc, as though announcing his intent to utterly demoralize the Goblins

As the sound of the displaced air swept into everyone’s ears, they could hear the sound of a heavy weight hitting the ground It was soon followed by two more such sounds

Just as everyone had expected, the nure corpses steadily increased There were twoto hold on to life One of the in fear before Ainz

Ainz’s hel hih the slits of his closed hel to flee, discarding its greatclub as it ran for the forest It was ed, but there was no escape for it

“Nabe, do it”

As the h the air, Narberal — who had been standing by behind Ainz — nodded slightly

“「Lightning」”

The electrical discharge thundered through the air as it leapt forth, and the stroke of lightning cleanly pierced the fleeing Ogre’s body It even went through the Ogre behind it, the one which had been entangled by Dyne’s spell

That single spell finished off two Ogres

“Run!”

“Run away! Run away!”

The Goblins, who had watched this scene in stunned silence, began fleeing as they screamed in terror However, Peter was too fast for them, and the demoralized Goblins were no threat to him

The adventurers felled the Goblins two and three at a tier bound to conserveattack spells into the fray In the blink of an eye, the Goblins had been crushed, with no survivors

♦ ♦ ♦

A in the air, Dyne healed Lukrut’s and Peter’s wounds with the spell 「Light Healing」 With nothing else to do, Ninya began cutting off the Goblins’ ears with a dagger

They would be paid for turning in the ears to the guild Of course, adventurers did not claim their bounty with monsters’ ears alone Rather, they submitted different body parts as appropriate for different types of res were demihumans, so for the most part, ears were used in their case

Ninya cut the ears off with practiced ease, and then he noticed that Ainz and Narberal were looking around the place wherefor so Ninya’s question, Ainz lifted his head and replied:

“Ah, I was just thinking… do these monsters drop items, in particular, crystals or the like?”

“…Crystals? I’ve never heard of Ogres carrying anything like crystals”

“I see I was just wondering if they carried treasure”

“Indeed I’d be jures had treasure too,” Ninya replied as he reres’ ears with practiced , Momon-san I knew you were a warrior as proud of his abilities, but I didn’t think you’d be that a”

As they heard Ninya’s words, the other three adventurers, who had finished with their healing reat! I’m in awe of you, as a felloarrior How did you train up your arht you were quite wealthy from the way you were accompanied by Nabe-chan, but what kind of swords are those? I’ve never seen such valuable-looking swords before”

“I kno that what you said at the guild was not a bluff Truly, you’re on par with the Kingdoh as she watched fro his hands about:

“Oh, there’s no need to say that, it was nothingmuch…”

Peter and friends smiled bitterly

“…After that battle, I finally understand what they mean by ‘always someone better’”

“I’m sure you’ll all be able to surpass me with ease”

Ainz’s reply made the smiles of the Swords of Darkness’ faces even more bitter

Peter and the others had worked hard to er, and they had carefully saved all their earnings, using the because they all shared the saoal However, even when they looked back on all the effort they had put in since becoine themselves on Ainz’s level To the Swords of Darkness, Ainz stood upon a pinnacle that al with them would someday become a hero, whose nareat person that would stand atop all other adventurers

Everyone was certain of that

Part 2

Although it was so up camp

Ainz took the wooden poles handed to him by others and erected them around the caon, the campsite in question was around twenty e area

The poles went into four points around the campsite, and then thin, blackened ropes were tied around the poles, for a perimeter Finally, they tied a knot in one of the ropes and pulled it over to their tents, where they attached a big bell to it This was their alarround, Narberal came around

…Narberal should have some work to do… ain, all I can do is gently reprihts in mind, Ainz turned around As he did, Narberal spoke, in a low voice that suggested that she was holding back feelings of anger:

“…They should not be troubling you ork like this, Mohed in relief as he learned the reason for her anger He looked around, and then quietly replied:

“Everyone’s working together to pitch ca, no?”

“Have they not seen your extraordinary fighting skill? People should do what they are suited for, so this sort of work should be left to weaklings like them”

“Don’t say that Listen, we need to establish ourselves as powerful individuals, but we ance while we do it You need to check yourself a little too”

Narberal nodded to show that she understood, but her displeasure was evident on her face She was only going along with this because it was an express order from Ainz hih to overcoht that this ht cause a slip-up at an inopportune time made Ainz feel uneasy

The truth was that Ainz was having a lot of fun with these outdoor activities After all, this was so he could not experience in the virtual world of YGGDRASIL, let alone real life, and thus it was filled with novelty Although the whole thing had taken too much ti unknown places in YGGDRASIL

If I was the only one who came to this neorld, without the whole of Nazarick with ht

The undead did not need to eat, drink, or breathe That being the case, they could clis, or walk into the ocean depths He would have enjoyed hi the unknown vistas of the world

However, now that his comrades’ treasures — his loyal subordinates — were here, Ainz felt that he should repay their loyalty by ruling Nazarick well

Ainz cast his thoughts aside and cal the four wooden poles into the ground, he tied the rope around them and then raised the tent over it

“Thanks for your hard work”

“Think nothing of it”

Lukrut was inside the tent, and he thanked Ainz without looking at hih he was slacking off either He had been digging a hole for a stove since just now

The s, incanting a spell as he went This was an 「Alar that would trigger if anything trespassed on their cah it had a small area of effect, it was still useful just in case

This spell, which did not exist in YGGDRASIL, h he had handed the task of learning about unknown ic caster, he still felt the desire to know about spells he had never seen before

The ic Ninya used was a spell of the arcane type, like the kind that Ainz could cast In addition, it looked very similar to a YGGDRASIL spell Ainz had used a racial skill called Dark Wisdom to perform a rite which increased the number of spells he knew

Could I learn spells that weren’t in YGGDRASIL bya live sacrifice? Or is there another way? There’s soabout…

As Ninya realised Ainz was staring at himself, he smiled and drew closer to Ainz

“Ah, there’s no need to watch ht?”

“Well, I’, Ninya-san”

“No way… I’m probably far below Nabe-san, aren’t I?”

“It’s because you know spells that Nabe doesn’t”

Narberal nodded slightly, but Ainz noticed from the corner of his eye that the look on her face was ret

“I’d like to cast spells like you, Ninya-san”

“You’re greedy, Moh your swords an adventurer, right?”

“Magic doesn’t see you can learn in one or two days Well, you need to connect to the world, but only people with the appropriate talent can do it If not, you’ll need to take a long time to experience it”

Those words ca to look fro up the campfire Ninya’s face turned serious:

“Mm Momon-san, I think you have that talent You’re different from other people… kind of like you’re not human at all…”

Ainz’s non-existent heart seemed to lurch in his chest Ainz wondered if Ninya had sensed that he was undead

Although he had already veiled hiht have seen through Ainz with an unknown spell or some other special ability Therefore, Ainz asked Ninya:

“…Is that so? I feel that I a, but not inhumanly so You’ve seen my face as well, so wouldn’t you think that as well?”

“I’ you fight, you’re clearly beyond the realht, a real ot a beauty like Nabe-san with you”

Upon closer consideration, Lukrut see that the illusionary face which Ainz showed theht about the looks of everyone he had met so far, Ainz could only sit down and accept his opinion

There’s too many handsome men and beautiful women in this world! Even the passers-by look attractive After coot a worse opinion of my own looks…

“Appearances aside, Lukrut has a point A hero is soet that feeling from you too”

“No, that’s too much… I wouldn’t dare claim to be any sort of hero, even if it was to be polite”

As Ainz feigned ee to sigh in relief

“If it’s convenient for you… would you like toan individual’s ical potential, Master should be able to sense it When it coic casters, Master can even differentiate between theic which they can cast”

“I’ve beento ask for a while… is that talent the saician?”

“Yes, it’s the same talent”

Ainz could not let inforh his hands He had to continue asking about it

“…What is this ability like?”

“Ahh, according to Master, welike an aura froer this aura becomes Master has the ability to see these auras”

“Oh… oh”

Ainz immediately suppressed the quiet surprise in his tone, and in order to cover it up, promptly responded in a athered up talented children and trained theic I was recruited by Master in that way,” Ninya continued

Ainz nodded and cursed silently in his heart There’s people with abilities like that This could be troublesome…

“Then, if I wanted to learn how to cast spells, where should I begin?”

“For starters, you’d need a proper teacher”

“…And how about beco your disciple, Ninya-san?”

“Hm… you should probably find sodom are very exclusive and people without connections can’t join the guilds that handle ic Even if you could join, most of the recruits would be ime to get in without so, Moical acadeical education as well, though that’s for divine ical acadeic?”

“That would be pretty difficult The acadeovernment, so I think you’d have to be a citizen of the Empire to study there”

“Is that so…”

“And as for becoise for it, II want to do, and I don’t have the free tiriative emotion there

Maybe I shouldn’t pry too deeply There’s noso

Just as Ainz caht with casual words:

“Oi~ sorry to interrupt your conversation, but dinner’s ready Do you o, Mo off? Why not stay with me and make a dinner filled with love?”

“Die, inferior being (centipede) Unless you wantoil down your throat so you can’t utter such nonsense again?”

“Enough, Nabe Let’s go together”

“Yes! Understood!”

After thanking Ninya, Ainz approached the two people working quietly on the ground, a short distance fro for their weapons They oiled the up, inspected them carefully to see if they were bent, and so on

There were fresh dents on their armor, and cracks on their swords from where they had clashed with the Goblins’ weapons Naturally, these defects had to be remedied as soon as possible, and the two of them were so focused that Ainz did not knohether he should call out to the them that dinner was ready, he inforon was tied up, a short distance away

♦ ♦ ♦

The sun touched the horizon, and the group had their dinner against the ruby radiance of its dying light

In their hands, they held bowls of thick stew flavoured with bacon bits, as well as toasted bread, dried figs, walnuts, and other nuts This was today’s dinner

Ainz looked at the bowl of stew in his hands It appeared to be very salty He could not feel the heat of the bowl through hisfroon it to cool it down, it should have been just the right temperature

Now then, what shall I do?

Ainz was undead, and he could not eat with this body of his In addition, he had disguised his appearance with an illusion If he tried to drink soup with his skeletal ht away

He could not let the others see that, no matter what

This was unknown food and drink froh the dishes before him were plain fare, Ainz felt that it was a shaer had a need or desire to eat, he was unhappy with the fact that he could not consu food that piqued his curiosity

For the first tiretted this undead body of his

“Ah~ is there so?” Lukrut asked as he noted that Ainz had not touched his food

“No, it’s just a personal matter”

“Is that so? Then you don’t need to force yourself, right? Although, we’re eating now, so could you take off your helious reason I can’t eat with more than four people on a day when I take life”

“Oh… that’s an unusual faith you follow, Moions like that aren’t particularly strange”

The doubt in their eyes faded away once they learned that it had soions in this world are a coave silent thanks to the Gods he did not believe in for soh this Then, he asked Peter:

“I recall your team na you…?”

On the topic of the group’s weapons, Peter used a longsith an ordinary enchantment, Lukrut favored the bow and arrow, Dyne used a mace, and Ninya used a staff Peter’s sword and Lukrut’s backup shortsere both blades, but neither of them had a color that was anywhere close to “dark”

There was a technique to tinta special powder on its surface, so creating a black sas not a difficult task Rather, it seemed odd that none of them bore a blade of that color

“Ah, so it’s that kind of question”

Lukrut sht up an eht red, a distinctly different color frolow

“They’re the swords of Ninya’s drea childish”

“That’s nothing to feel bad about! It’s ireat dream!”

“Give hter acco by the other Swords of Darkness Ninya, on the other hand, was so e for a hole to crawl into It would seem the name Swords of Darkness contained a secret that only its members knew

“Well, the name ‘Swords of Darkness’ refers to the swords borne by one of the Thirteen Heroes”

The so any further

Even if he says that, I’ on… still, I know that the Thirteen Heroes were the superheroes who destroyed the De across the world two hundred years ago If I’ear… would it be e? Or should I just say that I know?

Just as Ainz was agonizing over this issue, Narberal cut in from aside

“What are they?”

Wonderful Ainz struck a victory pose in his heart, but surprise crossed the faces of the members of Swords of Darkness

Just about anyone would be shocked that soic weapons for which the team was named

“Nabe-chan, you didn’t know?… Well, it’s not as though it’s unforgivable He was one of the Thirteen Heroes, but because people thought he had de ins were covered up in the saga of the Thirteen Heroes… though I’ve heard that he was a very powerful person”

“The Swords of Darkness belonged to the ht’ It was one of the four swords he possessed There was the dey, the blade of rot, Crocdabal, which inflicted wounds that would not heal, the fatal blade Sfeiz, which could kill with the merest scratch, as well as the evil blade Hyumilis, whose powers are unknown”

“Oh—”

Everyone smiled bitterly at Narberal’s unenthusiastic reply

However, Ainz tilted his head in pensiveThose abilities seee of a vampire appeared in his mind Those special abilities were similar to the skills possessed by Shalltear Bloodfallen, who had levels in the Cursed Knight class

Cursed Knights had the backstory of being corrupted cleric-knights who had been cursed, and they were considered to be a very strong class in YGGDRASIL However, they had a lot of drawbacks, so they were not very popular Ahts could learn was the ability to release waves of darkness, inflict cursed wounds which could not be healed by low level healing spells, instant death curses, and so on

Ainz narrowed his illusory eyes under his helmet This was not a coincidence While the Swords of Darkness ht, it was ht

If that were the case, when one considered the prerequisites to becoht” was at least level sixty — no, if one considered that he had to actually learn all those skills as well, he would have to be at least level seventy

It would seeainst heroes like that, so it was a reasonable hypothesis that their levels were roughly the saht Scripture said that the Dominion Authority which he summoned could defeat a Demon God, so it would seem that the Demon Gods and the Heroes were not on the sa this new inforical that the Demon Gods were not all equally powerful However, the only way to know for sure would be to meet that hero or obtain that sword

As Ainz pondered this, the rest of the group continued talking Ainz hurriedly shi+fted his attention to their conversation; it would be a sha because he was distracted

“—So finding those swords was ends about weapons out there, but so is that the existence of the Swords of Darkness is still a mystery—”

“Ah, there’s someone out there who possesses one of the Swords of Darkness”

After Nfirea calmly dropped that bombshell, the Swords of Darkness turned on him:

“Who, who’s that!?”

“Uwah! Really? So that means there’s only three left!”

“Oh, that means on’t be able to distribute theerly replied:

“Er, about that… the person ns that sword is the leader of the adventuring party called ‘Blue Rose’”

“Geh, adamantite, you say? Adventurers like that? Then it can’t be helped”

“That’s true Still, there’s three of theh to take them into possession”