“Has he gone back?”
「已经回去了吗」

“Yes, Master.”
「是的，老爷」

The butler had returned from sending off the Sorcerer King, and that was his answer to Osk’s question.

“Really now,” Osk replied, and then he looked to the maid standing behind the butler.
对于欧斯克的疑问，为魔导王送行后回来的管家答道。是吗、如此响应后欧斯克的视线转向了管家站在身后的女仆。

“--Headhunter rabbit.”
「——猎首兔」

What, the man before him thought as he tilted his dainty little head.
什么、他轻轻的歪了下小脑袋。

Yes, “his.” He was a man, dressed in an outfit that best fit a maid.
没错，是他。那个与女仆服非常相称的男人。

According to him, he did so because dressing like a woman made others underestimate him and become careless, and also because people would not attack his groin.
而之所以会打扮成这样，据他所说装扮成女人的话对方就会轻视而大意、胯下也不会被攻击。

It would seem that it was for those two reasons, and not because of personal preference. However, given that he displayed adorable motions like those from just now even in everyday life, he probably enjoyed this sort of thing to some extent.

The fact that his thoughts had actually wandered that far was a sign that he was thinking too much about this.
似乎有着这么两个优点，而非因为个人爱好的样子。但是，由于平常也能看到他摆出刚刚那般可爱的动作，多多少少也参杂着些个人喜好的要素吧，会如此思考真的是因为自己想太多了吗。

It did not inconvenience Osk in any particular way, so he did not mind.
对欧斯克来说并没有什么特别不方便的地方，所以不管怎样都好吧。

Then, there was the matter of his alias, “Headhunter Rabbit”.
那么、那样的他所持有的别名 “猎首兔”。

It did not suit a cute-looking man, but then again, he was a mercenary who hailed from a nation to the east of the City-State Alliance, famous as a warrior cum assassin.
虽然与拥有可爱的外表的男人不相符，但他正是位于都市国家联盟东方的国家中，作为战士兼暗杀者以那个别名而闻名的佣兵。

Osk had signed a contract with him and hired him for a staggering amount. He had contracted workers teams and gladiators as bodyguards too, but nobody else was paid as highly as him.
欧斯克以破格的金额与那样的他定下了契约、雇佣进来。其它还有几个工作者队伍或剑斗士也以个人方式缔结了护卫契约，但无论是谁的报酬都没有他来的高。

His strength matched his price tag -- above an orichalcum-ranked adventurer, at the very least. The fact was that he had not been embroiled in any troublesome matters ever since he had employed him.
而他也确实有着与之相应的——至少是山铜级以上的实力。实际上在雇佣他之后，就从未被卷入过麻烦事里。

“Tell me what you think of His Majesty, the Sorcerer King.”
「让我听听看过魔导王陛下后的感想吧」

He had another ability, besides being a first-rate fighter cum assassin.
而他除了一流的战士兼暗杀者以外，还有着其它才能。

That was the ability to analyze his opponents. Through long experience in the murderous profession of being a warrior and assassin, he had attained the ability to evaluate people -- to see if they were strong.
那就是看穿对手的能力。作为战士或暗杀者进出修罗场后得到的经验，进行人物评价——是否为强者。

“It’s extremely bad.”
「超级不妙」

To date, there was only one other person about whom he had stated a similar opinion. That person was the Martial Lord himself. In other words, this was the second person he could not defeat.

Incidentally, the rank below that was “It’s bad”, which he had said when he had seen the Empire’s Four Knights.
他做如此评价的对象，到目前为止只有武王一人而已。也就是说，他也没有办法胜过的第二人现在已经登场了。顺带一提比那稍次一级的评价，是看到帝国四骑士时的「不妙」。

“Is His Majesty a strong warrior as well?”
「魔导王陛下作为战士也是强者吗？」

“I’m not sure. Judging by his footsteps alone, he’s not that strong. He doesn’t walk like someone who’s been trained as a warrior or assassin. Rather, the uncle beside him feels more like a warrior. Still -- it’s bad. Just standing behind him made me want to run away.”
「我不清楚。只听他的脚步声的话并不是这么强。战士或暗杀者，并不是接受过那方面的训练后的走路方式。反倒是，旁边的大叔更像是名战士。但是——不妙。光是站在他后面就让人感觉很糟。想要立刻全力逃跑」

After he said that, he extended his arms.
这么说着，他伸出了自己的手臂。

Osk’s eyes were entranced by his fists.
欧斯克的眼睛被那拳头所吸引。

They were round fists.
圆圆的拳头。

His fists had been reshaped by punching hard objects tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of times, until they were now in a round, ball-like shape.
那是经历了几万、几十万次地用握着的拳头投向坚硬物体后变质形成的、像球一般的圆球状。

These hands were made for battle.
那是为了战斗而生的手。

A chill ran through Osk, followed by an uncontrollable excitement.
欧斯克感到一阵发寒、无法止住兴奋。

“--Where are you looking, you pervert.”
「——在看哪里啊，变态」

“I was just thinking that those were good hands.”
「我只是觉得那是只好的手吶」

It was true he liked those hands very much, but sadly, Headhunting Rabbit did not interest him.
虽然手确实非常的对自己喜好，但可惜的是猎首兔在他的兴趣范围之外。

Gender was not a big matter for him. However, Osk’s ideal partner was the warrior from the Kingdom’s Blue Rose (Gagaran). Granted, Headhunting Rabbit would make a good partner as well, but he felt too skinny, compared to her. In contrast, the Martial Lord was a little too thick.
性别倒不是什么大问题。但对欧克斯来说，他理想是在王国中苍蔷薇战士 [格格兰]。确实猎首兔作为对象来说倒也不差，但与她相比的话就感觉有些太过单薄了，相反武王就显得有些太厚重了。

“...So you don’t want me to renew my contract with you next year?”
「……明年的契约我不会跟你续签的哦？」

“That would be very troubling! Hardly anyone can match up to you… Well, the heiress of Ijaniya aside. Oops, it seems we’ve gotten off-topic. Then--”
「那样的话很困扰！能与你匹敌的人几乎没有啊。……也只有那个伊杰尼亚的女当家了吧。哦妥、偏题了，那么——」

Osk’s eyes left those round fists, and travelled up. Goosebumps broke out on Headhunting Rabbit’s skin.
欧斯克的视线从那个圆拳往上移动，猎首兔的皮肤正起着鸡皮疙瘩。

“I haven’t been able to calm down yet. It feels really bad.”
「还没平复下来。感觉非常糟」

“So he’s nothing much as a warrior, but he’s an extremely bad opponent…”
「作为战士不怎么样，但却是很不妙的对手吗……」

“He’s just like another Martial Lord.”
「简直就是另一个武王啊，那个」

Osk picked up on what Headhunting Rabbit was trying to say. He was referring to that Martial Lord.
欧斯克察觉到猎首兔想说的事，确实那个正是武王。

There were powerful and weak races in this world.
这个世界存在着强大的种族以及弱小的种族。

Humans typified the weak races, being little more than meatbags without darkvision, with no hard carapaces to protect their bodies, or other special abilities.
弱小的种族以人类为代表，看穿黑夜的力量、保护身体的坚硬外皮、特殊力量等等都不具备的肉块皮囊。

In contrast, there were the mighty races, like Dragons, for instance. They were protected by hard scales, they were graceful and mighty, they were equipped with claws and teeth which could easily rend steel, they possessed fiery or icy breath and other special abilities, and they were furnished with wings that they could use to soar through the sky.
相对的强大种族，比如说龙。被坚硬的鳞片守护、具备聪敏而强大的肉体能力，具有轻易斩断钢铁的牙和爪，拥有火焰或冷气吐息之类的特殊能力、遨游在天空的羽翼。

They were a race that was strong, even without warrior training.
他们作为一个种族，就算不受战士的训练也很强。

What Headhunting Rabbit was trying to say that the Sorcerer King belonged to such a race.
猎首兔想说的是，魔导王也是那样的种族的可能性很高。

The undead had poor physical stats. This was what Osk knew to be true. Yet, it did not seem to be the case for the Sorcerer King.
不死族的肉体能力是很弱的，虽然这是欧斯克的常识。但魔导王好像却不一样。

“Osk-sama, why did you accept this match? His Majesty knows about the Martial Lord, but we do not know about his abilities. I feel it will be a very unfavorable match.”
「欧斯克大人，为何、您要接受比赛呢？魔导王陛下知道武王的事，但这里却不知道对方的能力，我认为会是个相当不利的比赛」

“...Ara? You don’t get it?”

Headhunting Rabbit replied in a tired voice, “I don’t think about these pointless things--”
「……啊啦？你不明白吗？」猎首兔很疲累似的说道「是我的话可不会考虑这么无聊的事吶—」

The butler looked to Osk in a surprised way. Thus, Osk answered:
管家以不可思议般的眼睛看向欧斯克。所以他笑着回答道。

“Does the champion flee from challengers?”
「冠军会逃避挑战者吗」

“Is that all?”
「仅此而已吗？」

“That is all. However, that is also why it is so important. There’s no need to just kill each other. But if this is an official challenge, complete with a letter sent up to request a match, it can’t be avoided. The Martial Lord would think the same way as well.”
「仅此而已，但是，正因如此才重要。如果只是要互相厮杀的话，根本不需要做这种事。但是，如果是作为比赛送上了挑战书的话，是不可能逃避的。武王也是这么想的才对」

“What an idiot--”
「真是笨蛋呢——」

“Perhaps. Still, that’s men for you. However, I feel His Majesty is the type who reveals his true strength in battle, rather than during a competitive match. Now, consider a regulated bout, and a no-holds-barred deathmatch. Under which circumstances would you prefer to face the Sorcerer King?”
「也许吧，但那就是男人啊。只是，在我看来魔导王陛下更像是那种、比起比赛形式更能够在战斗中发挥能力的类型。以比赛形式的战斗，和什么都有可能发生的暗斗。你想要和哪一方的魔导王陛下战斗呢？」

“Neither. I’d turn tail and run.”
「两边都不想，夹起尾巴马上逃走」

Osk laughed, because that was the wisest choice.
欧斯克笑了，那才是最聪明的。

“Then, next up. What do you think of the Sorcerer King?”
「那么，接下来。就是你那边了，对于魔导王的评价是？」

That line was not directed at his master, but at the butler waiting in the rear who did not change his expression.
虽然不是对主人的措词，但后面等待的管家表情也没有变化。

In the past, he might have expressed his displeasure silently, to indicate that was not the proper attitude a hired man should have toward his master. Still, that displeasure had vanished somewhere along the way. Perhaps it was when Headhunting Rabbit had slain a would-be assassin.
虽然在以前曾经以无言的不满，来表示过那个不是被聘雇之身对主人该有的态度。但不知何时那个不满也消失了，可能是暗杀者被猎首兔反杀的时候也说不定。

“He has a very charming personality.”
「很有人格魅力啊」

“Ho~n,” Headhunting Rabbit mused in a strange way.
吼—嗯、地猎首兔发出了奇怪的声音。

Ainzach did not appear to be under duress. In other words, the Sorcerer King had something which allowed him to secure the cooperation of a city’s residents within a few months of conquering it.
从艾因扎克那样子看来，他的态度并不像是被强迫了的感觉。也就是说魔导王有着什么东西，能够在占领都市后的数个月内，便取得了占领国居民的协助。

“Did you see his regal bearing? Whether it was in bringing only Ainzach, or agreeing to not use magic in his battle, he radiated the pride of the mighty. In addition, he’s a very intelligent man. It feels like he’s very used to this sort of negotiations.
「看到了那堂而皇之的举止了吗？不管是只带了艾因扎克也好，与武王约定不使用魔法战斗也好，都有着作为强者的强烈自负呢。再来就是脑筋也很灵活。其氛围也让人觉得他很擅长这种交涉」

Even he felt it was surprising.
说着的自己也觉得不可思议。

Osk was a merchant, but the Sorcerer King viewed him as an equal. Under normal circumstances, some nobles would want to establish who was on top, to say nothing of a king.
魔导王将商人的自己，看作是平等的对象。正常来说的话不要说国王了，就连有些贵族也会想要摆出明确的上下关系。

This was what baffled him.
所以才叫人难以理解。

He could understand it if he had been a trader in the past, but that was impossible. In other words, he was simply adept at negotiations.
如果以前是商人的话还能够接受，但那是不可能的。也就是，只是单纯地善于交涉吧。

“In terms of overall ability, he is comparable to our Emperor.”
「综合评价的话，拥有与我们的皇帝陛下匹敌的才能吧」

Of course, he had not read that deeply into him. It was simply that the Sorcerer King frightened him that much.
当然，实际上没有能够看透那深邃的城府。但魔导王就是有着会叫人那么想的恐怖。

“No, I should say that he’s equivalent to the Bloody Emperor, at the very least.”
「不，应该假设最低也是和鲜血帝不相上下才对吗」

So at a minimum, he was equal to the greatest Emperor in history. What a nightmare.
最底线也是与被称为历代最高的帝国皇帝相同的话，那简直就是有如噩梦般的事。

Osk shook his head. He would be paralyzed by contemplation if this went on. Of course, he did not want to gaze into the abyss of the Sorcerer King. However, there was one thing he had to do right now.
欧斯克摇了摇头。再思考下去的话会变得无法动弹，虽然也并不是想要窥视魔导王的深渊。但目前不得不做的事就只有一件。

“...I must inform the Martial Lord of this, and keep him in prime condition from now on.”
「……将这件事告知武王，并让他从现在开始起就保持住最佳状况吧」

“Will he agree?”
「不会不同意吧？」

“He is a warrior. He will not run from a challenge.”
「他是一名战士。只要听到挑战的话，是绝对不会逃避的啊」

“Ho~n. Well, it’d be good if he could win~”
「吼—嗯，要是能赢就好了呢—」

Part 4

On the day of the match with the Sorcerer King, Osk asked the usual question.
与魔导王的比赛当天，欧斯克一如既然地提出了问题.

“How are things?
「状况方面如何？」

“No problems. I’m in top form.”
「没有任何问题，是最佳的状况」

A gigantic monster answered him.
如此回答的是巨大的怪物。

It was a monster known as a Troll, but one major difference set it apart from them.
虽然那是被称为是食人妖[Troll]的种族，但与之相比却有着决定性的不同。

That would be the air of a warrior that surrounded it, a mantle which none but those who had survived countless intense battles would be able to assume.
那便是除了浸淫过无数激战之人以外都无法披上的、战士的气息。

However, that was only to be expected. He was a troll who had adapted to fighting and who had specialized in battle. He was an outstanding individual even among the diverse troll species, and he was known as a War Troll.
但是，那也是当然的事。他是在战斗中适应、在战斗中特化的食人妖。在食人妖衍生种族里面也是格外大放异彩的，被称为战斗食人妖[War Troll]的种族。

He was the Martial Lord, the strongest gladiator in the arena.
他正是武王，竞技场最强的剑斗士。

Osk looked tenderly at that body.
欧斯克对那个肉体送上热情的眼神。

It was true that there were many people who could beat the Martial Lord in terms of pure warrior levels (strength). Most silver-ranked frontliners in adventurer teams could do that. However, the reason why the Martial Lord could easily defeat such people was very simple.
确实以作为战士的等级[力量]来比较的话，能胜过武王的人很多。像是银级以上冒险者队伍中担任前卫的人之类的。但是，武王即使是对上那样的人却也能将胜利收于手中，那个理由非常简单。

This was because the bodies of War Trolls were far superior to those of humans, be it in terms of strength or endurance, or in the huge attack radius their massive frames granted them.
因为战斗食人妖的基础规格，要远远凌驾于人类之上。

不仅是腕力或耐久力，还有多亏了那庞大的身躯而得到的宽广攻击范围。

In addition, there were the racial abilities he possessed which humans did not.
然后，他还有着人类所没有、该种族所特有的各种特殊能力。

The first of them was his skin. Wearing a suit of armor over that thick hide of his was sufficient to cause the majority of attacks directed at him to simply bounce off. Granted, one could target the soft-looking and mobile joints but his regeneration presented a formidable barrier to anyone attempting to cripple him via that route.
首先是皮肤。在那厚重的皮肤上如果穿上铠甲的话，能够弹回大多数的攻击。可是，瞄准关节的可动
部位之类那些看似柔软的地方的人很多，但是阻挡那样做的多数挑战者的一道墙壁就是那再生能力。

An attack that would certainly slay a normal human being would not kill a troll. Their astounding regenerative ability caused wounds to seal shut and it could only be stopped by fire or acid.
食人妖就算受到了如果是人类的话会必定死亡的攻击也不会死，令人惊异的再生能力能逐渐治愈伤口，如果不使用火焰或是强酸的话没有办法阻止那个再生能力。

With this immense biological power on his side, the current Martial Lord was truly the strongest in history.
正是由于拥有这样作为生物来看的强大，现任武王才是历代最强的。

The warrior that Osk praised as the mightiest donned his armor before the man’s eyes.
在欧斯克的眼前，他所自夸的最强战士穿着铠甲。

He had hired adamantite-ranked adventurers to gather the components for that armor, and then had the masterwork result enhanced with magic. At that time, he had sunk about 20% of his assets into that particular project. The club he carried was made of a magical alloy as well, and it had been made in a similar manner.
由雇佣精钢级冒险者收集的材料所制成、将魔法封入后的杰作。记得那个时候将当时资产的20%都投入了进去吧。然后他的手上持有的是以魔法金属制成的棍棒也是如此。

The Martial Lord put on his magic rings, amulets, and the other components of his panoply.
武王着装了魔法戒指、魔法饰品等的全副武装。

“--I’m ready.”
「——准备做好了哦」

These words sounded far more intelligent than how he had spoken in the past.
那是与以前相比，远远来的要更有知性的说话方式。

Every time Osk saw his majestic frame, his chest grew hot. He was the one who had raised him into this state.
欧斯克总是如此、在每次见到他雄壮的身姿时总会胸口发热。是自己将他培育至如此、的。

“Then, Martial Lord, let’s go.”
「那么、武王，我们走吧」

They walked together to the entrance of the arena. This was a ritual they had always performed.
和他一起走到竞技场的入口之前。这是一直以来的仪式。

The Martial Lord remained silent after leaving his room.
武王在出了房间之后便维持着沉默。

His silence was because he had once been excited and looked forward to fighting his foes. Somewhere along the way, it had turned to disappointment in his opponents’ abilities. How would it be now?
他什么也不说的原因，在过去曾是对于交战对手的期待和兴奋。可那之后不知从何时起，则开始变成了对于对手的失望。那么这次又如何呢。

Suddenly, the Martial Lord stopped in his tracks.
突然、武王停下了脚步。

Osk did not recall anything happening like this before..
在记忆中从来没有发生过这样的事。

He began to panic at this unprecedented occurrence, and looked up to ask what was going on. The Martial Lord slowly raised the visor of his armet helm, revealing his face.
正当殴斯克因这从没有发生过的状况而感到慌張、想要抬头询问发生了什么的时候。武王緩緩地將頭盔[Armlet helmet]的帽檐部分提起，露出那张面孔。
【※※アーメットヘルムArmethelm、Armlet helmet，一种完全覆盖住头部的头盔※※】

“Thank you…”
「感谢你……」

It sounded as though he was squeezing out that voice.
那是彷佛挤出来般的声音。

Osk blinked.
欧斯克眨了眨眼。

This was only the fourth time he had heard those words of thanks. The previous three times had been when he was given his weapon, his armor, and then when he had fought his best opponent, the previous Martial Lord “Rot Wolf”, Krelvo Palantynen.
给予武器的时候、给予铠甲的时候，然后是与至今曾经是最棒的对手的前任武王“腐狼” 库列弗·帕蓝泰
尼战斗之后，之外都没有听过——第四次的感谢的话语。

“What, what’s wrong, Martial Lord?”
「怎、怎么了，武王」

His eyes stared at the corridor before him.
那双眼睛锐利地定睛注视着走廊的前端。

“Fu, fu.”
「呼乎、呼乎」

The Martial Lord’s body quivered as he chuckled.
发出浅浅的笑声的同时武王的身体微微发抖。

It was the excitement of a warrior.
那是战前兴奋吧。

That was what Osk believed, but it did not seem to be the case.
虽然欧斯克如此判断，但好像并非如此的样子。

“What kind of… What kind of challenger is this? No, am I the challenger?”
「这是何等的……。何等的挑战者啊。不，我才是挑战者吗？」

“Wha-what?”
「什、什么？」

“Fu, fu… How scary. Osk, I’m shaking in fear.”
「呼乎、呼乎……好可怕啊。欧斯克哟。这是恐惧的颤抖啊」

Osk could not help but doubt his ears.
欧斯克不禁怀疑起了自己的耳朵。

“This, this must be what living beings call instinct. My legs won’t move… It’s as though they’re telling me that if I go, I’ll die, fu, fu.”
「这就是、这就是所谓生物的直觉吧，脚没法自由活动……。仿佛像是在告诉我如果去了就会死、呼乎、呼乎」

That was not laughter. He was simply trying to calm his disturbed breathing.
那并非是笑声，而仅仅是为了强行将紊乱了的气息给抚平而已。

“I heard my opponent was the Sorcerer King, and I wondered what sort of foe he would be… It would seem my arrogance up till now will be repaid in full.”
「虽然听说这次的对手是魔导王，还在想是何种程度的对手呢。……看来是至今的傲慢得到报应了吗」

“What are you saying, Martial Lord? What do you mean, arrogance?”
「你在说什么呢、武王，傲慢什么的」

“I am strong.”
「我很强」

Osk wanted to reply that there was nothing wrong with the Martial Lord’s statement, but the Martial Lord continued before he could say so.
武王如此断言，欧斯克也打算回答没有错，但是在那之前武王就早早说了下去。

“No, my strength is a lie. It comes from my racial abilities, and it is not actual strength. Still, there are very few people who can contend with me. In particular, ever since I learned to use warrior techniques, I have never tried to understand my challengers’ abilities or equipment, in order to create an unfavorable situation for me. There is no other way to train myself. But in the end, I have found a foe which my instincts are screaming at me to run away from. Thank you very much. You have completely fulfilled the agreement we made when you met me.”
「不、很强是骗人的。我的强大是由种族特性而得来的，那并不是真正的强大。但是，即使如此能够匹敌的人也很有限。特别是作为战士的技能得到累积之后，所以我从来都没有去了解过挑战者的能力或装备，这是为了制造出不利的情况——要锻炼自己的话别无他法。然后最终带来的却是让自己的直觉大声嚷嚷要逃跑般的对手。非常感谢哦，你将与我相会时定下的约定全部完成了」

“Martial Lord… Go Gin.”
「武王喲……。哥·金喲」

He had met the Martial Lord about ten years ago.
与武王相会是在近十年前。

There was a rumor on the streets about a monster on the outskirts of the Empire. That monster was very rational, and would not slay a foe who put down their weapons. Osk was interested, and hurriedly set forth from the Empire to meet that bizarre monster. This was because he heard that the greatest power in the Empire, Fluder Paradyne, was on his way to dispatch the monster.
在帝国边境的街道有着出现强大怪物的传闻。那个怪物非常有理性，据说如果丢下武器的话绝对不会下杀手。欧斯克对此很感兴趣，为了与那个奇妙的怪物相见而急急忙忙的从帝都出发。这由于他听说帝国最强的武力、夫路达·帕拉戴恩快要出马击退怪物了的缘故。

He had been afraid at first. That was only natural. After all, the humans who had encountered him had only survived by chance.
一开始感到非常恐怖。那是理所当然的，至今为止的人类也许只是碰巧得救的也说不定。

However, the Martial Lord had taken one look at Osk and snorted in disinterest, preparing to leave.
可实际见到欧斯克后的武王却完全提不起对他不感兴趣，只是一撇后发出鼻息便打算离去。

That was why he forgot his fear and asked: “Why are you doing this?”
所以那时的他才忘却了恐怖这么问道。为何、要做这种事、呢。

The answer he got was not quite as articulate as it was now, but it had been along the lines of “I am training to become stronger.”
而对此问题的答复则是，虽然不如现在一般的流畅说话方式、「这是为了变强的武者修行」是如此回复。

Osk felt the scales fall from his eyes.
欧斯克在那个时候有了茅塞顿开的感觉。

Osk had a dream. That dream was to make a strong fighter. It was a dream of raising the ultimate warrior, in order to substitute for his talentless self. However, at that point, he realised that he did not need to limit himself to human beings. No, since nonhuman species were higher-spec to begin with, would that not be the way to make  a strong -- the ultimate warrior?
欧斯克有一个梦想，那就是养成一个最强的战士。代替没有才能的自己，将一个人培育成为最强的战士的梦想。但这时的他注意到了，并没有必要拘泥于人类的必要啊。不、反而是人类以外的种族的基本性能才比较高、更为强大——这么做不才是诞生出最强的战士的方法、吗。

At that point, Osk was not thinking about bringing a monster back. He was scouting someone who might well be the ultimate warrior, the tyrant of the arena, the future Martial Lord.
事到如今、当时的欧斯克所想的已经不是将一只怪物带回去了。而是为了挖掘出最强的战士，竞技场的霸者，未来的武王。

It had been almost ten years since that fateful encounter. And now, for the first time, he witnessed the Martial Lord shaking in fear.
在那样的相会之后过了近十年的时间。现在，竟第一次见到了武王因恐怖而发抖的姿态。

“Martial Lord--”
「武王——」

Several things popped up in Osk’s mind. The first was, “Do you want to forfeit this match?” The risk of death existed within this bout, and Osk could not bear to lose him, the Martial Lord that he had raised until now.
欧斯克的脑中浮现出了几句话。最初浮现出的是「要放弃这次的比赛吗」。在比赛中存在着死亡，欧斯克无法忍受失去培育至今的他。

However, he could not bring himself to speak those words.
但是，他却无法开口中说出那样的话。

To the strong, having someone show concern for them was like an insult. For all he knew, those words might shatter the friendship he had built between himself and the Martial Lord.
对于强者来说，被人担心与被侮辱是相同的。所以那个是会将与武王之间缔结的友情打碎的一句话也说不定。

There was only one thing he could say here.
在这里应该说的只有一句话。

“--Don’t lose, Martial Lord.”
「——不要输了啊，武王」

“Hmph. What are you saying? I have no intention of losing. All my challengers felt the same way. Everyone stood before me in the hopes of achieving victory. Now, it is simply my turn.”
「呼嗯，你在说什么啊。我可是一点也不想输，至今的挑战者也是。大家，都是想着胜利而站在我的面前。现在，不过是轮到我的时候罢了」

“That’s the way!”
「就是那样！」

Osk slapped the Martial Lord on the back.
欧斯克拍打武王的身体。

“The Sorcerer King is a magic caster, but that would be too boring of a contest. So, I have ruled that both sides cannot use magic. You will not lose to a foe like that.”
「魔导王是魔法咏唱者，但是、那样的话比赛就太无聊了。所以已经规定双方都不能使用魔法，你是不可能会输给那样的对手的」

“...His magic? The Sorcerer King agreed to fight me, even under those conditions?”
「……将魔法？即使那样魔导王也同意了与我的战斗？」

“Indeed, and he did so with an attitude which did not even consider the possibility of his defeat.”
「没错，是以完全没有考虑败北之类的态度吶」

“Hoh…”
「嚯哦……」

The Martial Lord clenched his fist. It was a fist that called to mind the image of a giant maul.
武王使劲地紧握了拳头，那是能让人联想到巨大铁锤一般的拳头。

“The strong are often proud. I shall teach him the foolishness of his ways.”
「强者总是骄傲的呢。我就教教他那个想法才是愚蠢的吧」

“That’s the spirit! However, do not get cocky. The Sorcerer King is the sort of man who can give away jaw-dropping weapons on a whim. In all likelihood, he possesses magic items of awesome power.”
「就是那种志气！但是，绝对不要大意啊。魔导王可是会将跌破眼镜般的绝佳武器、随意送人的人
物。恐怕，他还保有着众多蕴含惊人力量的魔法道具才对」

Restricting the use of magic items would probably increase the Martial Lord’s chances of victory. But that would be too much of a handicap.
如果限制魔法道具的使用的话，就能够提高武王的胜率吧。但是那样的话让步就太多了。

“It’ll be fine. I now possess the mindset of a challenger. I will not be overconfident. I will not lose because I did not use my full strength.”
「没有问题，我现在的心境是挑战者。完全没有大意。未发挥实力的败北是绝对不会出现的」

The Martial Lord took a step forward with a muscular leg, and Osk scrambled to follow.
武王踏出了扎实的脚部，欧斯克慌慌张张的跟了上去。

“Say, could you seriously consider what we talked about earlier?”
「呐啊、话说先前说的那个，能认真考虑一下吗？」

The Martial Lord suddenly stopped in his tracks, a look of disgust on his face.
突然停止步伐的武王，露出了非常厌恶的表情。

“Earlier… you mean that?”
「先前说的那个……指的是那个吗？」

“Yes, the matter of your wife.”
「没错，是你老婆的事」

“Why now… Huhaha.”
「为何现在……。呼哈阿」

The Martial Lord laughed, and Osk furrowed his brows while blushing. If you understand, don’t act like that!
武王笑了出来，欧斯克一边脸红一边皱眉。如果你明白的话，就不要表现出这种态度啊。

“Really, can you not cheer me on some other way? How many times must I say this… I will return to my village if I want a wife. You want my partner to be a human, right? Thank you very much, but I’ll pass on any humans or whatnot. I’m not into perverted things like that, or rather, any human who would actually want to sleep with me would be absolutely disgusting. What kind of sick fetish would that be, anyway? Besides, you want my child, right? I can’t make those with humans.”
「真是的，你就不能用别种方式加油吗？要我说几次呢……如果想要老婆的话我会回故乡去的。你所说的对象是人类吧？虽然很感谢你，但人类什么的还是放过我吧。我可没有那种变态嗜好，不如说想要被我抱的人类也太恶心了吧。到底有什么样的变态性癖啊。再说了你想要的是我的孩子吧？与人类之间不可能生的出来啊」

While it should be possible for humanoids to breed with each other, having children with demihumans was the sort of thing that only existed in stories.
虽然人类种之间的话能够生的出来，但和亚人种之间能够生出小孩这种事，就只有在故事里世界才存在。

“Well, that’s true… That being the case, why not bring your wife back with you? If you need anything to return in triumph, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”
「嘛啊、虽然确实是这样……。那既然这样的话就把老婆也带回来吧。如果是为了能凯旋归来所需要的东西的话，尽管说出来由我来准备吧」

“...Let me get this out of the way first. We Trolls think of humans as food. My wife might end up calmly eating humans, for all I know.”
「……话我说在前头，对于我们食人妖来说人类是食物吶。我老婆可能会很平静的吃人类也不一定哦」

To Osk, it would be fine if she only ate unnecessary humans. However, he did not say that.
虽然就欧斯克来说，如果吃的是不需要的人类的话倒也没关系。但他去没有讲这话说出口。

“Is that so. Then bring your child back before he knows the taste of manflesh. If we train him up more intensively, he’ll surely be stronger than you are now.”
「是吗。那么就在孩子记住人类的味道前带回来吧。如果施加更全面的英才教育的话，一定能够变得比现在的你更强才是」

The Martial Lord crinkled his face with a smile.
武王很愉快似的皱起了脸。

“Well, that would be interesting. Alright, I will consider that seriously.”
「那还真是有意思的话啊。也是啊。我就稍微认真考虑下吧」

***
“Your Majesty, can you really win this?”
「陛下，真的、能够取胜吗？」

Ainz replied to Ainzach’s question with the answer he had given countless times:
对于艾因扎克的问题，安兹以不知回复了多少次的答案回应道。

“It’ll be fine.”
「没问题」

A person who would take on a hopeless battle was either a true man of courage or an utter fool. This was not a random encounter; the battle had been decided from the planning phases.
挑战毫无胜算的胜负不是真正的勇者就是单纯的愚者吧，这并不是遭遇战，在准备的阶段可以说全部的结果都已决定。

Ainz reviewed what he had learned in his mind.
安兹将收集到的情报在脑中回想。

If the Martial Lord was only on the level of the Giant of the East, he would surely be able to win. That said, if he had the same strength as a warrior as Gazef, then after adding up his racial and job class levels, he would be a very tricky foe.
武王只有东之巨人那种程度的话，毫无疑问是可以获胜吧。然而、假如说他还更加上了与葛杰夫相同程度的战士的力量的话，种族等级和职业等级相加之后、非常的麻烦。

However--
但是——

Well, it was a pretty despicable fighting method to begin with. I even asked Fluder for help after that.
（本来就是很卑鄙的战斗方式啊。毕竟那之后还向夫路达拜托了呢）

Ainz had the ability to completely negate weak attacks He did not think the Martial Lord would be able to breach that defense. Therefore, Ainz had disabled that particular ability.
安兹有着能够将所有低位的攻击完全无效化的能力。即便说是武王也不觉得能够打破那个防御。
所以、安兹才将自己的防御给解除了。

Victory was not assured for him.
不能够是绝对会胜利的战斗。

At that battlefield, Ainz had killed over 100,000 people with magic. In YGGDRASIL, the amount of experience points gained was reduced in accordance to the level difference between both parties, to a minimum of one point. In other words, he should have earned over 100,000 experience points. Coupled with the accumulated experience from before coming to this new world, he should have gotten enough to level up. However, Ainz did not feel that he had levelled up or seen any related phenomena.
在那场战争中安兹用魔法杀害了超过十万名以上的人类。在YGGDRASIL的游戏中有着因等级差的经验值量的增减，在那个时候最低值是一点。也就是说那里应该能够获得十万点的经验值才对。加上转移之前累积的经验值后，就算能够获得等级提升也不奇怪才对。可是安兹并没有感受到等级提升之类所引起的特别现象。

In other words, Ainz could not get any stronger, as he had expected.
也就是说，安兹果然已经没有办法再变得更强了。

Still -- he could not be satisfied with that.
但即使如此——也不可能因此而满足。

If level 100 was the limit, then it could not be helped. However, he was then obliged to fully utilize the power of those 100 levels and refine his skills. If he believed he was the strongest and rested on his laurels, someone might someday surpass him.
如果等级一百是界限的话，那也是没有办法的事。但那就有必要将那个等级一百的能力充分地、能够完全应用般的磨练自己的技术。如果深信自己是最强的、就那样满不在乎的话，总有一天会被超越也说不定。

Ainz knew that he had a certain amount of strength from being a mage. The skills and abilities he had honed in YGGDRASIL were also effective here. However, he had not practiced his abilities as a vanguard in YGGDRASIL.
安兹判断自己作为魔法职业还是有着一定实力的。而且在YGGDRASIL中锻炼而来的能力，在这个世界里面也是有效的。但是，作为前卫的能力和技术在YGGDRASIL时代却并没有怎么锻炼。

I learned a lot from the battle with that woman.
（与那女人的一战真是受益匪浅啊）

He felt nothing but gratitude for that woman, who had taught him how lacking he was as a frontline fighter.
教导自己缺乏了作为前卫的战斗能力的那个女人，现在所怀抱着只剩下了感谢之情。

That battle had sparked the desire in Ainz to improve his close combat ability. Right now, Ainz was confident that in stats, skills and even tactics, he was the equivalent of a level 33 warrior.
正因为有那一战，才会让安兹想要提高接近战的能力。现在的话不只是能力方面，即使是在技术和战术方面，也能让安兹自信地认为能与等级三十三的专业战士比肩。

This battle with the Martial Lord would be the touchstone for that. Ainz eagerly looked forward to it.
作为那个的试金石，本次与武王的战斗非常的让安兹期待。

Ainz looked at his neck.
安兹看自己的脖子。

He did not have the luxury of wearing that any more. During the encounter with the Workers, he did not feel that he had earned much experience or learned any techniques. Honestly speaking, it felt like a waste of effort.
这次再怎么说也没有带着那个的余裕了啊。而且工作者的时候也在想，完全没有获得许多经验的感觉、习得了技术的感觉。说实在话感觉完全是在白费功夫。

As he thought about that, Ainz recalled a more pressing problem.
想着这类事情，安兹回忆起更重要的问题。

Ah~ Jircniv is watching this fight too, right? Why is he here? He wasn’t around when I came to check just now. It looks like the illegal border crossing is going to be exposed… Well, I guess I can just apologise for it. If he makes a big deal of it, I’ll just ask him if he got the Kingdom’s permission when he came to Nazarick and be done with it… I should probably go up and say hello to him. I guess not greeting him will ruin my image in his eyes.
（啊—、吉克尼夫好像也来观战的是吧？为什么会来呢—？明明之前来打样的时候，都没来得的呢。不管怎么想偷都是渡入境的事败露了吧……。嘛啊、道歉请求原谅就可以。如果被说了什么的话，那一边来到纳萨力克的时候取得了王国的许可了吗，这样问他的话也不会有太多问题吧。……上来就先去打个招吧。果然没有打招呼的话，之后更容易加深坏印象啊）

“Your, Your Majesty, it’s about time to enter,” the man from the arena said as he entered the room to notify Ainz.
「魔、魔导王陛下，差不多是进场的时间了」

竞技场方面的人进入房间如此告知安兹。

They had met several times, but he froze up every time he saw Ainz’s true face.
虽然见过好几次面，但是每当见到了安兹的真面目时便显得僵硬。

Should I fight while masked? He considered that, but he had gained permission to make a speech after beating the Martial Lord. For all he knew, there might be people in the audience who wanted to become adventurers in the Sorcerous Kingdom. With that in mind, it would be better not to engage in any deceptions.
蒙着面进行战斗的话比较好吗、虽如此思考着，但是获得了在战胜武王后能够进行演说的许可。也许
来到这竞技场的观众里，也会有几个人到魔导国的当冒险者也说不定。如此思考的话，还是不要有什么隐瞒的事情比较好吧。

All he could do was trust in his choices.
只能够相信自己的选择了。

Ainz slowly stepped forward.
安兹缓慢的踏出步伐。

Normally speaking, the higher-ranked person ought to enter later. However, Ainz was the challenger in this arena, and was thus the lower-ranking one. Thus, he was obliged to enter first. Of course, Ainz saw it as natural and did not question it.
本来的话地位较高的人应该在后面进入才对，但是在竞技场里面安兹这一方是挑战者——属于地位较低、因此就先行进场。当然，安兹将之视为理所当然也没有任何疑问。

Ainz smiled to the very worried-looking Ainzach.
安兹向看似很担心的艾因扎克回以笑容。

It seemed strange that he was more worried than the one who was about to go into battle himself.
比起将要战斗的自己，他那一边还要更加担心实在感觉哪里很奇怪。

“--Don’t make me repeat myself, Ainzach. I will not lose.”
「——不要让我说太多次、艾因扎克。我是不会输的」