5

Ainz and Gondo left the treasury together. A flight of Dragons bowed their heads before them. There were 19 Dragons in all, including Hejynmal.
安兹跟龚德一起走出宝物库。龙群跪伏在外头。其数量包含赫金玛尔在内共有十九匹。

In other words, all the Dragons Hejynmal had mentioned were here. Now there would be no need to hunt them down.
也就是他所提到的龙全数到齐了。这下就没有必要去追捕了。

...It’s good that they’re all being obedient, but it’s a shame that I don’t have more Dragon corpses… Should I find some excuse to kill a few more? No, that would be evil. Then why not let them breed and then harvest them later… hm? Isn’t that the same thing?
(……虽然全体都顺从是不错，不过得不到龙的尸体有点遗憾啊。……要随便找个理由来杀掉几条吗？不，那可就有点邪门歪道了啊。这样倒不如让他们繁殖，增加了之后再来回收……嗯？这不也一样吗？)

“--Most Exalted Sorcerer King. Your faithful servants have gathered before you.”
「──伟大的魔导王陛下。发誓对您效忠的人都聚集于此了」

Hejynmal spoke as Ainz was thinking. Putting aside his contemplations for the moment, Ainz replied:
在安兹思索的时候，赫金玛尔出声了。总之先放下脑子里的思绪，安兹回复道。

“Rise.”
「平身」

The kneeling Dragons raised their heads as one.
伏着身的龙群们一齐抬起头。

Due to the massive size of their bodies, they were far taller than Ainz once they rose, but there was no sense of them looking down on him.
因为他们体型巨大的关系，一旦抬起头的话就大幅地超越安兹的身高了，但是却没有由上被俯视的感觉。

However, a few surprised looks came from among them.
不过，却有几道讶异的视线。

They had heard about it, but it was still hard to believe that Ainz had slain the Dragon Lord, their father. Or rather, even Ainz would think the same thing if he were in their shoes. There were many things which had to be seen to be believed.
虽然已经听过缘由了，还是难以置信安兹真的一击就将身为他们父亲的龙王杀掉了吧。不，如果站在同样的立场安兹也会这么想的。因为有太多事得眼见为实才行。

Just as Ainz was thinking that, one of the Dragons roared!
而就在安兹这么思考的时候，其中一条龙发出了怒吼声。

“I won’t accept this! To think the one who killed Father is actually -- what?”
「我无法接受！杀死了那个父亲的人竟然──什么？」

Ainz walked in front of the roaring Dragon. Then he smiled, and beckoned with his hand, as though to say “Come at me, bro.”
安兹走到正在怒吼的龙的面前。然后笑着招手了招，仿佛就像是在说「放马过来」一样。

The Dragon swiped its claws at Ainz.
龙的爪子，立即朝着安兹挥了过去。

They were fast, but not as fast as the Troll he had fought recently.
速度是很快，不过和最近才刚对战过得食人妖比[Troll]要慢。

Ainz did not dodge them. He took the Dragon’s attack head-on. The Dragon who thought Ainz could not evade in time grinned broadly, but when he realized that Ainz had no need to dodge, that grin froze on his face. After making sure that the Dragon knew that, Ainz cast a spell.
安兹没有闪避从正面接下龙的一击。认为安兹是没有余力避开的龙虽是笑容满面，不过当他理解到安兹是没有必要避开后就僵住了。确认到了这一点的安兹放出了魔法。

“[Grasp Heart].”
「＜心脏掌握＞」

Ainz’s gaze moved from the Dragon who had collapsed like his father, and turned to the others.
安兹的视线从像他父亲那样倒下的龙身上，移动到其他的龙身上去。

“Is there no one else?”
「没有下一个了吧？」

After that quiet query, the Dragons were bowed even lower than they had been earlier, as though they were trying to lie flat on the ground. Nobody here doubted Ainz’s power any more.
安兹静静地发问后，龙群们的身体比刚才还要低的、像是要平贴在地面上那样伏身。已经没有人质疑安兹的力量了。

Ainz opened a [Gate] and chucked the body through it. Then he took Gondo and mounted Hejynmal’s back.
开启＜转移门＞将龙的尸体丢进去的安兹，带着龚德乘上了赫金玛尔的背。

His mother’s back was larger, so it would suit a ruler more to mount her.
因为母亲的体型比较大，所以比起赫金玛尔应该更适合让支配者搭乘。

However, Ainz had already ridden Hejynmal all the way here, so he might as well ride him the rest of the way.
不过难得都已经搭乘到这里了，最后还是搭乘他来收尾吧。

“Leave this city. My subordinates should be waiting there.
「到外头去。我的部下应该在那边等着才对」

The Dragon flight took wing in unison, and the Hanzos led them to a place where many Quagoa were kneeling down.
龙群们一齐飞出了王都，在半藏的带领下来到了大量的掘土兽人跪拜的地方。

The sight of countless Quagoa in silent prostration was quite bizarre, and as Gondo saw this, he croaked hoarsely.
数也数不尽的大量掘土兽人默默跪拜的样子太过奇异，看到了这个光景的龚德发出了些微的嘶哑声。

Ainz was about to make the same noise himself, but he could not do such a thing in front of his Guardians, whose brightly smiling faces seemed to say, “We worked really hard!”
虽然安兹也差点做出相同的行为，不过在像是说着，我们很努力喔，这样笑容满面的两位守护者面前，他无法露出那种反应。

“Ainz-sama! As you ordered, we’ve finished the selection from the Quagoa. There are 4’000 males, 4’000 females and 2’000 children. The rest are all corpses. Also, we allowed them to recover the intact bodies and place them elsewhere.”
「安兹大人！遵循您的旨意，像这样完成了全体的挑选。数量是雄性四千，雌性四千，孩童两千。其余的全都成为了尸体。姑且，有让他们回收干净的尸体，放置在其他的地方」

“I see. So they rejected my compassion, but now they cling desperately to their final chance for survival. What a bunch of fools.”
「是吗。没有接受我等施予的慈悲、并心怀感激地握住最后的机会吗。真是一群愚者」

The clothed Quagoa kneeling in front of all the others shuddered visibly.
跪在前方，穿着服饰的掘土兽人身体明显地颤抖了一下。

“Then, where is their king?”
「那么他们的王在哪里？」

“Over there,” Shalltear pointed. As expected, it was the trembling Quagoa. Before Ainz summoned him, he activated his halo of obsidian radiance. According to his research, that effect best suited a ruler.
「在那边」夏提雅的手指所指向的，果然是刚才那个颤抖的掘土兽人。安兹在呼唤他之前，发动了黑色的后光。因为根据他研究的结果，果然还是有这个效果比较像支配者。

As he listened to the mutterings and whisperings from the Dragon flight, he called out to the Quagoa Lord.
安兹一边听着龙群发出的骚动声，一边对王出声。

“King of the Quagoa, raise your head.”
「掘土兽人的王啊。抬起头吧」

“Yes!”
「是！」

The Quagoa Lord’s body shook violently as he raised his head. Then, his eyes went wide, and he went still, as though he had been frozen.
掘土兽人的王身体一边剧烈地颤抖一边抬头。然后双眼瞪大，像被冰冻住那样停止了动作。

Ainz could clearly hear him going “Hiiiiiiiieee…”
唏噫，这样惊叹的声音可以清楚的听见。

“...I am widely known as a merciful king. The sin of not immediately accepting my proposal shall be absolved by the blood of your kin. Yet, if you will give your lives and your loyalty to me, I shall guarantee your prosperity.”
「……我是以慈悲为怀的王而广为人知。没有立即接受我的提案的罪行，就以你的同族流下的鲜血来偿还。今后，若你们为了我而拚死效命的话，我就保证你们的繁荣」

“Understood!! Your servants and all our children and our children’s children shall grind ourselves to dust in Your Majesty’s service!!!”
「遵命！！敝人会全心全意，以至于以后的子子孙孙，都会为了陛下您而鞠躬尽瘁！」

“A good answer. It pleases me.”
「很好的回答。我很满意」

“Yes!!!! Thank you very much!!!!!”
「是！！！万分感谢！！！」

As though to terminate the conversation, Ainz waved his hand, as though to indicate that the Quagoa Lord could resume his submissive posture.
安兹像是结束对话那样挥手后，掘土兽人的王再次垂下头。

Excellent! It seems all my practice paid off.
(很好！果然做了那么多练习是有用的)

The endless repetition of lines and poses before the mirror had finally borne fruit. After striking a victory pose in his heart, Ainz turned back to his two Guardians, who had flawlessly discharged their duties.
在镜子前不断地练习，覆诵台词不断反复试验终于有了成果。在内心摆出胜利姿势的安兹，重新看向出色地完成任务的两位守护者。

“You have done very well. I am very proud of the two of you.”
「做得非常出色。你们两个是我的骄傲」

“Thank you very much!”
「非常感谢您！」

“Your words have cleansed my heart of the shame of my previous mistake, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
「有了您的这句话，过去我所犯下的耻辱可说是刷清了，心中满是感激呀」

“Hm, hm…”
「嗯，嗯……」

After seeing Shalltear’s delight, Ainz was sure that he had used the right words.
看着夏提雅的喜悦，安兹确认了自己的用词是正确的。

“Then, is this amount appropriate? If it’s too much, we can cull them again until their numbers please you, Ainz-sama.”
「那么这样的数量是否妥当呢？如果太多的话，可以再次删减到安兹大人您希望的数字」

“No, there’s no need for that… this ought to be a good number. Come to think of it, could any of them become powerful entities? Not by our standards, of course, but by those of the people of this world.”
「不、不用……这样的数量就差不多了。说起来，有足以成为强敌的人吗？不是跟我们相比，而是在这个世界能被称为强者的人」

“My deepest apologies. People like that--”
「真是万分抱歉。那样的人──」

“No, that’s not it. The Clan Lord whom you spoke to was considered quite strong, although we never saw his strength.”
「不、不是的。刚才与安兹大人您谈话的氏族王，应该相对算强的了。虽然我们并没有见识到」

“Is that so…”
「这样啊……」

While he was not sure how the Death Knights had been defeated, it was most likely a coincidence. For all he knew--
虽然不清楚死亡骑士到底是怎么被打倒的，但应该是碰巧吧。搞不好──

They might have fallen into the Great Rift...
(也有从那个大裂缝掉下去的可能性啊……)

As he thought of that, Ainz felt deeply ashamed. Realizing that he had been mistaken after lecturing Shalltear so passionately made his face feel like it was about to erupt in flames -- and then, the shame was gone. In its place was a smoldering depression. And then, as he thought about how Shalltear had been taking notes, it deepened -- and then he was back to normal.
现在回想起那件事，安兹就感到羞耻。明明那么热切地对夏提雅说了一堆，却是会错意的话，回想起来脸就要喷出火了──然后，不再觉得羞耻。不过，像是熏烧那样一点一点感到闷绝。想起夏提雅作笔记的样子就更是如此，于是再次──恢复平静。

Should he try to bluff his way through this?
这时候应该随便唬弄过去才对吗。

However, if he messed it up, they might tell the others, “Ainz-sama said this, but actually~” and so on.
不过，万一搞砸了的话之后，「虽然安兹大人这么说了不过实际上～」或许会对其他人这么说也不一定。

This is bad! This is really bad! I shouldn’t have gotten carried away by my joy and lectured them like that! I feel like crying now.
(不妙！不妙啊！我不该那样心情愉悦很了不起似的高谈阔论的。总觉得有种想哭的感觉)

Ainz sighed deeply.
安兹重重叹了一口气。

Well, come to think of it, isn’t this a good chance to tell the Guardians that I can mess up too? From there, I can move from the position of an incredibly wise ruler to an ordinary ruler, and that might free me from my emotional torment. And if I do that, the Guardians might notice my mistakes and warn me about them.
(嘛，仔细想的话，这不就是个告诉守护者我也会失败的好机会吗？从这里就渐渐的从好像很厉害的支配者立场，下降到普普通通的支配者的话，或许就会多少从精神上的痛苦解脱了。而且那么做守护者们或许就会发现我的失误，提醒我也说不定啊)

He ordered the Dragons to leave, because he knew they had very keen senses. Then, he had the Quagoa move some distance away. Gondo looked very lonely all by himself, but that was his cross to bear.
因为龙的知觉的很灵敏，就随意地下令让他们退下。接着是让掘土兽人移动到稍远的地方去。虽然被放着不管的龚德看起来很寂寞的样子，但也只能让他忍耐了。

Once the three of them were alone, Ainz gulped.
变成三人独处时，安兹咽下了一口唾液。

What he would do next might well send all his hard work down the drain. Ainz felt uneasy over how the way the situation would change and what might happen in the future. His body -- which knew no fear -- started to feel afraid. Despite that, he gathered up his courage to speak.
接下来要做的事情，或许会将至今为止所做的努力都付诸流水也说不定。状况将会改变，还有之后将会发生的事情，让安兹不安。虽是不会感到恐惧的身体，他却有些害怕。尽管如此还是鼓起勇气。

“Ah, you two, listen up. ...Do you remember what I said about the possibility of a being that could easily defeat the Death Knights in this place?”
「你们两个，都听好了……还记得，我说过这里或许有着能轻易地将死亡骑士打倒的存在吗？」

The two of them looked at each other, and their faces suggested that they had realised something.
她们两人以彼此互看，表现出一种似乎注意到了什么的态度。

“Yes, that. It seems I was mistaken. Maybe the Dragon I killed could have destroyed the Death Knights, but it doesn’t seem like anybody else could.”
「就是这么回事。看起来，那似乎是我误会了。如果是那条被我打倒的龙或许能击败死亡骑士，不过除此之外似乎就没有了」

“I understand, Ainz-sama. Your words were intended to make me learn. To think that you had to disgrace yourself on account of my inexperience… I, Shalltear Bloodfallen, tender my utmost gratitude to your exalted self for your merciful considerations!”
「我明白的，安兹大人。您那一番话是为了让我学习呀。因为我太过不成熟的关系，竟然让您做出为自己脸上抹黑的举动──我夏提雅‧布拉德弗伦，对于至尊您满是慈悲的用心献上深深的感谢！！」

“...Eh?”
「……嗯？」

Much to Ainz’s surprise, they were looking at him with respect in their eyes. In particular, Shalltear’s face was flushed red, her eyes were moist, her mouth was quivering as though she was on the verge of tears, and she was clearly moved.
很不可思议的，她们两人以尊敬的眼神看向安兹。夏提雅尤其厉害。满脸潮红，双眼湿润，嘴巴如果不维持一字型就要哭出来那样，感动至极。

What part of that deserved respect? It baffled Ainz. Had he touched their hearts in some way?
哪里有值得尊敬的部分啊。安兹感到困惑。是什么触动了她们两人的心弦呢。

Also, I should deny what Shalltear said, right? No, Shalltear was trained up by this journey. Then I’ll put my faith in you, Shalltear!
(而且关于夏提雅所说的话，这里应该要否认才对吗？不、不，夏提雅在这次的旅途中被锻炼了。那么这边我就相信你啰，夏提雅！)

“It seems you realized it, Shalltear.”
「看来好像是被发现了哪，夏提雅啊」

“Yes!!”
「是的！！」

Their eyes seemed to shine even brighter.
寄宿在两人眼中的光辉又更发闪耀了。

Say what--? Ainz thought that, but he still had to clarify himself.
啊勒──？安兹虽然这么想，不过话还是要说清楚。

“Still, even I can fail, and I can make mistakes. I hope you will keep that fact in your hearts.”
「不过，就算是我也会失败，也会预测错误的。我希望你能将这件事牢记于心」

“Yes! While I don’t think it’s possible for our great ruler to ever make a mistake, I understand, Ainz-sama!”
「是！虽然我完全不认为身为伟大的支配者的安兹大人您会犯错，不过遵命！」

Shalltear seemed to have reached the limits of her endurance. She sank to her knees, as though in worship, and began sobbing. As she clenched her teeth and wept copiously, Aura put her hand on Shalltear’s shoulders, her own eyes brimming with tears. While it was a touching scene which illustrated their friendship, Ainz had no idea what was going on, and all he could think about was where Shalltear -- as an undead creature -- was secreting her tears, saliva and other bodily fluids from. Thus he took refuge from reality in biology.
夏提雅似乎终于到了忍耐的极限，就着跪拜的样子开始哽咽。咬紧牙关，呜咽着哭泣的夏提雅的肩膀，眼眶含泪的亚乌菈将手搭上。虽然这是让人感受到她们之间的友情的令人感动的一幕，但完全搞不清楚情况的安兹，却朝着夏提雅明明是不死者，眼泪或是唾液之类的体液是哪里分泌出来的，这样生物学上的命题思考来逃避现实。

While Ainz had no idea how things had gotten this way, he decided to leave things as they were for now. Yes, there were far too many things in this world which defied understanding, or rather, they were things where he had to feign said understanding. His department head had said something like that once, when explaining an important case.
安兹完全不知道为什么会变成这样。不过总之就先这样吧。没错，世界上有太多难以理解、或是非得装作理解的样子不可的事情了。像是听社长说明重要的案件时就是如此。

Ainz felt that this was merely kicking the can down the road, but at the same time, he felt that his future self who would encounter the problem again would be a better person. Thus, Ainz did the only thing his present self could do now.
虽然安兹觉得这只是把问题丢给未来的自己而已，不过将来的自己想必会更加优秀吧。于是安兹做起了现在的自己唯一能做事。

After kneeling down in front of Shalltear, he wiped her tears away, like a father would for his daughter.
他在夏提雅的面前蹲下后，像是父母对着孩子那样、擦拭着她的眼泪。

And then, in that moment, even more tears coursed down her cheeks.
瞬间，哗啦的、从夏提雅的眼中涌出了更多的泪水。

“Ainzsh-shama…”
「安租大人」

“Alright, alright. Don’t cry, Shalltear. I told you the same thing back then, didn’t I? You can’t waste your beautiful face on tears.”
「好了，好了。别哭了，夏提雅。我那时候也说过了，这可会白费你美丽的脸喔？」

“Wash I usheful to you?”
「请问沃有棒上您的忙吗？」

“Ahh, you did very well. I expected nothing less of one of my Guardians.”
「啊啊。你做的非常好。不愧是阶层守护者」

“Ainzsh-shama--~”
「安租大人──！」

Shalltear clutched the material of Ainz’s robes.
夏提雅紧紧揪住了安兹的长袍。

“Er, erm. Alright, it’s about time you stopped that.”
「喔、嗯。好了，差不多该停下了」

“O-okie…”

Shalltear looked up at Ainz as she breathed in through her nose and tried to wipe her tears away.

“Thank you so much for all the kindness you have shown me!”
「好、好的……」一边吸着鼻子一边拭泪的夏提雅抬头看向安兹。「您为了我满怀慈悲到如此地步，实在是万分感谢！」

“Mm, hm. Alright, then we ought to move on now. There’s still a lot to be done, no?”
「嗯。嗯。好啦，那么也该移动到下个地方了。还有很多该做的事情喔？」

***

The Council Chamber had been noisy all morning, but after receiving the latest piece of news -- it fell silent.
从早上开始就很嘈杂的摄政会，收到了最新的消息后——变得安静了下来。

If they were not hugging their heads, they were scratching them. Not a single Dwarf in the room could stay calm.
矮人们不是抱着头就是抓着头，没有一个人能保持冷静的态度。

And then, someone spoke.
其中谁冒出了一句。

“...He’s back.”
「……回来了喔」

“...Well, that… that was fast. Did he really… really take back the Royal Capital?”
「……怎么说呢，好快啊。真的夺回王都……了吗？」

“...Are you trying to find fault with him?”
「……这是在找碴吗？」

“What a brave fellow you are, putting yourself at odds with the monster -- no, the mighty being -- who returned after seizing control of the Royal Palace that became a Dragon’s nest. I’d say you’re as brave as that hero-king from the legends. ...By the way, please tell him that all of us believed in His Majesty from the beginning.”
「面对支配了将王城当做根据地的龙后回来的怪物——不对，是伟大的存在——居然……多么勇敢的家伙啊。匹敌身为传说中的英雄的那位王的勇者就是在说你啦。……顺带一提请传达老夫们都是打从心底相信魔导王陛下的话」

According to the messenger, he seemed to have returned on Dragonback.
听传令说，似乎是乘坐在龙背上回来的样子。

Dragons were very strong, and thus they were very proud. They were thus very interested in how anyone could have performed the shocking feat of subjugating such a being.
因为龙具有强大的力量，自尊也很高。可以支配那样的龙是件惊人的故事，如何完成这样的伟业实在令人感兴趣。

The obvious explanation was that he had used magic to magically dominate it. However, when they took into consideration the matchless might of the Sorcerer King, it was equally plausible that he could have cowed the Dragon into submission by sheer force alone.
以常识来看，应该会认为是利用魔法来强制支配的吧。不过对于知道魔导王那压倒性的力量的人来说，单纯的只是用力量使得龙被恐惧所支配也是也是有可能的事。

No, that was the more likely explanation. It did not seem like that Sorcerer King needed any magic to rule over Dragons. The absurd mental image of a Dragon kneeling before him in submission even flitted through his mind.
不、这个的可能性才比较高吧。不觉得那个魔导王需要用什么魔法才能够支配得了龙。脑海中甚至浮现出一个眼神就让龙跪拜的妄想。

The Director of Food Production sighed deeply, and then he turned a stiff, stern gaze on everyone else.
食料产业长哈的一声吐出了大大的叹息，用着僵硬严峻的表情环视着大家。

“Then, what should we do? We’re out of time, aren’t we? His Majesty has returned. If we don’t meet him right away, we’ll be in trouble. That means we have to make a decision right away, about that -- about the Forgemaster!”
「那么要怎么办。已经没有时间了喔？陛下都回来了喔。要是不立刻会面的话就麻烦了。那样现在就必须要做出决定不可了，关于那个——锻造工房长的事情！」

The Forgemaster had fled the country with the metal ingot which the Sorcerer King had entrusted to him.
锻造工房长带着魔导王交托的铸块从这个国家里逃跑了。

Needless to say, the act of running away with an item that another country had given to them for the purpose of making something was unforgivable.
不用说也知道，带着他国国王交托下要拿来制作东西的道具出逃这件事情是不可能被原谅的。

This black mark would be visible for all to see when the Dwarven nations made deals with other nations.
今后在矮人国和其他国家开始交易的时候，这个污点肯定走到哪里都会跟着。

It was a fatal blow to a country which traded on its smithing abilities.
这对于今后预定要展开锻造工作交易的国家来说是致命伤。

Who would commission any work from a country with such a bad reputation. Worse still, it was not an average blacksmith who had run off with the item, but a member of the nation’s leadership. It might well be interpreted as the nation pulling strings behind the scenes.
谁会委托工作给发生过这种丑闻的国家。而且带东西潜逃的还不是一般的锻造师，而是在国家重镇有一席之地的人。搞不好的话会被当成是国家在背后引线也不奇怪。

As they imagined the future which might result from this, they began searching, all the while discussing what they should do if they could not find it.
看有可能发生的未来的他们，在开始搜索的同时，也讨论起找不到的情况下该有的对策。

However, none of them could find an answer which would result in the Sorcerer King’s forgiveness.
不过谁都拿不出——能让魔导王原谅的答案。

“...I still can’t believe he actually ran off with that ingot…”
「……老夫到现在还不能相信，那家伙居然会带着矿石逃走……」

The Cabinet Secretary might have muttered that, but it had no meaning here. They were long past the point of feeling anything for those words.
虽然事务总长这样嘟囔，但在这里是毫无意义的发言。让他们会对这句话有感触的时间早就过了。

The commander-in-chief looked coldly at the Cabinet Secretary.
总司令官用冷淡的眼神看着事务总长。

“Then what should we do? There’s no doubt that he ran away with the ingot. We’ve also received eyewitness reports of the Forgemaster leaving.”
「不然你说要怎样？他带着东西出逃是毫无疑问的事。事实上也收集到了锻造工房长外出的目击证言」

“...Could he have been controlled by the Sorcerer King’s magic?”
「……不是被魔导王用魔法操纵了吧？」

The room returned to silence in an instant.
室内一下子就回归寂静。

Nobody here actually expressed their agreement with the statement, but rather, the commander-in-chief grew more and more displeased.
没有人表达赞同，不如说反倒是总司令官渐渐地变得不高兴了起来。

“Even if you don’t want to acknowledge this crime commited by a fellow Dwarf, by one of us, anyone who says that about the person who reclaimed the Royal Capital that we could not… simply put, that person is the scum of the Dwarves.”
「就算你说不承认同族、朋友所犯下的罪行，但这样子说替我们达成了办不到的王都夺回的人……明白的说吧，是矮人中的人渣」

“--Don’t be like that, commander-in-chief. You should know as well; he searched the hardest among all of us, and he’s the most tired.”
「——别这样，总司令官！你也知道的吧，这家伙是我们之中最投入搜索工作的、也是最累的」

“I don’t think the problem can be excused by simply citing fatigue…”
「我觉得问题不在于累的话就说什么都可以……」

“Well, let’s leave non-constructive talk like that for later, Commander-in-chief. We need to make a decision about more important matters now. Should we inform His Majesty right away? I feel it might be better to try and delay things and use the time to continue searching. What do you think?”
「嘛嘛，总司令官。这种没建设性的话题之后再说，比起这个，应该要对更加重要的事做出决定。应该要立刻传达给魔导王陛下吗？老夫觉得先不说出来拖点时间，在期间去找那家伙也是不坏的选择喔？」

The Merchant’s Guildmaster shook his head.
商人会议长摇摇头。

“It’s a bad move. That leads to the problem of us covering things up. We might as well come clean and beg forgiveness. Besides, have we found him yet? For all we know, he might be in the belly of a magical beast now. If only we could recover the ingot… that idiot.”
「是坏招。这样又会生出老夫们把情报隐藏起来的问题，还不如坦白请求原谅比较好。再说，有找到那家伙吗？搞不好现在已经在哪个魔物的肚子里了喔？要是能回收铸块就好了。……那个笨蛋」

This was not something they should be saying about a friend, but nobody would speak out against the people rebuking the Forgemaster for causing such a big problem. On the contrary, the commander-in-chief even nodded in approval.
虽然这不是该对同伴说的话，但没有人会制止对引起大问题的锻造工房长的骂声。相反总司令官甚至有点头表示同意。

“Fortunately, he didn’t take the shortsword as well. But, ah, well, if we apologize… will we be forgiven? ...Well, it’s not like we can do anything but apologize.”
「没有连短剑都拿走真是不幸中的大幸啊。但是，那个，谢罪的话……能得到原谅吗？……嘛，除了谢罪也没有能做的」

“It’s important to apologize, but it’s even more important to state the truth. And after that, all we can do is accept whatever terms he dictates.”
「谢罪是重要，但更应该要坦白说出事实。对于结果，对方不管有什么要求都只能接受吧」

Everyone agreed on this.
全员都同意。

“Then, what will he demand from us?”
「那么会被要求什么呢？」

The Dwarves did not know what metal made up the ingot which had been taken, so they could not estimate its value. This, they could not suggest payment in cash terms. If they underestimated the value of the item, they might end up angering the Sorcerer King beyond all hope of their relationship ever recovering.
被带走的铸块是矮人们所不知道的金属，要判断价值非常困难。因此不能由矮人这方提出赔偿金额。万一要是凭想象提出的价格低了的话，把对方惹火到无以复加的地步也不奇怪。

Therefore, they had to let the Sorcerer King name his price. Still, would he actually ask for money? They imagined that he would ask for something else, but even they could not imagine what exactly he would ask for.
所以只能让魔导王提出赔偿金额。然而那个魔导王会想要金钱吗。能够想象得到会要些别的东西。不过是什么就想不出来了。

“I can’t think of anything. Let’s turn it around -- what can we agree to? No… what requests should we deny him?”
「想象不出。反过来看，可以同意到什么程度？不……什么样的要求该拒绝？」

“Can we even do that? It would be hard, right? This city might have historical value, but we don’t have any national treasures of a physical or magical nature.”
「老夫们拒绝得了吗？很难吧。 就算这座都市是有历史的价值，但没有魔法或是物理上的国宝在喔」

When the Demon Gods had rampaged through the Royal Capital, only one member of the Dwarven royal family had survived. He was the last king of the Dwarves, known as the “Runesmith King”, and after taking powerful magic items with him on his journey, there had been nothing left behind which could be considered national treasures.
过去魔神蹂躏王都的时候，矮人王族的血脉只剩下一人。这位被尊称为「符文匠王」的王室中最后之王，带走了强力的魔法道具并踏上旅程，因此没有任何能被称为国宝的东西在。

“...Oh! I’ve got it! What about the Treasury within the Royal Capital?”
「……唔！对了！那么位于王都的宝物库里面怎么样？」

“We talked about this, didn’t we? Saying that sort of thing to the person who reclaimed the Royal Capital for us is just too… Still, it’s also true that there’s nothing else besides it.”
「之前也讲过，对替我们夺回王都的人说这种话也太……。不过，除此之外就没东西了也是事实」

Looking around, everyone nodded in a show of agreement.
看着周围，大家都点头作为同意的表现。

“...Hopefully, the Dragons didn’t destroy it.”
「……要是没被龙打破就好」

“Don’t say that. ...Then, let’s invite the Sorcerer King to enter by himself this time.”
「别这么说啊。……那么，这次请魔导王一个人进来吧」

****

Hm? There’s one less person. What happened?
（嗯？少了一个人呢，发生什么了？）

There was a strange expression on the faces of all the Dwarves as Ainz entered the room.
安兹一进到房里，全部的矮人都露出奇妙的表情。

The one who spoke for them was -- well, they all looked the same to Ainz, so he had no idea who it was. All he knew was that it was certainly not the commander-in-chief. He began with “Thank you for reclaiming the Royal Capital” and launched into a long string of thanks, which made Ainz feel tired. Then, once he had forgotten what they were talking about in the first place, the commander-in-chief’s mood changed.
作为代表开口的是——对安兹来说脸都差不多所以想不起是谁。能肯定不是总司令官就是了。
以「谢谢您夺回了王都」为开头的一长串感谢，让安兹都觉得累到不行。然后在忘了一开始讲了什么的时候，总司令官的氛围变了。

“There is also another matter which we must apologize to your Majesty for. The ingot you entrusted to us has been stolen by the Forgemaster, who fled the nation with it. We are currently searching for him, but we have had no luck in finding him. ...Your Majesty trusted us and gave us that ingot, but yet an incident like this occurred on our part. We do not know where to begin apologizing.”
「还有件不得不向魔导王陛下深深谢罪的事情。陛下的铸块所交付给的我等的同伴，锻造工房长把铸块拿走逃跑了。目前正在搜索中，但至今还没有找到。……陛下信赖我等，将铸块交给我等，而我等却引发了这样的事态，实在不知该怎么道歉才好」

The Dwarves bowed as one.
矮人一起低下了头。

Frankly speaking, Ainz had no idea what was going on. Therefore he asked:
老实说安兹根本搞不清楚发生了什么，所以他首先问了这个。

“Why would he do something like that?”
「为何，要做这样的事？」

Did running away with the ingot mean that he was going to sell it to someone? Was it financial greed that made one of the Dwarven nation’s councillors abandon his post?
拿走铸块逃跑，是打算要卖给什么人吗。是能让统领矮人王国的摄政会其中一人不惜舍弃地位的金钱利益吗。

For a moment, Ainz wanted to say that there was a player involved, moving their hidden pawns in the Dwarven nation. However, a player would not need an ingot like that. It was not valuable enough to make people forsake their position, even for very low-levelled players That being the case, it would have been more advantageous to keep their subordinate hidden and in a position of power.
安兹一瞬间想说是不是背后有玩家，让潜伏在矮人国家的部下行动的可能性。然而玩家的话，不会想要这种程度的铸块吧。即便是等级相当低的玩家，这个价值也不足以让人舍弃地位。这样的话，让部下继续作为国家的要人继续潜伏的利益应该比较大才对。

“We don’t know. We honestly do not know. None of us have any idea why he would perform such a rash act.”
「不知道。真的不知道。大家都不找出他会做出这种暴行的理由」

“...Then, my next question: what about the armor I requested?”
「……那么下个问题，我委托的铠甲怎么样了？」

The Dwarves exchanged glances.
矮人们面面相觑。

“...We cannot possibly apologize enough for that. While he left the shortsword, he took the ingot, and we are unable to return it to you. We have already sent out search parties and we will return it once we find it. Then, if you will permit it, please allow us to offer a substitute for the armor. While it pales in comparison to the ingot you entrusted to us, it is the greatest effort we can muster.”
「……这真是不管怎么道歉都不够。虽然他把短剑留下了，但是因为把铸块拿走了，现在无法交还给您。因为已派出搜查队伍，将来若是得手的话就会送回去的。然后要是可以的话，请让我们交出代替的铠甲。……虽然比您交托的铸块相比要逊色，但也是我等的最大努力了」

“We plan to prepare three sets of adamantite chainmail, and then enchant them to the best of our abilitiy.”
「我等打算准备三套精钢制成的锁甲，然后尽我等所能的进行魔化」

“If -- if you desire a shield, we can fashion one for you out of orichalcum.”
「若是——想要盾牌的话，可以为您准备山铜制成的」

“Umu…”
「唔～嗯」

Now if he were a malicious customer with a complaint, now would be the best time to make a scene. However, Ainz did not want to be such a customer.
要是恶意投诉者的话，现在正是大闹的时候，不过安兹不想成为恶意投诉者。

Still, the loss of the ingot--
的确失去铸块这件事——

--Does it pain me? It’s not rare; I have many more like it. ...And for all I know the metal isn’t found here, but it might be obtainable in other regions. That being the case, it’ll be better to have more suits of armor, right? They did say they were going to enchant them too… Plus, even if they do find that ingot? It’s not like they’re going to ask for all the other items back, right? That would make this a pretty good deal...
（——让人心痛？稀有度又不高，那种程度的还多的是。…说不定只是这一带采不到的金属，而其他地方就采得到。要是那样的话，多少套都做得出来的好处还比较多吧？也说了要进行魔化……。而且说发现铸块的话也会还回来吧？一般那个时候也不会说出什么把之前给的东西还的吧。那样的话还不错呢）

“...If you don’t have it, it can’t be helped. Then, let’s leave it at that. Discuss this with Zenberu later and prepare what he wants,”
「……没有的东西也没办法。那么就这样也没关系。之后和泽贝尔商量，准备他们想要的东西吧」

The Dwarves sighed in relief.
看到矮人们松了一口气。

Should he have given them a harder time? Still, it would be bad if people doubted his kingliness due to his pettiness. In that case, perhaps accepting their offer would allow others to view him as a generous person.
应该要再多刁难他们一点吗？但要是太过小气的话可能会被人怀疑身为王者的气量。那么全盘接受对方提出的东西才或许能广得是位宽宏大量的人物的评价。

Still, they ought to be alright with a request or two.
不过，要求他们这点事也没关系吧。

“...Then, may I add another request to that?”
「……那么我想要追加点要求可以吗？」

“...What is it, Your Majesty?”
「……是什么呢，魔导王陛下」

Their stiff voices implied their wariness.
这么僵硬的声音是在警戒吧。

“There is no need to be on edge. It isn’t a big matter, after all. I simply wish your country’s support for the matter of recruiting runesmiths.”
「希望你们不要那么警戒，不是什么大不了的事。只是关于招揽符文工匠到我国的事情，想要这个国家的支持」

“What, what do you mean by that?”
「这、您的意思是？」

“Could you hold a ceremony in this country and inform them about working in my nation? That would surely make them happy.”
「能够在这个国家举行典礼，宣告他们将在我国工作的事吗？那样的话他们也会开心的吧」

The Dwarves looked at each other and nodded instantly.
矮人们互相看着对方，立刻就点头了。

“Really? Then please allow my nation to handle the matter of catering. Preparing for these will take some time, so I hope you won’t mind my staying here for a while.
「是吗？那么典礼上端出的料理，就由我国来负担一定程度好了。因为需要准备这些，所以会在这里停留一段时间，没有问题吧」

There were no objections from the Dwarves.
矮人们没有反对的意见。

Ainz smiled in his heart. Now he would not need to have to return to E-Rantel.
安兹在心中发出微笑。这样就不用回去耶‧兰提尔了。

At first, he thought he would have to spend more time on all this, but in the end he had taken back the Royal Capital in a flash. That was bad.
本来还以为要花上更多的时间，可结果一下子就夺回王都了。这可不妙。

The first reason was because he wanted to inform Albedo about the Empire’s request for vassalage with [Message], so she could plan it with Demiurge. Things would be very bad if he were present. Therefore, Ainz needed a reason to not go back.
首先雅儿贝德要是回来的话，就打算用<讯息>告诉她帝国方面想要成为属国的事，让她和因为定期联络回来的迪米乌哥斯一起研究属国的计划。这个时候要是自己在的话，事情就很不妙了。所以安兹需要一个不回去的理由。

Also, he wanted to improve his friendly relationship with the Dwarves, which was also a very understandable reason.
而且还有着要和矮人再稍微加深友好的关系这个极为正当的理由在。

Ainz also wanted to collect three pieces of information from the Dwarven city:
安兹想要在这个矮人的都市里收集的情报有三条。

1: The presence or absence of players. If there were none now, there might still have been some around in the past.
一、确认有没有玩家——估计现在没有。以前有没有则不明。

2: Further investigation of runes and related information. He did not know enough about this topic. He had already learned quite a bit from the runesmiths; runes had been around for a long time, but it was unclear when exactly they had appeared and who had introduced them. Part of the reason was the chaos of the Demon Gods’ attack, but Hejynmal’s books did not contain any information on this, and neither did the Treasury.
二、卢恩符文还有其来历的调查——情报不足。从符文工匠那里是听说了不少事情，虽然很久以前符文就存在了，但是什么时候，又是由谁普及的则不明。魔神的王都袭击所带来的混乱是原因之一，但是赫金马尔所持有的书里并没有记载相关内容的书籍。宝物殿里也没有。

3: Knowledge on smithing and ores. Now that he had enlisted the runesmiths to his cause, all he had to do was slowly tease that information out of them. However, there did not seem to be any of the prismatic ores here, as expected.
三、有关他们锻造技术和矿物的知识——这个由于得手了符文工匠，只要慢慢得从他们那里获取情报就好。只是七色矿果然还是不存在的样子。

Regarding the second point, Ainz intended to have the Dwarves find out more when they returned to the Royal Capital in future, which was why he needed a firm friendship with them.
关于第二条情报，安兹打算要在矮人们今后前往王都时，让他们进行更详尽的调查，所以才需要缔结牢固的友好关系。

***

The long lines of tables were set with many plates, each of which was laden with a sumptuous variety of dishes.
并列的长桌上放着许多盘子，那里满满地盛放着丰盛的料理。

The piping hot food exuded a bewitching aroma, which drifted over to Ainz.
热乎的料理散发着诱人的香气，这香味飘到了安兹的身边。

As one of the undead, Ainz had no desire for food, but the remnants of Suzuki Satoru did. His wish to try some and his curiosity over how it would taste pricked at him.
作为不死者的安兹没有着食欲，但作为残渣的铃木悟还有。想尝一尝的欲望，和会是什么味道呢的好奇心在刺激着他。

This body does have its good and bad points...
（这具身体真的是优缺点并存呢）

He could curb his hunger, but not his curiosity. After all, his curiosity was part of his mind, which was not affected by his undead body.
食欲能被抑制住，可好奇心很难。因为即使是不死者的肉体——心——好奇心也是在普通运转着的。

Perhaps if the dishes before him were made by the chefs of E-Rantel or Nazarick, it might not piqued his curiosity so, but these were made by Dwarves.
如果眼前的料理如果是耶·兰提尔或纳萨力克的厨师做出来的话，可能还不会那么这么刺激自己的好奇心，可这些却都是矮人们的作品。

Since the runesmiths wanted to bring their entire families to the Sorcerous Kingdom, they had their wives, mothers, daughters and other female relatives cook for the event. Of course, most of the 2’000 shares of food here today were supplied by Ainz -- by Nazarick.
符文工匠们要把整个家族带到魔导国，就让他们的妻子和母亲等女眷做出了这些料理。当然，看起来有两千人份的大量食材是由安兹——纳萨力克提供的。

Of course, Ainz was not a person who would use items wastefully, so most of these were essentially E-Rantel’s cuisine. The meat had been collected by the Dragons from this mountain range, while the wine had been sourced from the Kingdom and the Empire by those traders who remained in E-Rantel.
当然，因为是不会胡乱使用道具的男人，这些终究是以从耶·兰提尔采集的食材为主。肉是由巨龙们从这座山脉收集的，酒是让留在耶·兰提尔的商人们从王国和帝国收集的。

The tables were groaning with plates of food, but even now the ladies were still serving up the food they had made.
明明已经摆满了那么多的料理，现在也还能看到在运送着女性们手制的食物。

There was little difference in the external appearance of Dwarven males and females. The biggest difference lay in their beards. Male beards were very long, and they were typically woven into three braids, while female beards were sparser. That said, sparse still meant that their beards resembled those of human males. However, the ladies seemed to have a habit of trimming the whiskers under their noses.
矮人的男女在外表上没什么区别。最大的区别，就是胡子了吧。男人的胡子很长，会编成三股之类的样式，相对的女人的胡子就比较稀疏。说很稀疏但那也有人类男性的程度。不过，她们会把鼻子下面的胡子刮掉好像是嗜好的缘故。

I don’t really see how it’s a habit… Well, that’s culture for you. The Sorcerous Kingdom has gathered all sorts of humanoids. Probing too deeply about this sort of thing might cause problems in the future.
（嗜好在哪里完全不清楚啊……嘛，所谓文化就是这种东西吧。魔导国会聚集起各样的人种。深究这种程度的事情将来就困扰了啊）

Ainz turned his gaze away from the ladies who were still serving food. His eyes crossed the countless Dwarven heads before him and rested on the raised platform in front of him.
安兹把视线从现在仍在运送食物的女性们身上移开。越过前面众多的矮人们的脑袋，看向在那前方的高台上。

Some of the smiths bound for the Sorcerous Kingdom were standing with the members of the Council.
会前往魔导国的符文工匠中的一部分正和摄政会的成员们站在一起。

And then, the Council informed them about the migration to the Sorcerous Kingdom.
接着摄政会的一人，对着他们，开始了有关前往魔导国的宣告。

“It has begun.”
「开始了啊」

“So it has.”
「是的啊」

The answer came from Gondo, who stood by Ainz’s side.
回答安兹的是身旁的龚德。

“...You’re their representative. Is it alright if you don’t stand out there in front of them?”
「……作为代表者不站在前面没问题吗？」

“Give me a break, Your Majesty. I’m almost useless as a runesmith. It would be a shame to let someone like me represent them. ...Wouldn’t you be a better choice, Your Majesty?”
「饶过老夫吧，陛下。老夫作为符文工匠是近乎无能的男人哪。让这种男人表现得像个代表一样可是耻辱啊。……比起这个陛下这边才是没问题吗？」

Ainz and Gondo locked eyes for a moment, and then they chuckled.
安兹和龚德对视片刻，发出了微微的笑声。

Naturally, Ainz simply did not want to stand on the stage to meet and greet people. His earlier words were simply something he had forced out.
当然，安兹的真意单纯是不想站在台上寒暄这种低等级的想法。之前的话语，不过是强行挤出来的东西罢了。

“Still…” Gondo’s face turned serious. “I can’t thank you enough, Your Majesty.”
「不过……」龚德的表情认真起来了。「对陛下真的是感激不尽啊」

“Why is that?”
「为了什么？」

“This farewell party. Please look at the people on stage.”
「这个送别会哟。请看看在上面的各位吧」

Ainz looked at the stage once more. They were not finished speaking, and that was all that came to mind. However, it would be a bit insensitive to say that he had not noticed anything after Gondo had brought it up.
安兹再次看向台上。话还没有结束。除此之外没什么特别的感想。然而，被那么说了之后回答什么都没察觉到的话会觉得有点不看场合吧。

“Umu… I see…”
「嗯姆……原来如此……」

In the end, he simply used the appropriate answer as a smokescreen.
结果使用了适当说说的烟雾弹作战。

“It is as Your Majesty surmises. Everyone’s eyes have changed.”
「正如陛下所想哟。大家的眼神变了」

“Indeed, they have,” Ainz replied without thinking, though he still had no idea what was going on. “Still, why is that?”
「确实是这样啊」这么随声附和了，果然安兹还是不明白。「然而，原因是什么呢？」

Gondo chuckled, like he found it amusing.
龚德像感到有趣一样笑了起来。

“It is the joy of feeling admiring gazes on them once more. Today’s ceremony -- with dishes made with ingredients never seen before, as well as all kinds of alcohol -- was to let the runesmiths realize that they weren’t selling their bodies, but being hired by the Sorcerous Kingdom.”
「是在为受到了曾经有过的羡慕目光而感到的喜悦啊。今天的这个庆典——使用未曾一见的食材做出的美味的饭菜，还有各种各样的酒，因为这些让符文工匠们明白了自己不是卖身，而是被招聘到了魔导国啊」

“I’ll be expecting great things of them, you know?”
「我可是真的抱有期待的哦？」

“Mm. I remember I once said that I would repay Your Majesty’s kindness. That applies to the others as well. Thank you very much. Oops, looks like it’s about time, Your Majesty.”
「嗯。记得之前老夫也说过，绝对会回报陛下的恩义的。这对于其他人来说也是同样。真的是非常感谢。哦哟、差不多是时候了，陛下」

After taking a large stein of beer from Gondo, he thumped it against the table like the others were doing. Ainz then raised a tiny cup of liquor in a toast, and then gave it back to Gondo because he could not drink it.
从龚德那里接过大啤酒杯，然后响应着台上传来的碰杯声，安兹也把倒得满满的饮品小心不洒出来地举起。因为喝不了就又还给了龚德。

The Dwarves who had been holding themselves back all this while burst into activity. Many Dwarves flocked towards the food, gorging themselves nonstop with the dishes on display.
至今一直忍耐着的矮人们一下子热闹了起来。很多矮人向着料理突进过去，拿起盘子狼吞虎咽，不停地把食物塞进嘴里。

“What’s this? It’s amazing! Did your wife really make this?”
「什么呀这个。好吃的不得了啊！这真的是你老婆做的嘛！」

“Mm. His Majesty provided the ingredients. We had a lot of failures while trying it.”
「嗯。魔导王陛下提供了食材啊。试做的时候可是各种失败哦」

“Mhm. It’s good, that’s a fact. But to an old fogey like me, it could stand to be a bit blander.”
「嗯-嗯。好吃倒是事实，可对于老夫这种老头子来说味道还是再淡一点好啊」

“You’re meant to wash it down with wine.”
「那是用来下酒的啦」

“What? Let me try… Ohoh! Incredible! The taste is just right!”
「是么？让我试试……呜吼！这家伙真让人受不了哪！味道的浓厚刚刚好啊！」

“The wine’s good too. I wonder if my wife could make this too?”
「酒也很不错哟。这料理是我家老婆也能做出来的吗？」

“It looks like the Sorcerous Kingdom will be sending us food for some time. Looks like we’ll be eating well, then.”
「过段时间，好像就会从魔导国运来食材了啊。那样的话可以吃个爽哦」

“I’d rather have alcohol. This is from the Sorcerous Kingdom, right? Better be prepared to pay!”
「我的话更想要酒哦。这也是魔导国的东西吧。不准备点钱可不行啊！」

They talked at the top of their voices as they ate. And then--
这么一边吃一边兴奋地叫着。还有其他——

“I envy those runesmiths. They get to eat this sort of thing whenever they like?”
「真是羡慕符文工匠们啊。这些料理他们什么时候都能吃到的吧？」

“No, these should be pretty expensive, right?”
「不，这些食材的价格应该挺高的吧？」

“Doesn’t seem that way, does it? Look, in human countries, Philips are cheap. Seems to be the same way with the Sorcerous Kingdom too.”
「好像并不是那样哦？你想，不是说人类的国家里蔬菜什么的都是便宜货么。魔导国好像也是一样哦」

“Mm, they really are a fortunate lot. And, I only had a bit, but is it me or is the Sorcerous Kingdom’s wine top-notch stuff?”
「嗯。那真是让人羡慕。还有虽然只喝了一点，魔导国的酒，那家伙可是绝品哦？」

“Umu. I only had a sip of that myself. Ahhhh, that was delicious. Still, grape wine is good; though maybe not that strong.”
「呜姆。只给了一口的那家伙啊。哎呀那真是美味哪。不过，用葡萄做的酒也很不错啊。就是度数有点低吧」

“Don’t we have a reason to visit the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
「我们就没有什么能去魔导国的理由吗」

“I’ve heard tell that they’re planning to let the citizens of both countries move freely between them.”
「听传闻说有考虑以后让两国居民自由来往的计划哦」

“Oi oi, Everyone here’s pretty highly-placed, but shouldn’t you be more careful about that sort of information?”
「喂喂。虽说来这的都是有点地位的家伙，情报泄露啥的还是再注意点为好吧？」

“Nah, seems they’re going to make a public announcement. In the future, this country will be active in a lot of places… and although this is just a rumor, they say that we took back the Royal Capital.”
「不，似乎是要公开发表。从今以后，这个国家似乎会在各种地方有所动作……虽然只是传闻等级，好像还夺还了王都啥的」

“...Rumor has it that the Royal Palace was a nest of Dragons. The Sorcerous Kingdom is really amazing.”
「……听说还支配在王都筑巢的巨龙们啊。魔导国真是厉害的国家啊」

Naturally, Ainz picked up on those words as well.
这么说着的矮人的对话安兹也听在耳中。

Rather than praise Ainz directly, their opinion of the Sorcerous Kingdom seemed to have gone up instead. That probably meant they could continue being friends in the future.
比起因为安兹在场而说的奉承话，他们更像是对魔导国坦率地给予了好评的样子。这样的话今后也能友好地交往下去吧。

Ainz smiled in satisfaction, and turned to Gondo again.
满足地笑着的安兹重新转向龚德。

“Go speak to them, Gondo. I may not be back for a while.”
「龚德你过去和他们聊聊也行。我可能暂时不会回来」

“Is that so. ...Then I shall go talk with those chaps from the mines.”

Gondo was looking at a Dwarf with an evil look in his eyes.

“And what will you be doing, Your Majesty?”
「这样啊。……那老夫就去和矿山那边的家伙们聊聊好了」龚德的视线前方有着一位眼神凶恶的矮人。「陛下是要做些什么呢？」

“...A messenger from my country has come. I need to meet them Then, see you again.”
「……从我的国家有使者过来，我得去会面一下。……那么下次再见吧」

Ainz raised his hand in farewell, and walked away.
安兹轻轻地举起手后，便迈开了步伐。

He had originally been standing in a corner of a vast, spacious room. He opened the door to leave and headed for a guest reception room cum lounge room cum parlour.
他原先是站在这宽广室内的一角的，打开门扉，朝着贵宾用接待室兼谈话室兼会客室走去。

It was quite a luxuriously furnished room, with tables, chairs, cabinets and the like, and Demiurge was standing there.
放置着椅子、桌子、衣柜等相当豪华的房间里，在那里站着的是迪米乌哥斯的身影。

“Forgive me for making you come all this way.”
「让你特地前来，不好意思啊」

“Certainly not. Your location is where I should be headed, Ainz-sama.”
「不，绝无此事。安兹大人您所在的地方才是我等该前往之处」

Ainz walked across the room and sat in a chair. Then he bade Demiurge sit as well.”
安兹越过房间，坐在一把椅子上。然后指示要迪米乌哥斯也坐下。

“...I’ve seen the reports. I’m working here, so I must apologize for having you put them in writing instead of just delivering them by mouth.”
「……我已经看过报告了。因为我在这边工作的关系，不是口头报告，而是麻烦你做成书面的，真是不好意思了啊」

The reports in question detailed Demiurge’s preparations and activities in the Holy Kingdom. Of course, if he heard them from Demiurge himself, it might damage Ainz’s disguise. This had also been taken into consideration.
所谓的报告，是记载着迪米乌哥斯在圣王国进行的准备还有今后的发展之类的内容。当然，如果是直接听迪米乌哥斯的口头报告的话，说不定可能会让安兹的伪装剥落。所以其实是考虑到了这点的苦肉计。

“...Even so, you’ve done well as I expected, Demiurge. Your accomplishments can only be described as outstanding.”
「……尽管如此，真不愧是迪米乌哥斯啊。对于你的成果只能用出色来形容了」

“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama.”
「非常感谢您，安兹大人」

Demiurge bowed.
迪米乌哥斯深深地低下头。

“Still, I could not hope to equal your feats, Ainz-sama… You have firmly secured a place in the Dwarves’ hearts.”
「但是，还是远远不及安兹大人您。……这次也完美地在矮人的心中打下了桩子啊」

Ainz thought that he must surely be referring to how he reclaimed the Royal Capital, or recruiting the runesmiths. However, was that really the case?
说起桩子是指，安兹所能想到的无非是夺回王都这件事、又或是招募符文工匠这件事吧。不过，真的是他所想的这样吗。

“...Hm, so it seems you’ve seen through it already, Demiurge. Do you think the Dwarves have noticed?”
「……嗯。迪米乌哥斯你已经看破了啊。你觉得矮人他们注意到了吗？」

“Rather than notice it, I think they have no other alternative.”
「与其说是注意到，不如说已经无计可施了吧」

Why wasn’t there anyone else here? If only there were, he could use his usual tactic. As Ainz studied Demiurge in detail, he noticed a smile on his face.
为什么，这里没有第三者在场呢。如果有的话就可以使出平时的招数了呢。安兹这么想着窥探迪米乌哥斯后，发现他浮现了一个淡淡的笑容。

...What’s so funny?!
(……有什么可笑的吗！)

Demiurge’s smile made Ainz’s nonexistent stomach ache. Albedo’s smile was similarly terrifying. The idea that they might have seen through his act made his nonexistent heart pound faster.
迪米乌哥斯静谧的笑容让完全搞不清楚状况的安兹心脏发痛。雅尔贝德的笑容也是同样恐怖。一想到自己拚命做出的支配者演技有可能会被看穿，应该不存在的心脏似乎要加快了跳动。

“If… if the Dwarves see though it, what do you think I should do?”
「如果……被矮人他们看破的时候，你觉得该怎么办？」

“I doubt that will be a big problem. After all, you have prepared foodstuffs for the recruitment of the runesmiths. With that, you can shrug off anything the Dwarves say.”
「我想这并不是什么大事。安兹大人为了招开符文工匠的送别会准备了食材。光是这样无论矮人们再说些什么也都可以一笑置之了」

...What’s he talking about?
(……他在说什么啊？)

“I trust it’s not important, then.”
「那么就没关系了」

Now that his attempts to lead Demiurge on had failed, Ainz decided to leave it at that. Asking too much about an intelligent person like him was very dangerous.
对迪米乌哥斯诱导失败的安兹决定这件事就到此为止。像他这样的聪明人，太过追问是很危险的。

“Then, how goes the vassalization of the Empire?”
「那么，帝国的属国化进行的怎么样了？」

“Yes. Albedo and I have discussed the matter and we have drawn up a draft. After that, we hope you will look over it and share your opinions with us.”
「是。我与雅尔贝德一同商议，拟定了草案。接着就是请您过目，恭候您的意见」

If Demiurge and Albedo finished it together, then I won’t need to step in. Ainz thought that, but did not say it.
如果是迪米乌哥斯跟雅尔贝德一起完成的话就没有自己出场的机会了吧。安兹虽然心里这么想却又不能说出口。

“...Have you given the Empire enough benefits? Enough that the neighboring countries will look at the Empire and think, ‘life will be good for us once we become vassals of the Sorcerous Kingdom’, or something along those line?”
「……有给帝国足够的好处吗？能成为给邻近诸国看的、成为魔导国的属国之后生活会非常舒适的，这样的范本？」

“It will be fine.”
「没问题的」

Ainz muttered “Yes” in his heart. In that case, he could give it his OK without even looking at the draft.
安兹在心中低语着太好了。那么就算没有看草案，也能给出OK的评价了。

“Even so, your achievements in the Dwarven Kingdom and the Empire were truly breathtaking. I imagine the term ‘fathomless wisdom’ exists to describe you, Ainz-sama.”
「尽管如此，安兹大人这回的矮人国也好，帝国的事情也好，实在教人惊叹啊。我想所谓的高深莫测，指的就是安兹大人您吧」

“Certainly not. I’m confident you could have done this easily as well, Demiurge.”
「没有那回事。如果是迪米乌哥斯的话，那种事情也是易如反掌的吧」

Demiurge revealed a rare expression -- a bitter smile. Then she shook his head.
迪米乌哥斯露出了难得的表情──苦笑着。然后摇头了摇头。

“Indeed, if that was all. Even so, how far into the future have you predicted the course of the Sorcerous Kingdom?”
「确实，正是那种程度的事情哪。尽管如此，安兹大人您到底预测到了何种程度──看到了几年之后的魔导国呢？」

Not even until tomorrow. But of course, he could not say that.
就连明天也看不清，这种话自然是说不出口的。

Ainz wondered what sort of answer would fit the style of a ruler. Just then, he remembered a guild name from YGGDRASIL.
安兹思考着，要怎么回答才会让自己有支配者风范呢。这时，他突然浮现了过去YGGDRASIL时代的公会名。

It was called The Reich.
是个名为千年王国的公会。

If only the Sorcerous Kingdom could really last a thousand years. Perhaps it was because of that thought, but a relevant memory came to mind.
如果国家能延续千年就好了，是因为安兹这样的想法吗，相关的记忆复苏了过来。

He had no idea why the guild’s emblem was that of a crane, and so Ainz had asked Yamaiko about it. After that, she told him that it was because Cranes were said to live for a thousand years in mythology. Similarly, tortoises would live for--
不知为何那个公会的徽章是只被称为鹤的鸟类，安兹过去曾问过夜舞子此事。之后他就被教导了，那因为传说鹤可以活上千年这样的典故。然后同样的，乌龟则是──

“--Ten thousand years.”
「──万年」

Ainz frowned as the words slipped out. He had accidentally overstated the scale. Just as Ainz hurriedly looked toward Demiurge, intending to correct himself, he realized that it was already too late.
不禁说溜嘴了，安兹皱起不存在的眉毛。不小心把规模说得太大了。就在安兹慌忙看向迪米乌哥斯想要重新说一次的时候，他领悟到了为时已晚。

“To, to think your plans were of such a grand scope...”
「竟、竟然，是此等规模吗？」

Demiurge’s eyes went wide, and those jewel-like pupils of his shone even brighter.
迪米乌哥斯双眼张大，那宛若宝石般的眼瞳更加明亮。

Ah, this is bad.
(啊，糟了。)

“I was just--”
「开玩──」

“--That being the case, things like spreading the undead around must surely be to embed our troops in various nations. And that, in turn must be to make the world rely on you, Ainz-sama. That must be the right answer for someone who views the world from such a wide angle. Still… how fearsome you are…”
「──若是如此，像是散布不死者那样的行动，也就不是为了将动根指头就能成为我方士兵的危险物安插入各国内。而是为了让世界依赖安兹大人您吗。以跨度那么大的视角来看世界的话，应该这样的解释才是正确的。这是，何等令人畏惧的大人啊……」

Ainz did not know what he was saying, but he knew there was only one thing he could do at this point. “Well done, Demiurge, you have completely anticipated my plans, as I expected.” However, he could not use that tactic all the time. Therefore, this time, he would say --
虽然不知道他在说什么，不过安兹这时该采取的行动只有一个。「不愧是迪米乌哥斯。我的意图完全被看穿了」但是，这种态度也不见得任何情况都适用。所以这时候要──

“Kukuku, I haven’t thought that far ahead, Demiurge.”
「呵呵呵。我可没有想的那么远啊，迪米乌哥斯」

“...Is that so. Understood. I shall carve this matter into my heart.”
「……是这么回事啊。遵命。这件事，我会牢记于心的」

As he saw Demiurge’s gentle smile, Ainz’s heart flooded with cold sweat.
看着迪米乌哥斯的静静微笑，安兹心中流下了冷汗。

Eh? What Whata’s going on? ...I’m not too sure, but doesn’t this mean I’m in an even more precarious situation now?
(咦？什么？到底是怎么回事？……虽然不明所以，不过这下是进入更危险的情况了吧？)

However, Ainz had not thought of any solutions. Then, he would have to deal with it with a fake smile.
但是，安兹没有想到对策。那么，他也只能用假笑来应对了。

“Kukuku… I’ll leave it to you then, Demiurge.”
「呵呵呵……那就拜托你啰，迪米乌哥斯」

“Kukuku… Understood, Ainz-sama.”
「呵呵呵……遵命，安兹大人」

In contrast, Demiurge’s smile shone like never before.
相对的，迪米乌哥斯脸上则是从未见过的灿烂笑容。

Even though he wanted to cry, Ainz managed to pull himself together enough to ask a question in a trembling voice.”
尽管安兹有种想哭的心情，还是鼓起精神以要颤抖似的声音询问。

“...Then, Demiurge. About the report you sent… when do you think it will take place?”
「……那么迪米乌哥斯，关于你所提出的报告……你觉得时间会在何时？」

“It will begin in fall, but I shall have to trouble you in winter, Ainz-sama. The beginning should be fine, but once the opposition make their move as well, there might be some discrepancies even if we manage to manipulate them.”
「会从秋天开始，我想要劳烦安兹大人您则是在冬天吧。开始的时间是没问题，不过对方展开行动的时间，就算进行诱导，或许还是会有些误差」

“Well, you did plan this after all, Demiurge. I can leave it to you in peace.”
「嘛，毕竟这是迪米乌哥斯你主办的。就我以搭上大船的心情来行动吧」

“Thank you very much, Ainz-sama. As for the matter of the Empire’s vassalization--”
「非常感谢您，安兹大人。那么关于刚才提到的帝国的属国化案件──」

“--I’ll listen in detail once I return. Can you give me a copy of the plan first?”
「──那个等我回去后再细听吧。能先提出计划书给我吗？」

“Understood.”
「遵命」

“...Then, I look forward to how this project of yours will unfold, Demiurge.”
「……那么、这场由迪米乌哥斯所主办的活动，就让我好好期待地它的到来吧」