“Ainz-sama, what shall we do with the Vampire Brides?”

“Umu…”

Ainz could not answer Aura’s question right away. After all, bringing them along had been Decrement’s idea, and he could have done perfectly fine without them. Ainz paused briefly to think before saying, “I’ll give them orders later. For now, have them wait in their rooms.”

Thus he handed the problem off to his future self.

Then, Ainz headed to the sofa and sat down. Shortly afterwards, the three people he had mentioned earlier sat down as well, he began speaking.

“Then, let’s start by recording our travels for the day. Aura, please.”

“Yes, Ainz-sama.”

Aura flipped open a memo pad, holding it open with one hand and sketching a map on it with another.

“I’m not too confident on some of the smaller details, but it should roughly be like this.”

“Umu. Thank you, Aura.”

It was a fairly crude map, but they could verify distances and the like from the air.

“Now then, I know you’re tired, Zenberu, but I would like to request your cooperation. You might not like this.”

“...What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Ainz smiled to the somewhat nervous Zenberu.

“In other words, I wish to look through your memories.”

“W-what does that mean?”

“...I think I came off like a villain when I said that. I can control others’ memories with magic, but that same magic can browse through the memories of others. Frankly speaking, it drains a lot of mana and I’d rather not use it if I could avoid it, but relying on your clouded memories alone is somewhat worrisome.”

“I, I trust that will not have any side effects?”

“It’ll be fine. Thanks to the assistance of a certain cleric, I can safely say that I’m quite the veteran at this. There won’t be any problems as long as I don’t do any weird things in there. In fact, I’ve performed the same procedure on one of my maids and there were no problems either.”

“You mean Shizu, right?”

“Exactly, Aura. That said, the spell isn’t all-powerful. If the person himself has almost forgotten an event, I can only get rough details. There are also other things which complicate the spell’s use. For instance, the memories might not be resident within the brain, but accessed from a more primordial source—” Ainz shrugged as he realized he had gone off topic. “Well, something like that. In any case, I’d like to investigate your memories.”

“I see… Just in case, I would like to ask again, but is it really going to be alright?”

“I understand your concerns. Do not worry, Zenberu. I will not alter your memories. I swear that on my name.”

“Then — what should I do?”

“Umu. Sit there, and relax. This won’t hurt a bit. However, I need to verify some details with you before I cast the spell. Things like, how many months and years ago and when did these memories take place, and so on.”

After hearing Zenberu’s explanations, Ainz cast the spell.

Having cast this spell many times, Ainz had an expert’s confidence in his handling of the magic, but still, using it was extremely difficult.

Since any changes to the memories remained forever, mishandling them might lead to an irrecoverable situation. It was like trying to reprogram a computer without making any backups of the data. One could say it was an excellent spell for making vegetables.

More importantly, the spell expended a vast amount of mana while it was in effect. That was what made it hard to use.

Ainz felt his mana draining away in torrents after briefly browsing Zenberu’s memories.

Ainz’s original plan was to find the targeted memories and then browse around at his leisure. However, he estimated that his MP would run dry before that. In addition, the problem with this spell was that even if he wanted to wait until the next day for his mana to recovery before casting the spell again, he would still have to start from the beginning.

As a result, other spells were more effective at gathering information.

After grumbling in his heart, he saw what looked like a mountain. Just as he found the place he was looking for, his mana ran out.

Examining memories of the past are the most tiring. It’s much easier to view recent memories…

As he had expected, the memories he found were blurred, as though shrouded in mist. He saw the faces of Dwarves, but they all looked the same to him. He did not know if that was Zenberu’s fault, but he could not tell them apart. All of them were simply beards who bellowed in crude tones and swilled beer.

This is no good. I used that cleric as a test subject and it worked well on Shizu. But I feel like I still can’t use it well enough… I can’t afford to make mistakes with delicate things like memories. I wanted to continue experimenting with that cleric, but he can’t even speak coherently any more… Well, rewriting memories works if I limit myself to the recent few years. I guess I should conduct an experiment on what’ll happen if I wipe a person’s memories clean...

Maybe I should select a few people sentenced to death from E-Rantel and use them for experiments…

With that thought in mind, Ainz ended the spell.

“How are you, Zenberu? Do you feel unwell?”

“Eh? I feel fine, but weird…”

Ainz smiled.

“I merely looked through your memories. It would be strange if that felt weird to you, given that I made no changes. That is probably a placebo effect of some sort; it should fade soon.”

Zenberu shook his head forcefully. Ainz paid him no heed, but turned his attention to the map.

Even after looking at Zenberu’s memories, he still did not quite get it.

There had been no distinguishing features there, and how could he confirm his position in the confusing scenery of the mountains? In addition, the memories of hiding from monsters had been far more vivid in comparison.

The fact was that even if his mana recovered by tomorrow, he would not gain information which was worth that massive expenditure of magical power.

“Then, we shall stick to the plan and have Zenberu lead us north. I didn’t see anything helpful in his memories anyway.”

It was not as though he had any better ideas.

Dispatching outriders would only serve the purpose of massacring the monsters ahead of them.

“Dismissed. Everyone, rest… well, it looks like nobody needs to rest besides Zenberu. Well then, prepare yourselves for tomorrow.”

***

As she watched her master return to his room, Aura turned to Shalltear, who was seated beside her.

“There are rooms to the left and the right of Ainz-sama’s own room. Which do you want?”

Aura had a magic item which allowed her to go without sleep, and Shalltear was undead. Strictly speaking, neither of them needed a room. However, it would be rude not to use the rooms provided for them, but it would be bad for security if they were too far from him.

“Hm~ well, I’d think either side would be fine, don’t you think?”

“Well, I guess that’s right… Say, what are you doing?”

Aura looked over to Shalltear after hearing her distracted response. This was when she realized Shalltear was writing something in a memo pad.

“Hm, Ainz-sama said that, check. I’m taking notes, of course. I don’t want to forget Ainz-sama’s words.”

“Hmmm~ that’s pretty hardworking of you. Lemme see.”

Aura paused to peek, and saw that the memo pad was covered in densely-packed script, with hardly any blank space left in between the letters.

After a quick glance, she discovered that Shalltear had essentially recorded her master’s words down in exacting detail, as well as the actions he had taken.

This… how shall I say this? Of course, it makes sense to preserve Ainz-sama’s words for posterity, but I doubt Shalltear is writing them down for that purpose...

Shalltear should have recorded the key points of her master’s wisdom, and then learned from them. However, this situation was beginning to make her feel uneasy.

“Ah, you know. I feel that taking notes is a good idea, but that shouldn’t be the whole point, right?”

Shalltear looked at her with a baffled expression on her face.

“Got it? Maybe taking notes makes you think that you’ve done a good job. But what you should be doing is recording the important things and using them to teach yourself how to deal with similar situations, right? Is it really okay to take notes like this?”

“It seems okay…”

“Well, if that’s the case, then great. Just in case, you should go over them again once you return to your room. Try to think about what Ainz-sama had in mind and then put yourself in his place and imagine what you would do in his shoes.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

After saying that, Aura suddenly wondered why she was saying that sort of thing to Shalltear. And then, for some reason, she felt that guiding her in that way was very natural to her.

Haaa. For some reason, I feel like I have a useless little sister… It might be a little disrespectful, but I wonder if Bukubukuchagama-sama felt the same way?

***

They prepared to set out on a particularly brilliant morning. That said, their preparations were nothing more than walking out of the magically-created tower and forming up in a column. Ainz felt that this was much more boring than his travel preparations from his time as Momon.
在格外炫目的早晨中做出门准备，说是准备、也没有做什么，就是从魔法做出的塔中走出、组成队列而已。与在当飞鼠的时候所做的旅行进行比较的话，安兹不禁觉得毫无乐趣。

After that, they continued investigating, but their searching from dawn to dusk yielded no fruit.
然后虽然再次进行探索，在那天傍晚为止的移动并没有任何发现。

As the sun sank below the slopes of the mountains, Ainz narrowed his eyes.
随着太阳逐渐地消失在山脉的斜面中，安兹眯起了眼睛。

They had travelled more than 100 kilometers on the backs of their magical beasts -- in other words, they had exceeded the distance to the Dwarf city which Ainz had estimated. Yet, they had not found anything. In other words, they would have to begin the time-consuming task of combing the countryside.
乘上魔兽的一行人至今的移动距离在一百公里——这超过了安兹所推测到达都市的距离，但是仍然没有发现。也就是说从现在开始只能遍地寻找，换句话说也就是费时工作的开始。

Ainz used magic to create a resting place as before, and then, it was time for the next day -- in other words, the third day.
这一天同样地安兹使用魔法进行休息，然后再下一天。也就是出发的第三天。

Suddenly, Zenberu exclaimed in a strange voice.
泽贝尔突然发出了奇怪的声音。

“Over here! I remember this place!”
「就是这儿！我记得这里噢！」

There were no more trees in sight, only a field of rocks. Zenberu’s voice echoed exceptionally loudly in this place.
围绕在周围的已不是树木的身影，放眼望去尽是岩石的山区，在那之中泽贝尔的声音格外响亮。

“Your Majesty! We should be very close!”
「陛下！到这里开始应该就很近了！」

“Is that so! Then, everyone, proceed with caution!”

In accordance with Ainz’s orders, the group formed up into a neatly-ordered column.
「是吗！那么各位、一边注意一边行动！」服从安兹的命令，全员排列出整齐漂亮的队列。

“Then, I’ll leave this to you, Zenberu.”
「那么泽贝尔，就拜托你了」

“You can count on me!”
「请交给我！」

The group advanced, led by Zenberu.
在泽贝尔的引导下一行人开始了前进。

Finally, they saw something which looked less like a cave than a crack in the mountain.
最终在前方、眼前出现的与其说是洞窟不如说是山的裂缝。

Ainz had seen something similar in Zenberu’s memories, but he felt that it should have been bigger. Still, this was probably the right place, given Zenberu’s overjoyed reaction.
确实在泽贝尔的记忆中安兹也看到过类似的东西，可感觉上应该更大些才对。但是从泽贝尔那喜出望外的样子来看，应该没有弄错吧。

The memories were Zenberu’s own; the Lizardman’s perspective ought to be more reliable than Ainz’s fragmentary glimpses.
比起只在记忆的缝隙中见过的安兹，泽贝尔本人得记忆肯定更为可靠吧。

Ainz smoothed out his mussed-up robe, and gestured to Aura.
安兹一边整理法袍的紊乱、一边指示亚乌菈。

Acting as they had planned earlier, Aura led her beast toward the fissure.
如事前所计划、亚乌菈率领魔兽跑向龟裂。

“Kingdom of the Dwarves! His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown, King of the newly-founded Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown to the south, has come to pay you a visit! Will you not send someone to receive him?!”
「矮人的王国喲！位于此处南方新建立的国家、安兹·乌尔·恭魔導国的国王、安兹·乌尔·恭陛下特來拜访！还不快来人引领！」

The voice of Aura the herald echoed through the fissure.
作为预告者的亚乌菈的声音如同在龟裂中扩散开般嗡嗡地的响着。

Yet, there was no response.
但是回应却没有响起。

Aura looked at Ainz with an expression that said, “What should I do now?”

Ainz indicated that she should announce them again.
亚乌菈以该怎么办呢？的眼神向安兹请示道，安兹则做出了再度发声的指示。

And so, Aura shouted at the top of her voice once more.
再一次，亚乌菈大声地喊道。

However, there was still no response. There was no sign of anyone appearing even after waiting a while.
然而还是没有回复。等了一段时间也不见有任何人出现的气息。

Zenberu had said that there should be guards watching this exit in order to prevent intruders from the outside. If this was the case, someone should have heard Aura’s voice.
为了阻止从外部来的侵入者，入口处应该是有卫兵把守着的，泽贝尔是如此说明的。如果是这样的话绝对会听到亚乌菈的声音才对。

Were they avoiding the Dark Elf?
是在忌避暗妖精[Dark Elf]吗。

Ainz recalled Aura for the time being, and then summoned Zenberu.
安兹在下指示暂且叫回亚乌菈的同时，喊来了泽贝尔。

“It’s your turn now. Go shout a bit and see how it goes.”
「轮到你出场，去呼喊看看」

Ainz cast several buff spells on Zenberu. While it did not guarantee his safety by any means, it greatly reduced the danger he might face compared to being sent out without those spells.
安兹在泽贝尔身上施放数个强化魔法，虽然这样没法说绝对安全，但是有和没有的对于危险度有着巨大变化。

Zenberu drew near the cave and shouted. Still, there was no response.
泽贝尔靠近洞窟，大声呼唤。但果然还是没有回应。

“...Hanzos.”
「……半藏」

“Presenting ourselves to the Master.”
「在尊君前」

The ninjas poured out of Shalltear’s shadow. The other Hanzos were arranged behind the Hanzo Leader.
从在附近等候的夏提雅的影子中，看见了悠地渗出的忍者姿态。半藏队长的后面还排列着其他的半藏们。

“Infiltrate the interior and verify the situation. Do not be spotted.”
「侵入内部，去确认情况。不要引人注目」

“It shall be done. May I ask how far we should investigate? The Dwarven city is said to be riddled with mining tunnels. Fully investigating the intricate web of those tunnels will take a long time.”
「遵您吩咐，那么该调查到哪种程度？听说矮人的都市是有着数个坑道的都市，如果要将如网般错综复杂的坑道完全调查完毕，会花费许多时间」

“Perform a cursory inspection. Focus on the central region and the administrative areas of the city. You may investigate the tunnel interiors later.”
「最低限度就行，属于都市的中央部位、查出聚集着都市机能的场所即可。坑道内的调查在那之后再进行也无所谓」

“Understood.”
「遵旨」

The Hanzos took off in a sprint, following their Leader. The way in which they ran, leaving afterimages behind them, was a motion unique to high-level ninja-type monsters.
悠地半藏们以队长为前导而奔跑，以会留下残影一般的奔跑方式是忍者系的高位怪物们的独特动作。

Ainz indicated that Zenberu should return to the center of the group -- allowing him to wait in a safe space. He could be very useful when negotiating with the Dwarves.
安兹向泽贝尔做出返回的指示，在此同时向成员的正中央——让他在安全的场所待机，在与矮人的交涉中，他能够起到非常大的帮助。

“--Shalltear, don’t slack off on security.”
「——夏提雅，不要懈怠警备」

“Understood!”
「遵命！」

After using a skill, Shalltear was fully armed and armored. She surveyed her surroundings carefully, not letting a single detail escape her.
使用特殊技能，瞬间准备好全套装备的夏提雅毫不大意地将目光投向周围。

Now that Shalltear -- the strongest Guardian of Nazarick -- was ready for battle, no opponent, however strong they might be, could instantly kill her with a single combo. That said, experience was the important thing when fighting players, and giving that task to the inexperienced Shalltear was quite dangerous.
在纳萨力克身为守护者最强的夏提雅进入临战态势的话，再强的敌人也没有办法一套连招让她即死吧。话虽如此，对玩家战中经验是最重要的因素，在那方面交给缺乏经验的夏提雅的话是很危险的。

In other words, the experienced Ainz might well need to demonstrate his skills for her.
就这种意义来说，经验丰富的安兹还是很有必要作为范本来让她看看的。

Ainz carefully watched his surroundings as well. Soon, the Hanzos returned. They had taken longer than expected, probably because they had travelled a long way.
安兹也同样丝毫不大意地警戒起了周围，不久后半藏也折返了回来。比起想象中花了更多时间是因为有着相当的距离吧。

The Hanzos lined up before Ainz and fell to one knee. Naturally, their leader spoke for them.
半藏们在安兹的前面并排、以单膝跪下，开口的当然是作为代表的队长。

“--Ainz-sama, we have discovered what might be a Dwarven residential area. We searched it, but found no signs of life.”
「——安兹大人、我等发现了可能是矮人的居住区。虽然进行了搜查，但并没有进行活动的人」

“--What happened?”
「——发生了什么？」

“We did not investigate thoroughly, but there were no corpses or any sign of household products within the houses. Neither were there any signs of battle.”
「虽然没有做充分的调查，但并没有发现尸体，在房屋内没有任何日常用品，也没有打斗过的痕迹」

“It would seem the Dwarves abandoned this city of their own will, for some reason.”
「应该看作矮人们因某种理由而主动放弃了这座都市吗」

He glanced at Zenberu, who seemed very shocked as well. He might only have known him for a short time, but he had gained a bit of insight into Zenberu’s personality, and this did not seem like an act.
看向泽贝尔，发现他也显得很惊讶的样子。尽管只是短时间，但对于泽贝尔的性格也有着些许了解，这应该不是演技吧。

“--All right, then. Lead us to the residential district.”
「——好吧，带我们前往居住区」

“Yes!”
「遵命！」

Ainz followed behind the Hanzos. This was unknown territory and he could not be careless here. Shalltear, Aura and Zenberu were also escorted by high-level undead and magical beasts.
安兹随着半藏的引导走出。当然，由于这里是未知的土地。自然大意不得。夏提雅、亚乌菈、泽贝尔自不用说，也有让高等级的不死者以及魔兽们也同行。

The only ones left outside were the low-level Vampire Brides and the Mammoth-like magical beasts.
放置在外面的也不过就是些低等级吸血鬼的新娘以及猛犸型的魔兽而已。

This was done to set a trap. Any unknown beings who saw them as enemies would surely start whittling down their fighting strength from the parts of their forces which they were confident in beating. In addition, it was basic tactics to begin attacking their supply lines in the hope of learning something from the objects which they dropped.
这么做的原因主要是为了将其作为陷阱。如果有未知的存在，并且还是作为敌对者在监视的情况下，如果想要削弱这边的战力，那么肯定会从能够确实打倒的地方攻击过来吧。而且知道我方正运送着物资的话，考虑从得到的东西中能获取的情报之类，会袭击过来可是基本中的基本。

Thus, he had not left them there alone. He had also positioned a Hanzo nearby, in concealment.
为此、并没有将她们单独留在那儿，而是在附近让一只半藏潜伏着。

That Hanzo was not there to rescue them.
这并不是为了救援。

Rather, it was there to observe the enemy and learn about their attackers. After that, being able to learn their fallback point -- or better yet, their home base -- would be an unexpected bonus.
而是在于监视对方，为了尽可能地得到袭击者的情报。然后可能的话，对方的撤退地点——如果能找到根据地之类的情报就万万岁了。

The reason why they had not returned to Nazarick at any point during their journey was also to prevent the opposition from knowing that they could replenish their forces infinitely using the [Gate] spell. This would make them think that Ainz and company could be worn down over time.
在此之前的旅途中没有一次返回纳萨力克的原因，也是为了不让对方知道、使用<转移门>的话不论多少的战力能够恢复，从而让他们产生能够通过这样的弱点来削弱我方的想法。

Well, even if the enemy did appear, it would be good if the Vampire Brides were safe.
（就算出现了，如果那些家伙没事的话就好了吶）

Ainz did not want the Vampire Brides to die. However, he did not mind sacrificing respawning POP monsters to gain information on the enemy.
安兹倒也并不是说想要让她们死去啦。但是、在某种程度能够自动POP的怪物的话，为了得到敌方情报的话就算失去了也不会那么可惜。

Was this being a little cruel, Ainz thought as he entered the cave.
是否有点残酷呢，安兹一边思考着这类的事情走入洞窟之内。

There was no light from the outside in the cave, and soon they were immersed in complete darkness. However, it posed no problems to Ainz, who had darkvision. Shalltear, Aura, the other undead and the magical beasts also possessed that ability. At their level, mere darkness was not a disadvantage to anyone present.
洞窟内没有外部而来的光线，很快便陷入了完全的黑暗之中，但是这对于拥有暗视能力的安兹来说并没有什么问题。夏提雅或亚乌菈、其它的不死者、魔兽们也是如此。在这个等级下的话不过是单纯的黑暗对于在场的人们来说并没有任何不利。

Zenberu, on the other hand, was being cradled like a princess by one of the undead.
至于泽贝尔则是被一具不死者，用像是公主抱一样的方式运送着。

Given the fact that all the stalactites and stalagmites in the area had been cleared away, and the fact that the area was flattened and easy to walk through, there was no doubt that this place was a Dwarven city.
钟乳石或石笋之类的东西完全被除去，以容易行走以及平坦程度来看，毫无疑问的这里就是矮人的都市吧。

The Hanzos led them onwards. There were many forking paths along the way, all of which  led quickly to dead ends, according to the Hanzos guiding them. They had probably been dug to confuse intruders and buy time, or perhaps to help mount a counterattack.
在半藏的引导帮助下前进着，途中虽然有数条分歧的道路，据半藏们所说那些道路不用多久就会走到头，是为了迷惑侵入者、争取时间或是击退而挖掘的东西吧。

There were spells which Ainz could use under these circumstances, but the Hanzos lacked such abilities. It only made sense that they had taken a long time considering they had to investigate all these possible paths.
在这种情况下安兹倒是有能够使用的魔法，但对于没有这种能力的半藏来说调查了所有的路线，时间花费的比较多也是当然吧。

As he thought about that, one of the Hanzos turned to face him.
安兹在抱持着那样的想法之时，半藏回过头来。

“Ainz-sama, we are about to reach the residential district.”
「安兹大人，差不多要到居住区了」

“Really now. ...There’s some kind of blurred lighting in the distance, Hanzo. Didn’t you say there were no Dwarves here?”
「是吗。……在这前方看得到有朦胧般明亮的东西，半藏。你不是说矮人不在吗？」

“Yes, there are none. This light is being emitted by a crystalline mineral.”
「是的，并不在。这个光亮是与水晶相似的矿石所发出的亮光」

A vast open space sprawled ahead of them.
坑道的前方巨大的空间扩展开来。

As he looked for the source of the illumination, he saw multiple sturdy pillars supporting the ceiling. Crystal-like objects grew from the ceiling, and they radiated the light which the Hanzos had spoken of.
视线寻找发出明亮的发生源时，支撑天花板复数的粗壮天然石柱、天花板之类的地方自生结晶一般的东西，从那个东西发出了如半藏所说的光亮。

There were no other sources of light -- no man-made ones, at least -- as far as Ainz could see.
其他的——人造物般的明亮，并不存在于安兹视线可及之处。

This place seemed like a residential district, as the Hanzos had described it. It certainly looked like a city, with long rows of dull buildings, roughly two stories tall.
正如半藏所说的居住区，确实像是都市一般的所建造出的环境，宛如箱子般毫无乐趣的建筑物——大概是两层建筑——排成一长列。

Perhaps it was because their builders were not very tall, but their structures seemed a floor lower than human-constructed buildings. Even so, they were still taller than Ainz, and he could not tell the size of the city on account of his line of sight being obstructed by the buildings. However, the sheer number of buildings here made him feel that counting them all was an exercise in futility.
可能是在这里居住的种族身高并不是那么高，比起人类社会的建筑物来说大概低了一圈。即使如此也比安兹的身高要高些，视线被建筑物所遮蔽而无法掌握都市内有多宽广。不过、建筑物的数量也多到让人觉得数数都愚蠢的地步。

“Hmm…”
「哼嗯……」

As Ainz surveyed the city, the flames of hope in his heart went out with a “chu~”, as though by extinguished by a basin of cold water.
(TL Note: the chu~ refers to a rakugo called お七の十)
眺望这样的城市，安兹所怀抱着的名为愿望的火焰，像是被泼了盆冷水似得“啾”的一声熄灭了。【譯註：①】

It was too run-down.
太过于破旧了。

The stories he had heard of the Dwarven city conjured up a mental image of a shining, intricate and dignified place, but there was no sign of that here. There was no trace of YGGDRASIL -- of a player’s presence -- here either.
听到矮人的都市时浮现出的是金碧辉煌、纤细而又厚重的印象，然而现在就连一点影子都看不到。在那里没有YGGDRASIL的氛围——不存在玩家的气息。

Ainz stepped forward, and pushed open the door to one of the buildings.
安兹举足前进，靠近其中一栋建筑物后将门推开。

As the Hanzos had said, he was greeted by an empty space.
如同半藏所说的，只有空荡荡的空间延伸开来。

He could not see any furniture from where he stood at the entrance. The only things that remained were shelves which had been installed into the walls and other things which could not be moved. White dust covered the ground. It would seem nobody had been in here for quite some time.
从玄关眺望所及没有摆放任何的家具，有的只是安装上的棚子之类、不能够搬运的物品而已。地板上积满白色灰尘，看来已经有相当一段时间没有人进来过了。