As he greeted the demihumans invading the city with attack spells from the air, Ainz thought about the sequence of events which had transpired and wrinkled his nonexistent brows.

对侵入都市内的亚人们一边从上空放出攻击魔法作为招呼、一边想着刚刚一连串发生的事件，安兹皱起了眉头。

--That was a huge mistake. The order was all wrong. I should have prioritized Neia Baraja over that annoying woman.

（——损失惨重。顺序发生严重错误。比起那个不愉快的女人，应该优先宁亚・巴拉哈的才对）

Neia had died because he had helped Remedios and thus been delayed in going to Neia’s side. He had to use a high-level wand to resurrect Neia, because he was not sure how high-level Neia was, and he was afraid of her turning to ash like the Lizardman from back then.

因为帮助了蕾梅迪奥斯・卡斯托迪奥的关系，而延迟了前往宁亚所在之处，因为这个而使得宁亚死去了。为了让宁亚苏醒而不得不使用高位的短杖，因为还不清楚宁亚的等级到达哪种程度，而害怕像当时蜥蜴人一样化为灰烬。

In truth, he had no idea whether the price of resurrecting Neia was justified by the benefits she could bring to Ainz and Nazarick. That said, since the plan to help Remedios and indebt her to him had been a complete failure, he ought to at least try again with Neia, which was why he had chosen to resurrect her. However--

老实说复活宁亚所需支付的代价，和她复活后能带给安兹、以及纳萨力克的利益，究竟对不对等还是个未知数。话虽然是这么说，既然帮助蕾梅迪奥丝，卖她一个顺水人情的计划已经完全失败。那至少要卖给宁亚一个恩情才行，于是才就选择的让她复活。可是。

...Would it have been alright to use a Wand of Resurrection -- a seventh-tier spell -- as well? ...It seems I was being too generous. Also, it’ll take an hour before I can swap out this ring.

（......苏生的短杖，第七位阶的魔法也行的吧？......稍微有点大方过头了。要把这个戒指换掉还要花一个小时）

Ainz was looking at one of his eight rings, the one on his right thumb.

安兹注视着的是八个戒指中的一个，右手大拇指上戴着的戒指。

It was the Ring of Wand Mastery.

短杖大师戒指[ring of mastery wand]

Said ring was an ultra-rare artifact dropped by a boss.

BOSS掉落系的超稀有人工遗物[artifact]

Normally, only magic casters of the appropriate tradition would be able to use the spells stored within a wand. For instance, only a divine caster could use a wand imbued with the first-tier divine spell 「Light Healing」. Staves -- which were more expensive -- could be used by magic casters of other traditions.

说起注入了魔法的短杖[wand]，原则上只有该系统的魔法咏唱者才能使用其中的魔法。比如说，能使用注入了第一位阶的信仰系魔法＜轻伤治愈＞短杖的，就只有信仰系魔法咏唱者。如果其他系统的魔法咏唱者也能够使用的话，那就是更加高价的杖[staff]了。

That said, a patch had updated certain wands so they could be used by all players. Unfortunately, the wand imbued with the ninth-tier spell 「True Resurrection」that he had used to resurrect Neia was not one of them, and Ainz would not be able to use it under normal circumstances.

虽然一部分的短杖在之后的版本修正后，让所有的玩家都能够使用了。但即使如此，这次复活宁亚使用的第九位阶信仰系魔法＜真正的苏生＞[true resurrection]，注入了这个魔法的短杖，安兹是没办法使用的。

However, he could use it as long as he had this ring.

但是只要有这个戒指在的话，就变得能够使用了。

Yet every time the ring was used, it only applied to one wand at a time, and he would have to wait an hour before he could change it out. It also carried the drawback of requiring mana to use, but it was still a very valuable item regardless.

然而，只要使用这个戒指的话，就可以让短杖变成能够使用的状态，一次只能是一根短杖，一旦切换短杖后，一个小时之内无法再次交换。同时还有使用时会消耗魔力之类的缺点，但还是相当高价的道具。

Due to its high rarity, very few people in the guild “Ainz Ooal Gown” possessed it, and the one which Ainz had was left to him by Amanomanohitotsu when he had quit the game.

由于稀有度很高，在“安兹·乌尔·恭”中，持有此物的人也很少，安兹现在所持有的是天目一箇弃坑的时候留给自己的。

Eh, from here it looks like there’s nowhere else I’ll need to use that wand, so I shouldn’t mind it too much. Speaking of which, I just realised that when I cover her eyes, it feels like she’s paying her respects to me normally. Given what she said… does that mean I’ve gained her trust? Umu. I wonder what happened?

（嘛，就眼下来看那个短杖应该也没有要使用的地方了吧，所以还是不要太在意的比较好。话说回来，虽然现在才注意到，但只要把她眼睛遮住的话，感觉就像是很普通的在尊敬我一样啊。从她的话语部分来看的话......这是已经得到了她的信任了么？唔姆。究竟怎么样呢？）

Ainz recalled Neia’s reaction.

安兹回想起宁亚的反应。

Her gratitude sounded sincere… but at the same time it felt like she was glaring at me. Is it because her face is scary? How about recommending she wear sunglasses or something?

（虽然感觉是在真心地表达感谢的样子......但是，也有被瞪着的感觉。是因为脸很恐怖么。试着给她推荐下太阳眼镜的话怎么样呢？）

Ainz might have thought that, but of course he could not actually say it. In the carriage, she had mentioned being conscious of how scary her eyes had looked.

虽然这么想，但这种话安兹果然还是说不出口的。她在马车里的时候就说过很在意自己的眼神看上去吓人的事。

If one encountered a lady with body odour, how would they react when you said, “you stink” and gave them a bottle of perfume?

在公司里和有狐臭的女性面对面的时候，说到「你身上的味道很难闻哟」然后把香水给她。对方会如何反应呢。

It feels like all the respect I’ve cultivated would vanish and she’d only resent me...

（培养起来的尊敬不知会消失到何处，只会留下敌意的感觉......）

In addition, Ainz -- Suzuki Satoru -- was not a brave man who could say such things.

而且安兹——铃木悟并不是能说出这种话的勇者。

Ainz spotted a cluster of demihumans and discharged an area-effect spell at the ground, slaughtering them all. The militiamen who had been facing them waved their arms to him. Ainz raised his arm as well by way of response. Originally, he had intended to just raise his hand, but there was a distance between them, so he put his arm up high in order for them to see him.

在这边发现了亚人的安兹，对地面释放了范围魔法，将亚人杀掠殆尽。与其对峙着的民兵们就像是挥出声响那般地、大大地朝这边挥着手。安兹也抬起手——本想着稍微举起手示意一下就好了，但由于有着一段距离，为了能让他们看到就高高地抬起了手——这么回应道。

That’s right~ It’s the merciful Sorcerer King~ Be grateful to me~ speaking of which, does resurrection magic make people go mad or act weirdly? Compared to that, it would be better if she was just being purely emotional...

（是的哦—。是温柔的魔导王哦—。要感谢我哦—......话说回来......复活魔法会让人发狂，变得奇怪么？如果单纯是因为情绪比较激动的话倒还好......）

AInz thought about Neia.

想起宁亚的事。

It felt strange no matter how he thought about it. She had been perfectly normal when he had parted ways with her, but she had ended up like that after being brought back to life.

那个不管怎么想都很奇怪。明明和她分开的时候还是正常的，复活了之后就成那样了。

Is she mad? Should I heal her with magic? It’s a little worrying if it’s a side effect of resurrection. I don’t want to end up warping her personality as time passes.

（精神错乱？要用魔法来恢复么？如果是复活带来的影响的话，稍微有点恐怖啊。随着时间的推移，如果人性都扭曲了的话，这种展开我可不要哦）

There had been a strange force in Neia’s murderous eyes, an insane, ferocious gleam that frightened him.

宁亚那杀手一般的眼神里包含着异常的气魄，和让人感到恐惧程度的那闪耀着炯炯有神的疯狂的光芒。

It’s so bad that she mistook me for justice, huh. Some rest ought to help with that… oh.

（是把我误会成正义这种程度啊。休息以后能恢复么......哦）

Ainz turned his gaze to the demihuman camp.

安兹把视线转向亚人阵地的方向。

Half of it had already been destroyed, and Soul Eaters were walking lazily among the fleeing demihumans. Even that much was enough to send the demihumans collapsing in droves from their instant death auras. The Soul Eaters who consumed their souls became stronger in turn.

阵地已经摧毁了一半，在想要逃跑而慌忙逃窜的亚人们之间，噬魂魔[Soul Eater]们肆无忌惮的横行着。就仅仅是这样，即死的气息就让亚人纷纷倒下了。吞噬其灵魂的噬魂魔也随之变得强大了起来。

When Soul Eaters appeared in YGGDRASIL, they were almost always on-level encounters, so the chances of a player being downed by an instant death effect would only be one in a hundred or less. That was why this special ability of Soul Eaters rarely got the chance to see use.

YGGDRASIL游戏里噬魂魔出现的时候，基本上都是在适合己方等级的情况下，所以，玩家会吃到即死攻击的情况基本上在数百次里也才只有一次吧。正是如此，噬魂魔就算有这样的特殊能力，也会被一直雪藏。

However, it was different this time. This was the perfect opportunity to show it off.

但是，这次不一样。正可谓是展现身手的大好时机。

“Souls, huh… oh no. I ought to experiment with this.”

「灵魂么......糟了啊。应该要进行一个实验才对的啊」

Ainz suddenly landed. Then he used his ability to create mid-tier undead to craft a Soul Eater.

安兹突然降落到了地面上。然后使用中位不死者作成，制造出一匹噬魂魔。

Go.

（去吧）

After he issued a mental command, the Soul Eater immediately began to move. At the same time, he sent an order to the Soul Eaters who were obliterating the demihumans outside.

在心中下达了命令后，噬魂魔立刻开始了行动。与此同时，对已经在外面充分蹂躏了亚人的噬魂魔们下达命令。

It went: leave some prey for the newly-made Soul Eater.

给新作出的噬魂魔留出它的那一份猎物。这样。

Undead created with corpses did not vanish with the passage of time. But why did they not vanish?

用尸体制作出的不死者就算时间经过也不会消失。那么究竟是为什么不会消失呢。

If it’s not because they’re using the corpse as a medium, but the soul, does it mean that Soul Eaters which have eaten souls won’t vanish? ... Well, even if I found the answer I wouldn’t know where to apply it. Still, knowing is better than not knowing.

（如果不是以肉体作为媒介，而是以灵魂的话，会不会吃了灵魂的噬魂魔，也就不会消失了呢......嘛，即使有了答案我也不觉得有地方利用、啊。但是，比起不知道还是知道了会比较好吧）

He ascended into the sky once more, and verified that the city was safe. Most of the demihumans should have been wiped out by now, but he ought to be careful, just in case.

再次，上升到空中，确认都市内的安全状况。大部分的亚人应该都被清扫干净了，但为了以防万一，还是应该稍微留点神。

Muu, that annoying woman is there. Ignore her, ignore her.

（姆，那个让人火大的女人在那里。无视。无视）

Ainz looked away from Remedios and flew elsewhere.

从蕾梅迪奥丝那里收回视线，安兹飞往各处。

As Ainz flew, he could hear cheers coming from below him, and Ainz responded with a wave of the hand. After verifying that there were no more demihumans -- that the fighting had ended, Ainz began making his way to the war room. He would need a lot of time to return to Nazarick and take care of all sorts of annoying meetings.

安兹飞着就能听到下面传来的欢呼声，对此安兹则挥手回应。在确认已经没有亚人——战斗已经结束后，安兹开始前往作战司令室。要回到纳萨力克，还得等处理掉各种麻烦的会谈以后，时间上有了富裕才行。

“I need to handle this properly…”

「要好好的顺利进行啊......」

A crushing surge of uneasiness flooded into him, and then his emotion suppression calmed him down. The only thing that remained was a chilly sensation in his heart.

心中涌进了压倒性的不安，然后精神强制冷静了下来。但是，只有那一点点渗入的像是冰冷的水的感觉残留在了心中。

I need to use Message to tell Demiurge to meet me in Nazarick.

不得不使用＜传言＞告诉迪米乌哥斯在纳萨力克汇合啊。

***

Once Ainz made his move, victory was all too easy. After wiping out the demihumans attacking the city and finishing a couple of other things, Ainz returned to his own room.

安兹出手的话，胜利可谓是小菜一碟。清扫攻入这个都市的亚人，随后再完成两件事，安兹就回到了自己的房间。

One of those things was to show his face at Caspond’s chambers and ask him for some minor favors in the future. The long and short of it was that after trampling the demihuman encampment underfoot, he had no issue with giving them the leftover rations and everything else -- magic items excepted.

其中之一是，去卡斯邦登的房间露个脸，拜托他之后的一些琐碎的事情。这个主要内容是，在蹂躏了亚人的阵地后，在那留下的粮食和其他诸类物品——除魔法道具以外——交付给他们也没关系这件事。

Since Ainz had devastated the demihuman camp by himself, then the spoils from the demihumans would have rightfully belonged to him. Dumping them into the Exchange Box would have yielded quite a tidy sum. However, if he monopolized it all, the goodwill he had so painstakingly built up might end up losing its value. That being the case, he ought to write it off as an investment and give it all to the Holy Kingdom. Of course, there might be valuable magical items among the loot, and he had no intention of giving those up.

既然是安兹一个人摧毁的亚人阵地，那么以常识来考虑亚人们的持有物就应该都交付给安兹。放入兑币箱的话，应该会有很可观的收入吧，但是，如果独占的话，或许好不容易卖给他们的恩情就会贬值了。即然这样就权当是先行投资，还是将物资让给圣王国那边吧。当然，或许会有贵重的魔法道具，所以并没有把那些也交出去的打算。

Normally, Ainz would have gone to the camp by himself and used 「Greater Magic Vision」, 「Detect Magic」and other such divination spells to examine the scene, but he felt that there was no need to do so. In addition, Demiurge ought to have investigated what magic items the demihumans possessed ahead of time. Even if something had slipped the net, there ought to be nothing there which could harm Ainz. If there was, then it would have been more eye-catching.

本来的话，是打算安兹一个人前往阵地，在那里用＜魔法视力强化/魔力看破＞再加上其他的调查系魔法，来进行检查的，但是觉得没有那种必要。而且，亚人持有的魔法道具迪米乌哥斯应该也在事先调查过了才是。即使有漏网之鱼，应该也没有能对安兹这边造成威胁的道具。如果有的话，应该会更加引人注目的吧。

After that, he went to recover the equipment from those three demihumans. As expected, nobody had dared loot the corpses, and so Ainz recovered their magical items without incident. Of course, he had an idea of how powerful those items were from the mana they contained, but he still held out hope for something bizarre or unusual.

然后另一个是去回收那三个亚人的道具。再怎么说也不至于遇到被私吞的情况，安兹顺利地就回收了魔法道具。当然，通过里面包含的魔力量，已经能想象到是哪种程度的道具了，但还是抱有说不定会有奇怪种类这样的期待。

He dumped them onto the bed and prepared to magically investigate each and every one of them, but he had something he needed to do first.

把道具往床上哐当一放，想要一个一个地拿魔法调查，但在那之前还有不得不做的事情。

“--Now then!”

「——那么！」

He deliberately made noise.

故意发出声音。

Part of that was to psyche himself up, but there was another meaning to it.

虽说有让自己拿出气势的意义，但还有另一层意思。

There was something he needed to do before sending Demiurge a 「Message」.

在使用＜传言＞给迪米乌哥斯发出消息之前，还有个不得不做的事情。

Ainz took out a scroll -- Demiurge-brand -- and cast a spell, whereupon a pair of bunny ears sprouted from Ainz’s head.

安兹取出卷轴——迪米乌哥斯牌的——发动魔法，随即，安兹的头上长出了兔耳。

He used them to check for nearby sounds, and it seemed like there was nobody hiding to spy on him. However, that was not enough to put him at ease. After all, there was magic, such as the second-tier spell 「Silence」, which could eliminate sound, and then there were also thief skills, so it was too early to conclude that there was nobody around just because he could not hear anything.

使用这个寻找周围的声音，看起来没有什么人潜伏起来偷窥这边的样子。但是，仅仅这样还没法让人放心。既然存在着以第二位阶＜寂静＞[silence]为代表能消除声音的魔法，和盗贼的特殊技能，没有声音就判断没有人还有点为时尚早。

It’s thanks to Demiurge’s farm -- which allows us to obtain raw materials easily -- that I can use scrolls this casually. Dumping large quantities of produce into the Exchange Box means we can make back the gold spent on the scrolls without any problems. I’ve thought about this before, but I have a good feeling about the various ways in which Nazarick is developing.

（能像这样能随意地使用卷轴，也多亏了在经营牧场、让原材料的供给变得更简单的迪米乌哥斯啊。把大量农作物放入兑币箱的话，制作卷轴时消耗的所钱也没问题了吧。虽然之前就这么觉得了，但纳萨力克的各种发展不是都在顺利进行着么）

They could still use the ordinary parchment from this world for first-tier spells like 「Rabbit’s Ear」. One would need YGGDRASIL materials to go any higher. However, part of the supplies problem had already been solved.

像＜兔耳＞这样的第一位阶魔法还能用这个世界普通贩卖着的羊皮纸。稍微再往上一点就不得不使用YGGDRASIL里的材料了。但这其中一部分的材料问题已经得以了解决。

While it was true that they could only be used to substitute for up to the third tier, Demiurge’s contributions were already very great. The first and most indisputable thing was that when considering everything that had been done until now, he was the most deserving of commendation for his work. Next would be Albedo and her perfect management of Nazarick.

的确现在还只能代替到第三位阶为止，即使是这样迪米乌哥斯的功劳也已经非常大了。首先毫无疑问，考虑到至今为止的行动，他的功勋可以说是第一位吧。接下来就是把纳萨力克完美地管理着的雅儿贝德了。

Ainz then went on to use his ability to create lesser undead and brought forth a Wraith.

安兹继续使用下位不死者作成，制造出了死灵[Wraith]。

Check the surroundings and see if anyone’s spying on me.

（巡视周围，去调查有没有偷窥我的人）

After receiving the order, the Wraith left the room without opening the door. Wraiths had astral bodies, and so they could move straight through walls and other such obstacles. Still, there was a limit depending on how thick those walls were, so it was hardly unlimited, but the thickness of the room’s walls were no problem for it.

接到命令的死灵没有打开门就出了房间。拥有灵体的死灵可以直接穿过墙壁这类的障碍物行动。虽然根据厚度还是存在着极限，所以也不说是无限的，但这个房间墙壁的厚度还是没问题的。

Ainz focused himself on the ears he had sprouted.

安兹把精神集中到长出来的耳朵上。

Even if there was a skilful thief lying in wait, could he remain motionless if an undead creature suddenly appeared, especially if it was surrounded by an aura of terror? In addition, they would need a concealment ability that could hide them from detection by a Wraith. Of course, deceiving low-tier undead was easy, but if someone actually possessed these abilities, then they must be very capable indeed.

就算身手相当好的盗贼在潜伏着，突然出现的不死者，而且还散布着恐怖的气息，在这样的对手面前能否做到一点微小的动作都没有呢。在这之上还要拥有不被死灵发现的潜伏能力。当然，想要糊弄低位不死者的死灵还是比较容易的吧。如果真的有同时具备这些条件的人，那肯定是相当的实力者了。

Ainz concluded that there could not be such a person. If there was someone like that in this nation, then they should have had them take part in the previous two battles.

首先就不可能有吧，安兹这么判断着。如果这个国家里有此等人物在的话，那么之前的两场战斗就应该让其参战才是。

That said, I can’t rule out the possibility that someone like that might be wary of me and thus lying in wait. Still, given that woman’s personality, it shouldn’t be possible… if there was someone like that, it wouldn’t be unusual for Demiurge to inform me about them.

（话虽如此，为了警戒我，而将那样的人物隐藏起来的可能性也不能说没有。但是，按照那个女人的个性来看，应该是不可能的吧……如果有那样的对手，会从迪米乌哥斯那里收到追加情报也不奇怪）

It would not be unusual. As he thought of those words, Ainz wondered, is that really the case?

也不奇怪。想到这里的时候，安兹突然觉得，真的是这样么。

Surely Demiurge would not have felt that Ainz would have understood even if he did not say anything, right?

迪米乌哥斯应该不会觉得如果是安兹的话，即使不说明也能理解的吧。

...Ah, the more I think about it, the more my stomach hurts…

（......啊啊，越想越觉得胃疼了）

If such a mistake had resulted, then he ought to gather his resolve and sit Albedo and Demiurge down for a good chat.

如果出现了这种失败的情况，应该做好觉悟，跟迪米乌哥斯和雅儿贝德好好交谈一下吧。

Eventually, the undead being returned.

不久后，不死者回来了。

“Was anyone there?”

「有人在吗？」

The undead being replied in the negative. Ainz’s ears had not picked up any suspicious sounds either.

从不死者那里得到了「否定」的回应。安兹的耳朵也没有捕捉到可疑的声音。

“Is that so. Then hide in the walls and keep an eye on the surroundings.

「是么。那你就隐藏在墙壁里，在周围巡视警戒着」

After watching the undead being enter a wall, Ainz mentally prepared himself.

目送不死者钻入墙壁，安兹做好了觉悟。

Now then, I’ll be casting 「Message」 next.

（那么，接下来得要发动＜传言＞）

It was a simple thing, but he could not bring himself to do it.

虽然是简单的事情，但还是下不了决心。

It was like an employee who knew he would be scolded by his boss after returning to the office.

简直就像知道回到公司后，会被上司责骂的业务员I那样。

Still, he could not stay this way forever. His heart would also be heavy if Demiurge contacted him first.

但是，也不能一直这样下去，如果迪米乌哥斯先传来联络的话，那样心情也会很沉重。

“Time to do it, me!”

「要上咯，我！」

After cheering himself up, he sent a「Message」to Demiurge. He had rehearsed what he wanted to say in his head countless times and had run more than enough simulations. All he had to do now was say it.

安兹给自己打着气，对迪米乌哥斯使用了＜传言＞。把对话内容在脑子里重复无数次，场景模拟已经足够了，之后只需要将其说出口就好了。

However the「Message」connected before he could breathe in deeply to ease his stress -- or rather, there was practically no delay between casting the spell and opening a channel to Demiurge. The response had been way too fast.

但是，比想要做深呼吸来舒缓紧张更快——或者不如说，在＜传言＞使用后连一瞬间的功夫都没有，就和迪米乌哥斯的通话连上了。这个反应实在是太快了。

“Demiurge, is that you?”

「迪米乌哥斯吗？」

『Indeed, Ainz-sama.』

「是的，安兹大人」

“Umu.” He had practiced this many times. All he had to do now was say it.

「唔姆」已经练习过很多次了。之后就像朗读一样念出来就行了。

“...I was wondering if you had any questions about the divergence of my actions from the report, and so I contacted you. While I understand what you want to say, I feel that Albedo ought to be present as well if there are detailed questions. Return to Nazarick without delay. I will be returning presently as well. We’ll meet in the loghouse on the surface.”

「是不是对我的行动和报告中有所差别抱有疑问呢，我这么想着就和你取得联络了。虽然很明白你想说的，但觉得详细的问题还是把雅儿贝德也叫上比较好。火速回到纳萨力克。我也马上回去。就在地面上的木屋里汇合吧」

『Understood. Then I will contact Albedo from my end.』

「遵命。那么就由我这边去联络雅儿贝德」

“Ahh, please do.”

「啊啊，拜托你了」

He immediately cut off the「Message」. After that, Ainz sighed deeply.

立刻取消了＜传言＞。随后，安兹重重地长叹了一声。

Ahhh, that’s good. He didn’t sound mad. Ahhh, that was scary.

（啊啊，太好了。没有在生气的样子哟。啊啊，好恐怖）

What should I do if a talented subordinate gets mad at me, he had thought. Ainz’s heart was full of fear; in order to put himself at ease, he channelled new strength into his faltering body and stared at the wall.

被优秀的部下发火了该怎么办，这么想着。内心在害怕着的安兹，因为涌入安心感而快要倒下的身体，重新注入力量，盯着墙壁。

The Wraith’s mission was complete. Thanks to friendly fire being on, he could destroy the undead like Shalltear had, but there was no need to waste his strength. Ordering it to return was also a simple task. Incidentally, there was no need to speak either; he could simply issue a mental command. In that way, he could break the tenuous link between them.

死灵的任务也完成了。由于可以对友军造成伤害，像夏提雅那样把不死者消灭掉也可以，但没有必要使用无用的力量。让其归还也是很简单的事情。顺带一提，也没有说话的必要，在脑子里下达命令即可。这样就能把那微乎其微的联系破坏掉。

That said there were countless such links stretching back towards E-Rantel. Over there, he was not confident of being able to give a clear order without speaking it. That much was true. However, Ainz had made very few undead in this place, so issuing a clear-cut command would be simple enough.

虽然是这么说，现在，有数不清数量的联系，向着耶·兰提尔延伸过去。在那个地方没有自信不通过话语就能好好地下达命令，这是事实，但与此相对，在这个地方安兹作出的不死者非常少，所以要分清的话就很容易。

--Disappear. Now then, to return to Nazarick...

（——消失吧。那么，之后就先回纳萨力克......）

After this would come a very frightening task -- a task of deception that had to be completed. He would have liked someone else to handle it if he could, but that was impossible, Besides, who could he hand it to?

接下来要做非常恐怖的工作——可以说是不得不做拿借口进行坑蒙拐骗的工作。如果能交给谁的话，还真想这么干啊，但是这是不可能的。话说，这能交给谁啊。

He touched the magic items from the three demihumans on the table in the hopes of clearing away his unease.

触碰着桌子上放的三个亚人的魔法道具，试着消除这份不安感。

Fufu. They’re weak, they’re cheap, but still, obtaining magic items in this world makes me happy… well, maybe I’m not as happy as Pandora’s Actor would be, but it does feel like I enjoy magic items too, huh?

（呼呼，好弱，价值也低，即使这样，在这个世界得到魔法道具，还是相当开心的......虽然不及潘朵拉·亚克特那样，感觉我也相当喜欢魔法道具的样子？）

The first thing he did was appraise the magic items belonging to the four-armed demihuman. Among them, was the armband that had protected against Ainz’s instant death spell, and its name was the Deathguard Armband. It could grant immunity to death magic once a day.

首先鉴定有四只手的亚人持有的魔法道具。那之中的一个，臂环才是防住安兹即死魔法的道具，名为死亡守护臂环[arm band of death guard]。一日里只能发动一次，赋予对即死魔法的完全抗性。

Ainz picked it up and twirled it in his hand several times, then put it back on the table.

安兹把它拿在手里转了好几圈，然后放回了桌上。

Boring. If only there were better items. Now then--

（真无聊。如果是更好的道具的话，就好了啊。那么——）

Just as he was about to set out, he heard the sound of knocking on the door. A voice from the outside said, “Your Majesty, this is Squire Neia Baraja.”

准备出发的时候，突然，听到了敲门声，从外面传来了「魔导王陛下，我是宁亚·巴拉哈」的声音。

Ainz immediately inspected himself. Then he looked around the room to ensure that his bearing was that of the absolute sovereign that was the Sorcerer King. After that, he slowly settled himself into a chair and the pose he adopted was King Ainz No. 24.

安兹立刻开始检查自身的装扮。然后环视一圈，确认自己是否与绝对的王者魔导王身份相称。然后慢慢地坐到椅子上，选用的是安兹王者姿势中的第二十四种。

“--Enter.”

「——请进」

He did his best to speak in a low, weighty voice. This change in pitch was also the result of repeated practice.

尽可能的发出沉重的声音。这个声调也是无数次反复练习的成果。

The door opened, and Neia -- her injuries now recovered -- entered the room and bowed to him.

门打开后，伤势已经恢复了的宁亚进入了房间，然后行一礼。

“I am deeply grateful to be granted permission to enter, Your Highness. I have come here in order to discharge my duties as a squire.”

「能给予许可，真是非常感谢，魔导王陛下。我是为了履行从者的职责，而来这里的」

“Umu. I am glad you came, Miss Baraja. But there is no need to fulfil your squire’s obligations today. While your wounds might have healed, the fatigue of the battle must--”

「呼姆。来的好，巴拉哈小姐。可是今天，你无需履行从者的职责也可以哦。伤势虽然已经恢复了，战斗的疲劳还——」

Ah, it’s been taken care of, Ainz thought. The potion he had used back then was one which removed both fatigue and exhaustion. It was a potion that Nfirea -- his skin dry and rough -- had praised to the heavens.

啊，已经消除了啊，安兹这么想到。那个时候使用的药水是把疲劳和疲惫全部消除的药水。也是皮肤干燥没有光泽的恩弗雷亞赞不绝口的药水。

“I am able to fulfil my obligations as a squire thanks to Your Majesty’s power. Also -- I am very happy to be allowed to stay by Your Majesty’s side.”

「多亏了魔导王陛下的力量，要履行从者的义务已经没问题了。而且——我对于能待在陛下身边也感到很开心」

Neia smiled -- or was it a smirk? One’s body would naturally go on the defensive in the face of a hostile or evil smile, but Ainz’s kingly poise was unbreakable.

微笑——不，是冷笑吧——宁亚露出了笑容。在好像有敌意或是恶意的笑容面前，身体不由自主的就要采取架势了，但是安兹的王者的姿势是没有破绽的。

“...Is that so. However, I must return to the Sorcerous Kingdom for a while to handle some critical tasks. I apologize for wasting your trip.”

「......是吗。但是，我接下来有不得不处理的工作，要回一趟魔导国。麻烦你跑一趟了」

“I see…”

「是这样么......」

She looked very disappointed, but she did not look cute at all. All he could think was that she was glaring at him. However, Ainz had already thought of a way to deal with Neia.

看起来很失落的样子，但是可爱的成分是一点也没有。只能让人觉得是在瞪着自己。然而，安兹已经想出了对待宁亚的对策。

All he had to do was close his eyes. That way, her eyes would not frighten him any more.

把眼睛闭上。这样一来那眼睛就不会让人感到害怕了。

“Speaking of which, I am glad that you are well -- that you are alive, Miss Baraja.”

「话说回来，巴拉哈小姐平安无事——能生还真是让人很高兴啊」

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty! All this is thanks to your power. In particular, without this suit of armor I might not have been able to hold on until Your Majesty arrived.”

「非常感谢您，魔导王陛下！这也是多亏了陛下的力量。特别是这个铠甲，如果没有这个铠甲，我不觉得能坚持到陛下赶来」

But you didn’t hold on, you died… well, all’s well that ends well. Come to think of it, I heard she was fighting on the city walls, so giving her that armor which could defend against ranged attacks was the right choice!

（然而并没有坚持到哦，已经死了哦……嘛，结果好的话，就一切都好、吧。话说回来。听说是在城墙上战斗，所以借给她能抵御飞行道具的铠甲果然是正确的选择呢！）

“Fufu. Well, that is good to hear. How about the bow? Did you show off its power to the masses?”

「呼呼。那真是太好了。弓又怎么样呢？有让多数的民众见识到它的力量了那？」

“Yes… many people saw the great power within this bow… although, they’re all dead now.”

「是的......这张弓中蕴含着的强大力量让很多的人见识到了......虽然，大家、都死了」

“What!? --I see, so that’s what happened. What a shame.”

「什么！——是吗，是这样啊，那还真是遗憾」

He had failed again. Ainz was filled with a profound sense of regret. If everyone who saw it was dead, it was no different from nobody seeing it at all. Maybe I should give up on trying to advertise rune weapons, Ainz thought. Still -- I think there ought to be a chance. Even if this plan failed, it doesn’t mean I’ve lost anything, and there’ll be great benefits if it succeeds.

又失败了啊。安兹打从心底觉得很遗憾。见识到的人都死了，这跟没人见识到是一样的。还是，放弃符文武器的宣传吧，安兹这么考虑道。但是——我觉得应该还有机会。即使这个计划失败了，也等于是没有损失，一旦成功了好处可是很大的。

“I am sure that without the gear which Your Majesty lent me, I would be in Heaven with the others… thank you very much, Your Majesty.”

「我也是，如果没有从魔导王陛下那里借到装备的话，肯定会跟其他人一样前往天国了吧......魔导王陛下，真是非常感谢您」

Ainz sensed that her words came from the heart, and so Ainz thought, well done. Of course, he could not express that emotion. He had to keep showing her a ruler’s poise, after all.

觉得这句话是打从心底里发出的感谢，安兹在心中喊出了一句，好样的。然而，不能表露出这样的感情。果然只能让她看到与王者相符的姿态。

“Pay it no heed. All you need to know is that a master’s duty is to protect his followers.”

「不必在意。你只要知道保护自己的从者是主人的义务就好」

Ainz cracked his eyes open a fraction to study her reaction.. Neia’s face had twisted slightly when she had heard the word “follower”. It was probably not anger, but it felt like some kind of unhappiness. If her present attitude and the flow of the conversation were to be trusted, that was not the case.

稍微睁开眼睛瞥上一眼，观察情况，听到从者，宁亚的表情微微地扭曲了。应该不是在生气才对，但是还是觉得有不高兴的成分。只能根据至今为止的态度和话题的流向来相信，这并不是这种感情了。

In other words, opening his eyes had been a mistake. Ainz closed his eyes again.

不如说，果然睁开眼睛是失败的选择啊。安兹再次闭上了眼睛。

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Also, the people whom Your Majesty saved also wish me to express their gratitude to you.”

「非常感谢您，魔导王陛下。然后，那些被魔导王陛下救助的人、希望我替他们传达对陛下的感谢之情」

“Ho…” All right! Ainz struggled to hide the way he felt. You need not worry about it. I simply happened to save them because they were there. However, I hope they will not expect this good fortune to repeat itself, I used quite a lot of mana in this battle, so I might not be able to help next time, you know?”

「嚯.....」太好了，安兹拼命隐藏住这样的情感「没有在意的必要。仅仅是偶然救助的生命碰巧在那里罢了。只是，希望他们不要觉得这份幸运能重复好几次。由于这次的战斗中又使用了相当多的魔力，接下来真的没法帮忙了哦？」

“Understood, I will convey your message to them.”

「遵命，这旨意，我会传达到的」

“Ahh. However… that’s right. Please inform these people that I am glad to receive their gratitude… and now, Miss Baraja, I apologize but I really must be going. After this -- yes, can you come back in four hours’ time?”

「啊啊。但是......也是呢。向那些人传达，能对我表示感谢之情，我很高兴。......那么，巴拉哈小姐。不好意思，我差不多得走了。在这之后——是呢，能在差不多四个小时之后过来吗？」

“Yes! No problem at all! Then, please excuse me, Your Majesty!”

「好的！没有问题！那么陛下，我失礼了！」

Neia left the room, and Ainz opened his eyes.

宁亚退出了房间，安兹睁开了眼睛。

Hm. Her gratitude does seem quite genuine. Looks like I’ve got one person at last. No, as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Should I give out free healing potions as advertisement? That ought to win me more gratitude… but can it make up for the mistake with the rune weapons?

(唔。感觉的确怀揣着感谢之意啊。这样就总算有一个人了吗。不，不过也有千里之行始于足下这种说法。这里应该顺带宣传下回复系的药水，无偿地提供吗？应该会受到更多的感谢吧......能弥补符文那边的失败吗？）

Ainz took out the purple potion.

安兹取出了紫色的药水。

This was Nfirea’s potion. Its quality was slightly inferior to that of YGGDRASIL-made potions, and it was still in the development phase. However, its effects might catch up in the future, or he might end up being able to make YGGDRASIL’s red potions.

是恩弗雷亚所作的药水。品质上比起YGGDRASIL里产出的药水性能上稍微差了一点点，是处于还在开发阶段的药水。但是，将来效果或许能追上来也不一定，或许可以变得能制作YGGDRASIL里的红色药水也不一定。

It would have been too wasteful to spread the news of YGGDRASIL’s red potions for nothing, so I didn’t use them… still, I don’t know whether people who are used to blue potions can accept purple potions. Using and testing them here sounds like a good plan.

（把YGGDRASIL里红色药水的情报白白地传出就太浪费了，所以就没用......但是，果然习惯了青色药水的人们，能否接受紫色药水还是个疑问啊。在这里使用并拿出实绩来感觉也是一个不错打算）

Right now, he intended to have Nazarick conceal the potions which Nfirea and his grandmother had made. He did not plan to distribute the technology. However, that plan might change in the future, and the time might come when he could sell that potion. It would be good to prime the pump for such a situation.

现在，恩弗雷亚和他祖母所制作出的药水，由纳萨力克藏匿，没有打算让技术流出。但是，随着今后计划的变更，说不定贩卖这种药水的时机也会到来。为了那时先做好布局不也是挺好的吗。

This is complicated. There’s merits and demerits on both sides...

（好纠结啊。不管是哪边都有好处和坏处的样子。但是恩弗雷亚吗......）

Frankly speaking, the fact that he’s discussing his sex life with me is causing me a lot of problems. I mean, at least they’re not doing it in front of me, but wouldn’t it be bad if word got out that he was talking about his wife?

讲道理，找我商量夫妻之间的夜生活什么的也很叫人困扰啊。虽然不是活生生的摆在我面前，但谈论妻子那方面的事情被发现了不是很不妙吗。

In the first place, why is Nfirea even discussing this with me? Is it because he has no male relatives and is far away from the city he had lived in until now, so he thought that he had nobody to talk to? For all I know, he might be thinking that Narberal and I have that sort of relationship.

话说回来，为什么会想到找我商量啊。没有了男性亲人，再加上远离了至今为止居住的城市，只能认为是没有与之商量的对象了吗。说不定是他以外自己和娜贝拉尔是那种关系。

But he ought to know that I’m a skeleton...

（应该知道我是骸骨的啊......）

While Ainz had thought of spying on their sex life to satisfy his curiosity, he felt that doing so would change his attitude towards the two of them, so he had curbed the impulse. However, every time Nfirea came to discuss it with him, it took a great deal of effort to suppress the curiosity that flashed through his mind.

虽然也曾为了满足好奇心，而想要偷窥过两人的夜生活，但是，感觉那样的话自己对那两人的态度或许会发生变化，所以就自重了。然而，每当听恩弗雷亚商量的时候，想要把脑子里不断闪过的好奇心抑制住还真是费了一番功夫。

I remember something about it feeling very good, so he was asked to do it a lot of times… could it be that the reason he made so much of that potion -- some kind of nutrient supplement, I think -- and then gave it to me was because...

（记得是说因为知道了是很舒服的事，所以被要求了很多次吗……难道说那种类型的药水——滋养恢复类的吗，即使要制作大量那种药水给我也……）

In any case, he had decided to give it to those two Lizardmen so they would work hard on making more rare children.

总之言之，最后还是决定给那两个蜥蜴人，让他们继续努力增加稀有的孩子吧。

The fruits of technology are first applied to the military, then sex and medicine. Is that true? ...Ah, time to go back.