“--Excuse me, Master?” Kunivela asked nervously. Both their eyes -- Kunivela only cared about his Master’s gazes turned to him. “All the undead magic casters who belong to “Corpus of the Abyss” are willing to surrender to you, Master. Does it please you?”

「——不好意思主人？」库尼维拉战战兢兢地问道，两人的视线——对于库尼维拉来说只关心主人的视线——转了过来「我等“深渊之躯”所属的所有不死魔法吟唱者都愿意向主人投降，不知主人意下如何？」

“Oh, yes, let’s settle things on this end first. While it’s bad form to answer a question with another question, I still have to ask: why do I have to accept it?”

「哦、对了，先把这边的事情了结了吧。虽说用问题来回答问题不太好，但是我还要问、为什么我一定要接受呢？」

Kunivela gulped at Master’s “doubtful” attitude.

面对主人打从心底的「疑问」态度，库尼维拉吞了一口唾沫。

“You lot only pay lip service to the idea. Why should I spare you? Only by tearing you out by the roots will I eliminate future problems.”

「怎么能放过你们这些口服心不服的家伙。斩草除根才能永绝后患」

“We would never do such a thing. We could not even think of defying--”

「绝不是那样的。我等对您这样的强者任何反逆之心都——」

“--Ah, I’ve heard enough of that. Then what would happen if you learned our weakness?”

「——啊、这些话我已经听够了。那如果你们得知了我们的弱点又当如何？」

He could not hide anything from Master’s demands.

面对主人的问题是不能有所隐瞒的。

“If it benefited us to destroy our foe once we seized his weakness, we would do so.”

「如果抓住弱点消灭对方能带来好处就会那样做」

“You see?”

「对吧？」

“Only with respect to elements that Master deems harmful by taking us as vassals we will surely be of use for instance I can guarantee that we can outperform any other think-tank as long as we work together and of course we can serve as troops against your enemies Master while your power is matchless surely numbers can serve as an advantage”

「那只是主人被判断是不利因素的情况把我等收为下属必定是有用的比如我可以保证只要我们全体合作在魔法的研究成果上可以胜过任何研究机关对于主人的仇敌我们也可以充当兵力虽然主人的力量无比强大但是人数也是一种优势」

Kunivela desperately struggled to demonstrate his worth.

库尼维拉拼命地展示着自己的价值。

“Hm, that is true. I do have something that needs researching. But according to your colleagues which I eliminated earlier, nobody can do it. Is that true?”

「嗯、这样说也没错。我确实有一个想要研究的东西，但是听先前处理掉的你的同僚说，那是谁也做不到的哦？」

Everyone had a rough idea of who was studying what within the group. They shared their information to avoid feuding over resources due to duplicating each others’ efforts. However, there was no guarantee that each person was telling the truth about the contents of their research. Kunivela himself was conducting secret research of his own.

组织内部谁在研究什么大概都是互相知道的。这是为了避免重复研究而产生资源争夺之类的事而进行的情报互通。但是各成员所说的研究内容的真实性却不能保证。库尼维拉也有着自己的秘密研究。

Perhaps this hidden material could be used as bargaining material. If he said, “everyone has their own secret topics,” then Master would need to go and question everyone, which would mean he might step up his attacks against the organization. Perhaps the others had considered that too, which was why they had chosen to be killed without saying a word, which was why Master had not expressed any doubts in that area.

这些隐藏的部分或许能作为交涉材料也说不定。如果说出「每个人都有自己的秘密项目」这样的话，那就必须去询问那些当事人，这样一来对组织的攻势可能会进一步增加。可能正是因为其他人也想到了这一点所以选择不做声地被杀掉，主人才没有提出这方面的疑问吧。

“--Then, what if we offered up a fixed sum to you every year? With a great deal of money, you could hire more of the living to help carry out research--”

「——那么、每年为您准备定额的贡品如何？有大量的金钱的话也可以雇佣更多的活人进行研究了」

“I have no need for money.”

「钱我倒是不怎么需要」

“Mm.”

「嗯」

The girl beside him nodded,

一旁的少女点了点头。

“Then, then why did you have me hand over my treasures first?”

「那、那么为什么首先要我交出财宝呢？」

Was that not very strange? In response to Kunivela’s question, Master shrugged nonchalantly.

这不是很奇怪吗，面对库尼维拉的问题，主人耸耸肩满不在乎地答道。

“I was just looking for any rare items you had among it. Ah, and I also wanted to savor the adventurer’s spirit of gaining treasure after beating a dungeon.”

「只是想其中要是有稀有道具就好了。啊、还有就是通关了迷宫获得宝物的浪漫吧」

Kunivela could not help but wonder what he meant by “adventurer’s spirit”.

库尼维拉不禁在想浪漫是个什么东西。

Was he going to wipe all of them out just for that?

为了这个东西就要将我等全部消灭吗？

Surely he would have fought back with all his might if he had not been c*trolled. Of course, that was nothing more than a pointless fantasy.

如果没**控的话一定会拼命抵抗吧。当然、那也只是毫无意义的想象罢了。

“I have more questions for you. Since you are under my control, will the other members of your organization come to save you, or will this stronghold self-destruct after a while -- that is to say, is there any demerit to us in staying here?”

「那么接下来继续提问。因为你已经在我的操控下了，那么会出现组织的其他成员来营救你或者说这个据点过一段时间后就会自爆之类的——也就是说、对我们在这里停留不利的因素吗？」

It was hard to explain what those demerits were.

这种不利因素很难说。

If Kunivela vanished, the others would assume that something had happened to him. But who on earth would risk themselves like this? Perhaps all of them might come, but probably not to rescue Kunivela or to attack Master. It was more likely that they would offer surrender or ask to negotiate.

库尼维拉消失了的话，其他人会认为是出事了吧。不过谁会干这种火中取栗的事情呢。也可能所有人会一起来，但应该不是为了营救库尼维拉而与主人为敌，比起那样还是乞求饶命或者寻求谈判比较有可能。

In any event, there was nothing which would be immediately unfavorable to Master. However, one could not overlook any disadvantageous developments which might emerge after this.

总之、立即就会对主人不利的情况应该不会有。但是、之后可能产生的不利因素也不能忽视。

“There are none. However, that is only for the next day or so. If several days pass -- the more time passes, the more likely someone will think something is off. In addition, there are still c*trolled undead in this base. What about them? If they are still around, they might launch an attack.”

「没有。但这也只是说一两天之内不会有问题。但是如果再过几天的话——时间拖得越长就越有可能出现觉得不对劲的人。而且、这个据点内还有在**控下的不死者，那些不死者怎么样了？如果他们还存在的话，也很有可能会发动攻击」

Kunivela might be under c*trol, but that was just him. The undead he had created were a different matter. They would probably carry out their orders to kill all intruders the moment they saw Master.

虽说库尼维拉已经**控了，但是也只是他个人而已。他创造的不死者另当别论。被下达了杀死入侵者的命令的不死者们在看到这位主人的时候应该会立即发动攻击吧。

On the other hand, now that Kunivela was c*trolled, the undead that were under Kunivela’s c*trol would be freed of it. Those undead were probably trying to flee right now and would not attempt to begin hostilities.

相对的因为现在库尼维拉已经**控了，被库尼维拉强制操控的不死者们就解放了。那些不死者现在应该正在逃离这里吧，不会采取什么敌对行动。

“Ah, if it’s just the undead here, then I can deal with all of them easily even if they attack me all at once. There’s no need to worry about that.”

「啊、如果仅是这里的不死者，一起上也很容易对付。不必在意」

“Sir!”

「是！」

Kunivela bowed his head.

库尼维拉低下头。

He understood this already, but hearing Master actually talk about his superiority left him speechless.

虽然是早已明白的事情，但听主人亲口说出力量差距那就真的无言以对了。

“Now then, explain your findings to Number Two; Be quick about it.”

「那么向二号简单说明一下你的研究内容。注意不要花太多时间」

“Understood.

「遵命」

The research of the undead -- for the members of “Corpus of the Abyss”, their fundamental aim was to achieve great magical might. While he did not think the girl would understand, he told her anyway.

不死者的研究——应该说是“深渊之躯”所属的不死者们的目的基本上都是获得强大魔力的方法。虽然不觉得少女能听明白，但是还是说了。

During this time, Master stored all the treasure into a magically-created pocket dimension.

主人则是趁着这段时间里把财宝都收拾进了魔法所作成的空间之中。

“...And that is it.”

「……就是以上这些内容」

“Alright, thank you for your hard work. Now, for the next question: Tell me everything about all the members of your organization. Their abilities, their locations, points of note, and so on.”

「好的、辛苦了。那么下一个问题。把你们组织的所有成员的相关信息说出来。能力、所在地、需要注意的地方，等等」

So that was it. He had used this power to dominate the others, then made them tell him everything before destroying them one by one.

原来如此。利用这个能力来进行支配，然后像这样把情报引出来，一个接一个的消灭掉吧。

In the past, they had all acted individually, but now that they were all informing each other of their status, it was as though everyone was joined by invisible strings. Rather than reap the harvest when he sensed his prey approach, all Master had to do was pull on that string and draw them over.

过去都是个别行动，但是现在会互相通知彼此的情况，就像有根看不见的绳子将全员连在一起。与其说是狩猎感觉更接近收割，主人只要将绳子拉过来就好。

He did not want to talk, but Kunivela told him everything he knew. Thanks to the Undead Domination, he could not hide or lie about anything.

虽然不想说，但是库尼维拉还是把知道的全都说了。因为支配不死者的缘故，没有办法隐藏或伪装任何事。

The girl would throw pointed questions his way from time to time. It was probably to ensure that it matched up with what they had learned from the already-destroyed members.

少女有时候会投来尖锐的问题。恐怕是为了确认与从已毁灭的成员那里听来的情报之间有无出入吧。

“Thank you.” Although Master had thanked Kunivela for coming clean, he probably meant none of it.

「辛苦了」虽然主人慰劳了全都坦白的库尼维拉，但心里大概一点那样的想法都没有吧。

“Now then, this is the last question--”

「那么、这是最后的问题了──」

The words “last question” made Kunivela panic. He had not yet shown his usefulness, and if this kept up, it would be for the worst.

最后的问题这句话让库尼维拉着急了起来。自己还没有表现出有用性，这样下去的话将会变成最糟糕的事态。

“--Enough, Number One.”

「──可以了、一号」

The girl interrupted in a tone that suggested fatigue, or an empty vitality.

用带有疲备、亦或是空虚的活泼语气，开口打断的是少女。

“That’s enough, Number One. After all, I’ve done a lot of research on my own, and I understand now… you know what I said about not dreaming any more two years ago?”

「已经可以了、一号。毕竟我也跟着做了不少调查，已经理解了……两年前我就说过不会再做梦了吧？」

“...Is this about the Celestial Maiden of the Sun? But this isn’t just for you, Number Two. I’ve told you several times, but this is also for my own personal interest. It’s not for you, but for me.”

「……太阳的神姬吗？不过、二号，这并不只是为了你喔。我也说了好几次了，这其中也包含着我个人的兴趣。不是为了你、而是为了我」

The expression on the girl’s face was strange; it seemed lonely and happy at the same time. Kunivela could not understand it.

少女露出了既像是寂寞也是像是开心，对库尼维拉来说无法了解的微妙表情。

“I’ll ask, then. Do you know anything about how the country of Inveria was destroyed by all its people becoming yuriniggers?”

「那么就提问了。关于茵蓓利亚这个国家变得到处都是殭尸而毁灭一事，你知道些什么吗？」

He searched his memory after hearing the word Inveria, but all he knew about it was that it was some faraway country.

茵蓓利亚、这样说之后尝试追寻了记忆，但只有是某个遥远的国家这样程度的知识而已。

“No, I know nothing.”

「不、什么都不知道」

“Is that so… Then, do you know of anyway to revert a person who has been turned into a yurinigger back to normal -- that is to say, back into a living being? It doesn’t matter if it’s very unlikely.”

「是吗……那么、将成为殭尸的人变回原来──变回生者的方法，就算可能性很低也没关系、你知道些什么吗？」

While he felt that this was a good time to demonstrate his worth, Kunivela knew nothing about the topic. If he had not been dominated, he would probably have tried to make something up to save his life, or lied that he was just about to begin research into that topic.

虽然觉得这是展现自己价值的机会，但是库尼维拉什么也不知道。要是没有支配的话，大概会为了保命说些场面话，又或着扯谎说将来正打算进行那样的研究之类的吧。

“No, I do not. But they say legendary beings like the Dragon Lords should know something about it.”

「不、我不知道。但是龙王之类这些传说中的存在的话，应该会知道些什么」

“That name comes up often. The vast being that floats in the sky, as well as the Brightness Dragon Lord.”

「名字本身倒是时常听说呢、飘浮在天空中的庞然大物啊，还有七彩龙王[Brightness Dragon Lord]什么的」

“In addition, there are--”

「除此之外还有──」

He listed the names of all the Dragon Lords he knew of. But he added that he was not sure where they were or if they actually existed.

列出了所知范围里的龙王名字。但是具体在哪里、是不是真的存在，自己也并不清楚这点也有一并传达。

Kunivela felt that this was his chance and desperately tried to sell himself.

库尼维拉认为这里正是机会，拼命地表现着自己。

“If you give me time, I will find the locations of these Dragon Lords immediately.”

「若是给我些时间的话，我会立刻调查这些龙王的所在」

“A good suggestion, but I will still be destroying you.”

「虽然是个不错的提案，不过还是要消灭你」

He received an answer immediately

马上就给了答案。

“But, but why? Am I not useful to you?”

「为、为什么呢？我觉得自己能派上用场啊？」

“Because allowing others to know about us would have many demerits for us. It is because you did not know about us that you could not find the right way to deal with us.”

「因为我们的情报要是让他人知道会带来许多坏处。正因为不知道我们的情报，你们才找不到正确的对应方法」

“But it would be impossible to betray you if you used your ability to dominate everyone.”

「但是用这份力量进行支配的话，背叛根本是不可能的事」

“Indeed, that is so. But as you know, there is a limit to undead domination, both in upper limits and total numbers. There are far too many drawbacks for me to afford the luxury of dominating you. So long as there is no way to absolutely guarantee that you will never betray me.”

「没错、正是如此。但是你们也知道的吧，用这个技能能支配的不死者是有极限的。有上限和总合计的限制。考虑到将你们置于支配下时的余裕，坏处实在太大了。只要没有其他能保证你们不背叛的支配手段的话」

“We would never betray--”

「背叛什么的──」

“I explained it to you just now, didn’t I?”

「刚刚、我说明过了吧？」

Kunivela swallowed his words.

库尼维拉把话吞了回去。

There was nothing he could show the undead being before him that could change his mind.

自己展示不出能动摇面前这个不死者想法的「什么东西」。

“Now then, let’s put an end to this.”