When one got down to it, the premise of their victory was flawed from the start. Or rather, the battle itself had been a waste of time.

追根究底，胜利的前提条件本身就已经破绽百出，不如说战斗本身就是在做无用功。

All they could do now was end this with as few casualties as possible and flee to a safe place. However, that was not the right thing to do.

剩下的只有如何减少伤亡结束这一切，要怎么才能逃亡到安全的地方而已了。然而那并非正确的事。

Weakness was a sin.

弱小才是恶。

It was a sin to be so weak that they could not rescue anyone. That was why they had trained hard to this day.

谁都救不了的这份弱小正是恶。所以我们才努力训练至今天。

She could not allow this to end with herself as a sinner.

绝不能在最后作为恶的一方而结束。

If that happened, she would not be able to face that figure of absolute justice, His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown.

这样的话就无颜面对那个绝对正义的存在，安兹·乌尔·恭魔导王陛下。

Neia had prepared her soul for what was to come, and she unconsciously mentioned what was in her heart.

做好觉悟的宁亚不经意间把自己的内心想法说了出来。

“It’s all ogre now.”

「都完了呢。」

She was louder than she thought she would be. There was no telling if the people around Neia had been affected by her mood, or if they had been thinking the same thing as Neia from the start, but whatever the reason, they all bowed their heads.

这句话的音量比预想中的还要大。周围的人不知是宁亚的情感影响到了呢、还是本来他们就和宁亚想的一样，都低下了头。

This was the end.

到此为止了。

The foolish dream of liberating the Holy Kingdom and helping the people had come to an end.

解放圣王国，帮助人们这种梦话到此结束。

Come to think of it, they had dared to entertain that dream because of the Sorcerer King’s power. But they had ended up like this when they only had themselves to count on.

现在回想起来，之前是因为有着魔导王的那种力量，我们才看到了梦想。但如果只有我们自己的话只

能落到这种境地，就是这麼一回事吧。

Neia knew that now was not the time to laugh, but she did. Then her face turned serious, and she looked toward CZ.

宁亚知道现在不是笑的时候，但是她笑了出来。然后她再度摆出认真的表情，将头转向希丝

“...Can you get away?”

「……妳能从这逃走么？」

“...How about you, Neia?”

「…………宁亚呢？」

Neia held her chest high.

宁亚挺起胸膛。

“I can’t run away! I’m a person who saw His Majesty work for others, and who benefited from it. I can’t let this end with me as a weakling -- as a sinner.”

「我不可以逃走！我作为亲眼看到魔导王陛下功勋的人，受其熏陶的人，不能以弱者——以恶的身份结束。」

Neia saw the people around her raise their heads.

周围的人抬起头这一举动映入宁亚的眼帘。

“We won’t run from that bastard!”

「我们不会逃避那家伙！」

They looked like proper warriors again.

他们的脸上重新挂起战士的表情。

Those were the faces of men who were prepared to die. How she wanted to show them off before the Sorcerer King.

这是已做好觉悟的表情。令人不禁想要在魔导王面前夸耀的表情。

“But… you… no, you’re not the same… Which is why we want to entrust our wishes to you. I know it must be strange to thank His Majesty through you, but as one of his subordinates… Please do it for us. Please find His Majesty, CZ. You can command those of us who are still in Kalinsha as you see fit. Please…”

「但是……之后……不，妳不一样。……所以才要把我们的愿望交给妳。虽然把对魔导王大人的感谢要寄托在身为魔导王部下的妳身上大概很奇怪吧………但是拜托了。请去寻找魔导王陛下、希丝。我们留在卡林夏的组织可以让妳随意使唤。请务必……」

“...Got it.”

「…………没问题」

Neia breathed a sigh of relief after seeing CZ agree.

看到希丝肯定的回答宁亚松了一口气。

However, that expression immediately became one of resignation.

但是马上那个表情就变为了纳闷。

“...There’s no need for me to go.”

「…………我没有去的必要」

“What, what does that mean?”

「那、那是什么意思？」

“...Look.”

「…………看」

CZ pointed at the approaching objects -- the demihuman reinforcements coming from the direction of Kalinsha. They were made up of many different races, even Orcs and Zerns. Neia stared at the flags which the demihuman reinforcements were holding up in neat rows. It was--

希丝指向的是渐渐逼近的东面――从卡林夏那个方向过来的各式各样的亚人种族――连豚鬼和蓝蛆都有——的援军。注视着亚人大军的宁亚看到亚人援军整齐地高举着旗帜。那是——

“Eh?”

「诶？」

Neia was so shocked that she exclaimed despite herself.

宁亚惊呆了不由自主地发出了声音。

She doubted what her eyes had seen and looked again several more times, but what she saw remained the same.

怀疑起自己的眼睛，反复地仔细看了好几遍，但还是一样。

“...See? There’s no need.”

「…………看吧，没有必要」

Neia knew that flag very well.

宁亚非常清楚那个旗帜。

It was the flag of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

那是魔导国的国旗。

The shocked cries from her comrades proved that what Neia had seen was no illusion.

同伴们惊讶的声音证明了宁亚所看到的不是幻觉。

“Isn’t that the flag of the Sorcerous Kingdom? You told us about it before, didn’t you, Baraja-sama?”

「那是魔导国的旗帜吧？巴拉哈大人曾经说过的吧？」

“Are those reinforcements from the Sorcerous Kingdom? Baraja-sama did say something about demihumans in the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

「从魔导国来的援军？确实巴拉哈大人说过魔导国也有亚人的吧」

There was a war going on now. At this very moment, countless people were killing each other, and Jaldabaoth was killing people too.

现在正进行着战争。这一瞬间也有无数生命在互相厮杀，也有人被亚达巴沃杀害。

However, Neia forgot all that as she tried desperately to grasp what was going on.

然而宁亚却把这些都忘了，拼命的想掌握现在发生的状况。

What happened next fired everyone up.

接下来发生的事情，使人们沸腾了。

The demihuman army split into two, like they had drilled the maneuver countless times. They made way in the center for a single undead being to step forward.

亚人的大军仿佛训练过无数次一样，分割成两个大队。中间让开了一条道，在道上前进的是一个不死者。

He was a magic caster in a black robe, mounted on a skeletal warhorse.

身穿黑色法袍，乘着骸骨战马的魔法吟唱者。

That was the form of the hero Neia adored, who she saw even in her dreams.

那是宁亚所追求的，做梦都期盼的英雄的身姿。

“It, it’s His Majesty… is this really happening…”

「魔、魔导王陛下……真的假的……」

Neia could not confidently say if she was watching a dream or witnessing reality.

宁亚现在看到的是真实的景象吗，还是说只是一个梦吗，她没有自信。

However, the being she saw was immovable, and he could not be a dream.

但是那存在无可动摇，不可能是梦。

Her emotions exploded inside her, to the point she could not even describe how she felt.

感情像爆炸了一样，连现在自己是什么心情都无法形容。

Her hot tears blurred her field of vision. She could not even think to wipe them away.

只是热泪充满整片视野，光是想擦就已经忙不过来了。

CZ waved to the Sorcerer King. He seemed to have noticed this, and urged his horse over to her.

希丝向魔导王挥着手。注意到这个的魔导王驱使着骸骨战马向这边跑来。

The Sorcerer King was upon them.

魔导王靠近过来了。

What should she say to him? Should she apologize for not searching for him? Would she be forgiven if she did that? While Neia was looking for the right words to say, the Sorcerer King had already reached her and nimbly dismounted from his steed.

要怎样搭话才好呢。是不是应该为了没有趣寻找魔导王这件事情道歉呢？这么做就会被原谅吗？宁亚什么都说不出口的时候，魔导王已来到跟前，灵巧的从马上下来。

“...Umu. What a coincidence, meeting you here. Miss Baraja. Did you think I was dead?”

「……嗯。能在这里相见还真巧啊，巴拉哈小姐。是觉得我已经死了吗？

“Your, Your Majesty!”

「魔、魔导王陛下！」

Neia could not stem the flow of her tears.

宁亚的眼泪止不住地往下落

“I believed all this time, because CZ-sempai told me. I thought you would be fine, but… it was true!”

「我一直坚信着！因为希丝前辈都那样说了。想着一定没事的，可是、真的！」

“Ah… um. Ah… hm. Mm. I see. That pleases me. Uh… sempai?”

「啊――嗯。啊―……嗯。嗯……。这样啊，我很高兴喔。诶？……前？」

It would seem the Sorcerer King was also delighted at this reunion, because he seemed to be at a loss for words.

魔导王也为了这次再会而高兴吗，好像不知道该说些什么了。

“...Don’t cry.”

「……别哭了」

CZ pressed her handkerchief to Neia’s face and rubbed it forcefully.”

希丝将手帕按在了宁亚脸上，使劲地擦了起来。

“...There’s snot on it again. Really shocking.”

「…………又沾到鼻涕了，果然很打击」

“Oh… it seems you’re getting along quite well with CZ, Miss Baraja. This pleases me.”

「喔……。和希丝相处得挺好的嘛，巴拉哈小姐。我非常高兴。」

“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty! I don’t know what I’d do without CZ-sempai! Thank you very much!”

「托陛下的福！如果没有希丝前辈在的话我真不知道该怎么办！非常感谢您！」

Neia’s heart had been in such an upheaval that she did not know what she had been saying just now.

心慌意乱的宁亚，从刚才开始自己都不知道自己到底在说些什么。

“I see… That is quite a surprise for me… CZ, how was it?”

「这样啊。……这对于我来说真是出乎意料。……希丝，怎么样？」

“...I like Neia. Her face is very tasty.”

「…………宁亚。很中意。很有味道的脸蛋。」

“Please don’t say it’s tasty,” Neia said as she rubbed her eyes, having stopped crying already. Soon, she had cleared away the last of her tears. “Your Majesty, I have many things I would like to ask You, but the most important thing is… are You displeased at the speed of our rescue? If you are, then I take full responsibility--”

「请不要再说味道了啦……」停止哭泣的宁亚揉了揉眼睛，将最后的眼泪擦掉。「陛下。我有很多事情想问陛下，但是最主要的……陛下是否对我们救援速度太慢而感到不快？如果是这样的话我来担所有责――」

“--Miss Baraja,” the Sorcerer King raised his hand to keep her from going on. “Why are you saying this? None of you have displeased me in any way.”

「――巴拉哈小姐」魔导王将手抬起来，阻止宁亚继续说下去。「这是在说什么？我并没有因为你们而感到任何的不快」

Neia’s eyes filled with tears again. Nor was she alone -- everyone around her who had heard the Sorcerer King’s kind words wept as well. There were people who had been holding their tears in who finally broke down sobbing.

宁亚再度噙满泪水。而且不仅仅是宁亚，周围的人都因听到魔导王慈悲的话语而流下了眼泪。刚才一直忍着自己的眼泪的人们也终于嚎啕大哭起来。

The Sorcerer King’s shoulders shifted slightly.

魔导王的肩膀微微动了一下。

“...Ah, everyone, do not cry. More importantly, you ought to have other things you wish to ask, no? Many more things? Why not ask ?”

「……啊，各位，不要哭了。比起这个，不是有其他想要问的是吗？应该有很多吧？来问吧？」

“Ah, yes.”

「啊，是的」

After CZ wiped her tears again -- she had apparently put the snot-stained handkerchief away -- Neia asked the Sorcerer King a question.

再一次被希丝擦掉眼泪——沾到鼻涕的那一面似乎折起来收进去了——宁亚向魔导王提问。

“Are, are those demihumans soldiers of the Sorcerous Kingdom?”

「那、那只亚人的部队是魔导国的士兵们吗？」

While she had not seen any undead among them, these demihumans might merely be the vanguard.

虽然没有看到不死者的身影，但说不定这些亚人只是先行部队而已。

“No… no, you could say that, I believe? When I fell to the Abelion Hills, I took the land there for the Sorcerous Kingdom. Therefore, you could call them forces of the Sorcerous Kingdom, no?”

「不是……不，也可以这么说吧？我落到了亚伯利恩丘陵，然后把那片土地置于魔导国的支配之下了。因此说是魔导国的兵力也可以吧？」

Neia was speechless.

宁亚哑口无言。

He was amazing.

太厉害了。

How could that be anything other than “amazing”?

除了厉害还能有其他的感想吗？

The hills were filled with demihumans, and they were supposedly ruled by a henchman of Jaldabaoth. Yet he had dealt with him with just his strength alone and subjugated the hills. Who else could do this besides the Sorcerer King?

丘陵那边有众多亚人，而且还有支配该地的亚达巴沃的亲信。即使处于这种状况，却仅仅凭借一人之力就把问题全部解决，将丘陵纳入支配之下。这样的事情除了魔导王还有谁能做到？

Neia was so excited that she sasugasmed.

宁亚因兴奋而颤抖不已。

“And so, well, it took me a bit of time to gather the people suffering under Jaldabaoth and lead them here as an army. All this was in order to settle things with Jaldabaoth -- it seems we had good timing.”

「因此，嘛、稍微耗费了点时间将在亚达巴沃手底下受苦的亚人们集结到一起，这次将他们作为军队带领过来了。全都是为了和亚达巴沃一决高下――看来时机正好呢」

There were no facial expressions on the Sorcerer King’s bony visage, but Neia could sense him smiling majestically.

魔导王骸骨的脸不会有任何表情。但是宁亚还是从中感受到了霸气的笑容。

“I! I expected nothing less of Your Majesty!”

「不愧！不愧是魔导王陛下！」

Beldran ran over to the Sorcerer King, his face stained by tears.

以泪洗面的贝伦托兰朝着魔导王走来

“Oh! It is He!”

「唔，是何许人也！」

Suddenly, Beldran fell to his knees. No, he was not alone. Everyone around Neia -- everyone who belonged to her flock -- gathered around and prostrated themselves before him.

突然贝伦托兰双膝跪地。不，不仅仅是他。宁亚周围――属于支援团体的人都朝着魔导王靠近，就像身体落到地面一样直直跪下。

“Sasuga Ainz-sama”!

「不愧是魔导王陛下！」

“Simply magnificent, Your Majesty!”

「太精彩了，魔导王陛下！」

Even the Sorcerer King was startled by the chorus of praise.

在众多赞声之中，即使是魔导王似乎也吃了一惊。

“Oh, ahh… hm… speaking of which, I have a question for you as well, Miss Baraja… who are they?”

「喔、啊啊，嗯……这样说来我也有个问题要问巴拉哈小姐，他还有她们是？」

“They are people who are grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness and who wish to repay it to You!”

「是的。他们是感谢魔导王陛下的慈悲为怀，想要报恩的人们」

“Yes! We were rescued by Your Majesty!”

「是的！我们是被陛下所救的人们！」

“Yes! We are the people who wished to repay the debt we owe Your Majesty in some way. Thus, when Baraja-sama called, we answered!”

「是的！我们是多少想要报答伟大的魔导王陛下的恩情，而被巴拉哈大人出声召集起来的人们！」

就像要支持他们的同意声一样，宁亚自满地说道。

“We’re not the only ones! There are many more people who want to repay the kindness Your Majesty showed us!”

「不仅仅是在这里的人们！想要报答陛下恩情的人们还有很多！」

“Oh… this makes me very happy… although, is everyone like this?”

「喔喔……我很高兴……不过，大家都是这样的吗？」

“Yes! Precisely! Everyone is grateful to you!”

「是的！正是如此！大家都怀着这样的感恩之心！」

“I… I see… Thank you, everyone.”

「这、这样啊……。诸位，谢谢」

The Sorcerer King’s thanks made everyone feel like they had chosen the right way to express their gratitude, and so they wept with lumps in their throats.

魔导王感谢的话语，让大家觉得自己的报恩方式没有错而留下了感激的泪水，整场的人都哽咽了。

“...Are these tears of gratitude for me?”

「……这是因为感谢我所以才哭的？」

“Yes! Precisely!”

「是的！就是那样！」

“And you gathered them all, Miss Baraja… it seems you’ve grown up while I wasn’t paying attention.”

「巴拉哈小姐召集的……。巴拉哈小姐在我不知道的时候也成长了呢」

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty!”

「非常感谢您！魔导王陛下！」

Neia was all smiles after being praised by the Sorcerer King.

因为得到了魔导王的夸奖，宁亚笑容满面。

“Ah, now then… Miss Baraja, please have them rise. I came here to make up for my previous, unsightly display… what happened to Jaldabaoth?”

「那、那么……巴拉哈小姐。请让他们站起来。我是为了一雪前耻才回到这里的……亚达巴沃怎么样了？」

“Ah! Yes! Jaldabaoth--”

「啊！对！亚达巴沃他――」

Flames erupted, as though they had been waiting for that moment. Neia shuddered as she thought of how many of the Holy Kingdom’s soldiers must have perished in that blaze.

彷佛就是在等这句话一样，火焰喷泄而上。一想到那烈火下面究竟烧死了多少圣王国的士兵，身体就止不住颤抖。

“..I see. Then there is no need to ask. It seems the time to fight him again has come. CZ!”

「……原来如此。那么也无须多问了。看来，再度与那家伙战斗的时机到了。希丝！」

“...Yes, Ainz-sama.”

「…………是的。安兹大人」

“I will handle what comes after. You will protect the people here. Don’t forget to have them prepare an appropriate welcome for my victorious return, alright?”

「之后的事情我来处理。妳就保护在这的人们。要让他们准备好我胜利归来时的赞赏喔？」

Cheers of “ohhhhh!” rose up from the crowd.

响起了唔哦哦哦哦哦的欢呼声。

“Listen well! I miscalculated in the previous battle. I was outnumbered and low on mana. However, the situation now is different. Jaldabaoth cannot summon that many demons again in a short time. In addition, I am fully recovered now. There is no more reason for me to lose! All you need to do is wait here for me to return in triumph!”

「听着！之前的战斗是我失策了。是因为人数上的劣势和魔力的缺乏。但是现在情况已经不同。对亚达巴沃来说，要再在短时间内召唤出那么多的恶魔是不可能的。再加上我的魔力也全部回复了。已经没有任何败北的因素了！你们就在这里等待着我胜利归来吧！」

The people cheered as the Sorcerer King announced his absolute victory.

He flourished his cape and advanced into no man’s land. Everyone stepped aside, clearing a straight path for him, as though shaken by his overpowering aura of dominion.

面对着魔导王的绝对胜利宣言，人们高声发出吶喊。

扬起长袍，王者前往无人荒野。像是被那压倒性的霸气给震摄住了一样。所有人退到道路的两旁，为王者让开一条笔直的道路。

“Your Majesty!”

「陛下！」

The Sorcerer King turned to look at Neia.

听到宁亚的声音魔导王转头望向这边

“Please win!”

「祝得胜！」

“Of course!”

「当然！」

The Sorcerer advanced once more. Though his form seemed to be shrinking, she did not feel alone or afraid. It was the reassurance of a child being held by her parents. Neia was not the only one. There were others who felt the same way.

魔导王再次向前走去。那背影逐渐变小，但却丝毫感受不到孤独和恐惧。就好像孩子被父母抱着一样的安心。不仅仅是宁亚，能看得出来和宁亚有样想法的人们心中都是这样的感受。

“...We’ve won.”

「……赢了」

From beside Neia, CZ announced the Sorcerer King’s victory with certainty in her voice. Neia agreed with her as well.

在一旁的希丝只是以确信的声音宣布魔导王的胜利。而宁亚也同意。

Soon -- a plume of flame rose. It was followed by the darkness flying after it.

不久后——火焰率先升起了。然后黑暗也追着飞了上去。

Just as before, fire and shadow clashed with each other.

和那时候一样，火焰和黑暗在空中相互碰撞。

By this time, the battlefield had gone silent.

这时战场的吶喊声已经荡然无存。

Both sides lowered their blades and looked to the battle in the sky.

两军都停下手头的攻击，开始望向天空中的战斗。

Yes.

是的。

Everyone knew it in their hearts.

谁都心知肚明。

The victor of this battle would have the right to end it all.

空中的这场战斗的胜者将拥有终结一切的权利。

They were no longer in a realm where mortal men could intervene. This was a battle of the gods.

这已经不是常人能够步入的领域，而是在神之世界的战斗。

Light.

光明

Darkness.

黑暗

Fire.

火焰

Lightning.

雷鸣

Meteors.

流星

All manner of incomprehensible phenomena--

无法理解的现象

--Collided with incredible force.

——正在激烈碰撞。

And then--

然后——

「啊啊！」

Neia rejoiced.

宁亚欢呼了起来。

That was because Neia’s keen eyes had seen the fire die, and the darkness slowly descend.

因为宁亚那敏锐的眼睛观察到火焰散去，黑暗缓缓落下来了。

This battle had been surprisingly swift compared to the previous one. It was as though to prove that with his mana restored and without the maid demons to get in his way, the Sorcerer King could triumph that easily.

这场战斗对比之前短得令人惊讶。仿佛是在证明如果魔导王的魔力完全恢复了，也没有女仆恶魔这样碍事的存在的话，就是可以如此简单地拿下胜利一样。

“CZ-sempai!”

「希丝前辈！」

“...It’s like I told you, kouhai.”

「…………所以我说过了，后辈」

CZ looked like this was perfectly natural, and Neia grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. However, that was not enough to calm her heart. Neia tightly embraced CZ’s little body and the hands behind her back kept patting and patting.

握着摆出一副理所应当态度的希丝的手，大力地晃动起来。但只是这样还是无法平复自己的心情。宁亚抱紧希丝那娇小的身体，绕在背后的手不停地拍着。

As everyone witnessed his victory, they erupted into thunderous cheers.

大家都看到了胜利，发出了雷鸣般地欢呼声。

The Sorcerer King slowly descended and landed upon the earth.

魔导王慢慢地降落，站在大地上。

After that, the Sorcerer King raised both his arms, and brought forth even greater cheers than before.