Neia quietly closed the door to the Sorcerer King’s room and turned on her heel. And then… her body quivered.

宁亚将魔导王的房门静静阖上，转过身去。然后……让身体轻轻抖了抖。

She lightly patted her somewhat scalding cheeks to force her face to tighten up before it completely collapsed. One reason for that was because she knew how her relaxed face made others wary, while the other, more important reason was because it deeply embarrassed her.

宁亚啪啪啪地拍打自己稍微发烫的脸蛋，让快要松弛下来的表情再度紧绷。一来是因为宁亚知道自己放松时的表情有多容易引起别人的戒心，二来则是因为比起前者，自己觉得不好意思的成分要大得多。

Neia did not want to walk around outside with an unseemly look on her face. She would have to meet others later, so at the very least she had to look presentable.

宁亚可不喜欢自己顶着一张不像样的脸在外头大步走，加上待会还要去与人见面，至少想让自己看起来像样点。

More to the point, Neia was the squire of the Sorcerer King, so anything disgraceful that she did would also damage the Sorcerer King’s reputation.

更何况宁亚还是魔导王的侍从，要是做了什么丢脸的事，说不定还也会导致魔导王的评价受损。

Still, I’m only acting as his temporary squire, so it’s the Holy Kingdom which would be disgraced...

(但我终究只是暂时担任魔导王的侍从，所以就算丢脸应该也是丢圣王国的脸才对……)

However, the people who hated the Sorcerer King would not think that way. As the saying went, one was blinded by one’s hate. Or rather, those who hated swords hated swordsmiths as well.

然而对魔导王抱持敌意的人可不会这么想。常言道，憎恨会让人双眼蒙蔽。不对，该说是憎恨剑的人会连铸剑师也一同憎恨吧。

Alright!

(好!)

Neia did not want the Sorcerer King to regret the fact that she was his squire. In other words, all Neia had to do was her job.

宁亚也不希望魔导王会因为让自己担任他的侍从这件事而感到后悔。也就是说只要宁亚确实完成自己的职责就好了。

As Neia headed for the place where she had arranged to meet, she thought incessantly about the kindness that the Sorcerer King had shown just now.

宁亚朝向约好见面的地点走去，一路上反刍着魔导王方前展露出的慈悲心肠。

--Is that so, is that how it is, what a shame.

——是吗，是这样的吗，那还真是遗憾啊。

She had sensed deep regret from the Sorcerer King when he said those words back then. There was no way he could have been rattling them off casually.

当时发出如此感言的魔导王的语气中，能够感受得到强烈的遗憾。这绝不是仅仅只是口头上说说那么简单。

...His Majesty really is a kind person...

(......魔导王陛下真是心肠太好了)

The Sorcerer King had grieved for someone from another country who had died in battle as though she had been one of his own people. Where in the world could you find a king like that? Of course, Neia did not know any other kings, so perhaps that simply reflected her dreams.

世上哪有国王会像魔导王这样，像是自己的子民死去一般为他国战死的国民感到悲伤呢？当然，宁亚根本不认识其他国王，这样的想法只是反映出她个人的梦想也说不定。

For instance, if Neia and the others had held on a little longer, they would have been saved along with Neia, and that father who had lost his child would also have survived.

如果，如果当时和宁亚一起在城市外墙上作战的人们可以再多撑一会儿的话，想必他们的性命也会和宁亚一样获得拯救的，那个失去了孩子的父亲也应该能活下来才对。

Neia was not unhappy that the Sorcerer King had been late in his rescue. In the first place, she was grateful for the fact that he had come to rescue her, because he had already said that he had to conserve his mana for the battle with Jaldabaoth. In addition, she had heard some of the militiamen in Remedios’ unit say that he had fought several powerful demihumans at the west gate before he had come to rescue Neia.

在关于魔导王救援来迟这点上，宁亚并没有什么不满。首先，光是就前来救援这件事上，就非得感谢魔导王不可，因为他之前就已经说过，为了和亚达巴沃决战，必须保留自己的魔力。而且听蕾梅蒂欧斯部队里的民兵说，在魔导王来救助宁亚之前，他已经先在西门的正面对付了几只有着强大力量的亚人。

The Sorcerer King had fought two demihumans who could each kill a paladin in a single attack and another one whose strength was on par with that of the Holy Kingdom’s strongest paladin.

魔导王对付的，是具备能够一击杀死圣骑士实力的两只亚人，以及实力和圣王国最强圣骑士不相上下的一只亚人。

The militiaman telling Neia all this had been hard-pressed to hide his excitement as he rattled the proceedings off like a machine gun, and he added, “We’d all have been killed if not for the Sorcerer King.”

告诉宁亚这些事情的民兵说话时难掩兴奋，连珠炮般将当时的经过告诉宁亚，并说「要不是魔导王来了，我们都会被杀死」

Indeed. Neia felt her panties moisten.

没错。宁亚感到胸膛一阵热血上涌。

The Sorcerer King had gone elsewhere to help others before coming to save Neia.

魔导王在前往营救宁亚等人之前，已经先在别的地方帮助过其他人了。

While she was slightly disappointed that the Sorcerer King had not prioritized helping her, it was wrong to feel that way. The defense of the city wall was important, but it would be a far worse matter if the city gate were to fall. If the gate had been breached and the demihumans managed to get into the city, there would have been merciless slaughters everywhere.

虽然对魔导王没有优先前来帮助自己，让她感到有一点失落，但抱持这样的感觉是错误的。城市外墙的防卫固然重要，但作为都市入口的大门要是被攻陷了，那可是更加糟糕的事。要是大门被破，让亚人军侵入都市内部的话，无情的杀戮就会立刻在各处上演。

Anyone with any sense would have prioritized the city gate to save more lives.

只要是稍微有点眼光的人，为了拯救更多的生命，都会理所当然的优先处理城市的大门的。

People who acted according to logic were more reliable than people who were ruled by their emotions.

比起任凭感情摆布的人，能够依据理性行动的人才值得信赖。

That’s the Sorcerer King for you!

(不愧是魔导王陛下!)

Neia thought of the strongest paladin in her country.

宁亚想起自国的最强圣骑士。

Comparing His Majesty to a retard like that is an insult to him!

(拿那种人与陛下比实在是太失礼了呢！)

After that, the Sorcerer King had also hunted down the few demihumans who had made it into the city, and many people had been saved as a result. In fact--

而且在那之后，对那些侵入都市内部的少数亚人，魔导王也没有放过，因此而获得拯救的人也为数甚多。实际上——

“Ohhh! Squire-sama! Did you tell His Majesty for us?”

「喔喔!这不是魔导王陛下的侍从大人吗!有替我们跟陛下说了吗？」

It would seem that Neia had reached her meeting point while she was pondering how cool the Sorcerer King had been.

看来就在宁亚深思着魔导王的举动是如何潇洒帅气之时，不知不觉已经到了约定的地点了。

In a certain sector of the city, six men gathered on a street which still smelled of the battlefield.

在都市的某一区，依旧飘散着战场气息的道路上，六名男子聚集。

They addressed Neia like they had been waiting anxiously for her. In fact, they had actually been very anxious

他们就像是等得心焦似的向宁亚攀谈，不对，应该他们实际上就是等得很心焦吧。

“Yes, I’ve relayed your gratitude to His Majesty.”

「是的，已经将各位的感谢之意转达给魔导王陛下了」

Several people unconsciously went on the defensive as Neia looked at them, but after hearing her words, they smiled and thanked her.

在宁亚注视之下，一群人虽然不由自主地稍微摆出备战架式，但听了宁亚这么说，都露出笑容开口道谢。

“Ah, thank you very much. It’s hard to thank the king of another nation. Ah, although, it’s hard to thank even the Holy Queen-sama.”

「哎呀，真是谢谢你呀。要跟他国的国王道谢可不是件容易的事呢。啊，不过就算是要跟圣王女陛下道谢也很难的」

“That’s true, you can’t even see her, to say nothing of actually thanking her.”

「对呀，别说甚么道谢了，根本连本人都不可能见到」

The people before her had ages which ranged from 14 to 40. However, all of them were squad leaders. Some of them had even been professional soldiers once.

一群人的年纪虽从青年到四十出头都有，但都是相当于小队队长的地位。甚至也有人曾经是职业军人的军士。

Judging by their attitude, they did not feel any sense of dread toward the Sorcerer King because he was undead.

从他们的态度之中，感觉不到因为魔导王是不死者而产生忌讳的感觉。

It was true that some people were still wary of the Sorcerer King because of his undead nature. In addition, people like that were more common among the smallfolk than the priests or paladin. They often said that the Sorcerer King was being kind in order to betray them at the right moment, and other such things.

确实现在仍然有人因为魔导王是不死者而抱持着戒心。而且比起神官或圣骑士，这类人在一般平民之中数量特别的多。魔导王待人亲切的目的是想要在最好的时机背叛，诸如此类的话就是他们经常挂在嘴边的说词。

However, Neia felt that their reaction was because they did not understand the Sorcerer King and had simply acted out of the usual disdain for the undead. The reason for that was the group of people before her. There were many people who had changed their way of thinking once they got to know the Sorcerer King.

但是，宁亚认为他们的反应只是因为不了解魔导王，而单单只依据对一般不死者的抗拒感而做出的判断。至于为什么会这么说，因为眼前的这一群人就是最好的证据。只要明白魔导王的为人，会改变自己原本想法的人也是不在少数。

“No, please don’t worry about it. I simply conveyed your gratitude intact to His Majesty. Ah, yes, His Majesty said that your thanks made him very happy.”

「不，请不用在意。我只是把各位的感谢之意原封不动地转达给陛下而已。啊，对了，魔导王陛下是这么说的，陛下说大家的感谢令他感到很开心」

There were bashful looks on the representatives from the militiamen.

民兵代表们脸上露出有些不好意思的表情。

“Nonono, we’re the ones who should be happy… oh, what should we do…”

「不不不，开心的是我们才对啊.....这可真是令人不知如何是好啊....」

“That’s right, His Majesty really is compassionate. I’m embarrassed by how we used to fear His Majesty because he was undead.”

「没错，陛下真是宅心仁厚，回想之前我们只因为陛下是不死者就心生畏惧，可真是丢脸」

“Indeed, his Majesty is a kind person. However, I hope you will not expect such good fortune to happen again and again. After all, His Majesty did say that he had used a great deal of mana in this battle, and he would not be able to help you again next time.”

「陛下的确是位宅心仁厚的人物，但是，希望大家不要以为同样的幸运会一而再再而三的发生。因为陛下说了，这次的战斗陛下又用掉了大量的魔力，下一次可是真的没办法再出手相助了喔」

The group’s faces immediately sobered up.

一群人脸上表情不禁收敛了起来。

“So we might not have His Majesty’s help next time… this is bad.”

「下次说不定就没有魔导王陛下的帮助了....这可不妙啊」

“A lot of people will be afraid if they know they can’t borrow His Majesty’s power. My team especially.”

「要是知道没办法借助魔导王陛下的力量的话，会陷入恐惧的人可不少啊。尤其是我的班里头」

“You aren’t the only one. It’s the same on my side too… we can’t tell them about this.”

「可不只你的班呢。我那边也是这样。.....这件事可不能告诉他们啊」

Neia quietly addressed the shaken group.

对陷入动摇的一群人，宁亚静静开口说道。

“Everyone, I have come to understand one thing. That is: weakness itself is a sin.”

「各位，我明白了一件事情。那就是弱本身就是一件坏事」

Neia slowly explained herself to the people who had puzzled looks on their faces.

面对面带疑问的一群人，宁亚缓缓说明。

“Do you get it? If we were strong enough, things would not have gotten to where they are now. We could have saved our parents, our children, our wives, our friends, we could have saved all of them with our own strength. The Sorcerer King once said that we are the ones who value the things important to us the most highly. After all, His Majesty is not the king of this country, and he simply came to assist us for a special reason.”

「可以吗各位？如果我们的实力够强的话，事情就不会演变到现在的地步。自己的父母、孩子、太太、朋友，都能靠自己的力量拯救的。之前魔导王陛下也曾经说过，能为自己视为重要之人定出最高价的就只有自己。魔导王陛下不是这个国家的国王，终究只是特意前来援助我国的而已」

Neia took a breath.

宁亚吸了口气。

Neia raised her voice, in order to let the people watching her and the people of the Holy Kingdom passing by hear her words.

宁亚想要让道路上那些一边打量着聚集在路旁的宁亚等人，一边匆忙经过的圣王国民众也能听见自己的话，这样的想法使得她稍微放大了自己的音量。

“...When the Sorcerer King defeats Jaldabaoth and returns to his own country, what will we do when the demihumans attack again? Will we cry and beg the Sorcerer King, the king of another country, for help once more? For all we know, the Sorcerer King might not help us next time. That’s because this time was an exception. Have you ever heard of a country’s king working so hard for another nation?”

「......当魔导王陛下打倒了亚达巴沃，返回自己的国家后，要是亚人再度来袭的话，该怎么办呢?难道又要向他国之王的魔导王陛下哭诉求助吗？说不定下一次魔导王陛下不会再帮助我们也说不定。因为这次是特别的。一国之王为了其他国家如此鼎力相助，各位可曾听过类似的事情？」

Nobody answered Neia, because such a thing did not exist at all.

没有人回答宁亚，因为这种事情不管去哪都找不到的。

“Maybe you don’t feel happy that a girl like me is telling you this. But who else can protect the things that are important to you other than yourselves? That’s why I feel we need to become stronger. We need to be strong enough to protect others, strong enough that we don’t need to rely on the Sorcerer King’s strength.”

「这种事被一个小丫头这样讲，或许大家会心生不快也说不定。但是除了自己以外还有谁能守护自己的重要事物呢。所以我觉得自己必须要变强。要变得自己能够保护他人那般的强，变得可以不用借助魔导王陛下力量那般的强」

“Yes, you’re right. Exactly. I’m going to train myself.”

「对，没错，对。就是那样。我也要锻炼自己」

“Ah, me too. Next time, I’ll be the one to protect my wife and kids.”

「阿，我也是。下次换我来保护自己的老婆和小孩」

“...I want to train too. I didn’t want to when I was first conscripted… but now I feel glad that I was drafted.”

「.....我也要训练，虽然当初被征兵的时候，是几万个不愿意....但现在却觉得还好被征兵了」

“Still, the Sorcerer King does make a lot of sense. Valuing the things important to us… mm, when you think about it, that really is true.”

「不过魔导王陛下讲的话真是有道理，定出最高价，嗯，想想确实是如此」

“So if someone else values my wife the most highly, I have to kill him, then?”

「所以要是我老婆被别人标上最高的价钱，那只有杀了他才行了」

“...I, I don’t think so, right? I don’t think the Sorcerer King was talking about something like that, right?”

「.....不、不是吧，我想魔导王陛下说得不是这种事吧？」

“...Hey, I’m just kidding, you know?”

「....喂，我是在开玩笑啊？」

“It didn’t sound like a joke...”

As the crowd laughed, Neia made a suggestion.

听起来不像开玩笑啊，众人哄笑声中，宁亚发出一个提案。

“Everyone, would you like to train with me? While I can’t teach you all swordsmanship, I know a thing or two about archery.”

「大家要不要和我一起进行训练呢？虽然没办法教导各位剑术，但若是弓术的话我至少还略知一二」

Weakness was a sin. That was because the weak only created problems for the Sorcerer King, who was justice. In that case, all they had to do was become strong. She could not allow herself to cause trouble for the Sorcerer King next time. She had to allow His Majesty to focus on fighting Jaldabaoth. That was what she ought to do, as a squire.

弱本身就是一件坏事。因为弱者只会对身为正义的魔导王造成妨碍。既然如此，那变强就行了。下一次自己一定不能造成魔导王的困扰，让陛下能够专心对付亚达巴沃，这就是身为侍从该采取的正确行动。

“Ah, that’s a good idea.”

「啊，这点子不错」

“We need to become strong. I’ll protect my family next time.”

「确实不变强可不行，下次就由我自己来保护老婆孩子」

“--Why are you all gathering here? Are you discussing something?”

「——你们为什么要聚集在这里？是在讨论什么事情？」

“Ah -- Captain.”

「啊——团长」

After being questioned out of nowhere, Neia looked back and saw Remedios Custodio standing behind her. In fact, Neia had heard her footsteps approaching, but she had not thought that it would be Remedios.

突然被人问话，回过头去一看，站在身后的却是蕾梅迪奥斯・卡斯托迪奥。其实宁亚之前就有听见脚步声了，但她没想到会是蕾梅迪奥斯。

Someone annoying showed up, Neia thought as she tried to keep her face from showing how she felt. The militiamen representatives, on the other hand, looked like they were in distress.

麻烦的人来了，宁亚一边这么想，一边努力不让脸上显露出表情。民兵代表的众人则是露出困惑的模样。

“Can’t you answer my question?”

「你没办法回答问题吗？」

“Yes, ma’am! I was telling these gentlemen that I had conveyed their gratitude to His Majesty.”

「是！属下正回复这几位，已经将他们的感谢之意转达给魔导王陛下了」

“To him, you say?”

「给那家伙、吗？」

“...It is hardly appropriate to address the king of another nation as ‘him’.”

「……对他国国王，用那家伙这样的称呼属下觉得并不合适」

Remedios glared at Neia.

蕾梅迪奥斯瞪了宁亚一眼。

“The strong protecting the weak is common sense, is it not?”

「强者保护弱者，帮助弱者本来就是理所当然的事不是吗？」

“...I do not know if it is common sense, but I feel that only the strong are qualified to say such things, and not the weak.”

「……是不是理所当然属下不清楚，但属下认为这句话是只有强者才有资格说出口的，而不是该有弱者来讲的话」

“What!? Are you saying that I’m weak?”

「什么！你的意思是说我是弱者吗！」

“Yes,” Neia replied on the spot. “Compared to His Majesty, you are weak… Captain, have I said something wrong?”

「是的」宁亚当场表示肯定「和魔导王陛下相比的话，确实是弱者......团长，属下有什么地方讲错的吗？」

Neia stared back forcefully at Remedios.

被蕾梅迪奥斯瞪视的宁亚，也眼睛用力瞪了回去。

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter if you want to be friends with the Sorcerer King, but he’s undead, you know that, right? A monster who inhabits a different world from the living.”

「哼，和魔导王感情好没关系，可别忘了他是不死者啊？那可是和活人处在不同世界的怪物」

“Yes, I know that.”

「是，属下明白」

“I said that because I was worried about you. It seems it was for nothing.”

「我可是担心你才这么说得，看来是徒劳无功了」

While Remedios looked like she was disappointed, it felt very fake to Neia. That was not what the paladin before her really thought.

虽然蕾梅迪奥斯表现出遗憾的神情，但宁亚却觉得看起来十分虚假。眼前的圣骑士心里绝对不是这样想的。

“I’m certain you must be busy with many things, Captain, and I would not dare take up your time. In addition, I have things to tell the others. Would it not be better for yourself to move on to the other places you have to be, Captain?

「团长想必现在诸事繁忙吧，属下不敢再占用团长的时间。而且属下和大伙还有些话要说，请团长要不要先行前往事先和别人约好见面的地方，这样或许比较妥当？」

“...Very well then. You lot, it’s only natural for the Sorcerer King to help you. You don’t need to think too much about it, got that?”

「……那就这样吧。那边的，魔导王帮助你们是理所当然的事，可不用放在心上喔？」

Remedios left after saying so. As they watched her go, someone from the militia representatives spoke up.

说完，蕾梅迪奥斯就离开了。一边目送着她离去的背影，民兵代表的一人脱口说道。

“How should I say this… that was amazing… is that the strongest paladin of this country…”

「怎么说呢......真是厉害.....那就是这个国家里最强的圣骑士吗.....」

“Yes, that’s what she is.”

「是的，她就是那种人」

After hearing the representative speak his mind, Neia unconsciously replied to him. After that, the militia representatives covered their faces with their hands. It would seem they had suffered quite a shock.

听见民兵代表发自内心的话语，宁亚不禁出声附和。说完，民兵代表们纷纷以手掩面，看起来受到相当大的冲击。

Although Neia had not done anything wrong, she still felt a little guilty.

虽然宁亚并没有做错什么，她却不由得感到些许的罪恶感。

“The, the paladins aren’t, aren’t all like that. How shall I put it… she’s a special education case. And she’s… ah, like that. Yes.”

「圣、圣骑士们也不是全、全部都那付德行的。那大人该说是特别的呢，还是……那个，就是很那个。对」

“It’s hard for you, Squire-sama… I’d like to buy you a drink, if you can drink.”

「侍从大人也真辛苦呢.....要是你能喝酒的话，还真想请你喝一杯」

“I appreciate your goodwill… uh, where was I again? Yes, training together. I can find a way to borrow a training area and equipment. Can I contact you later once everything’s ready?”

「你的好意我心领了.....唔，刚刚讲到哪里？对了，要一起训练的事情。我有办法可以借到训练场地和装备，等事情都妥当了可以再联络你们吗？」

“We’ll let you handle that”, “Alright, we’ll wait,” the men answered cheerily.

「拜托你了」「好啊，我们等你」男子们全都爽朗地回应道。

Part 2

Neia smoothly drew her bowstring.

宁亚流畅地拉起弓弦。

She turned her keen gaze toon the target, and she could see the silent white wisps of her breath drawn to the edges of her vision by the wind, where it disappeared. Spring was close, but the weather was still cold.

用锐利的视线望向箭靶，可以看见无声吐出的白色气息随风流逸，在视野的边缘消失。虽然春天已近，但天气依旧寒冷。

Neia buried the random notions in her mind deep within her, staring at the target in a state of no-thought, and then she slowly drew herself back.

宁亚将心中浮现的杂念深深沉淀，以无心状态凝视着箭靶，缓慢确实地拉开架式。

During the defense of the city, Neia had come to understand that nobody had time to slowly take aim on the battlefield, but right now they were training to improve their accuracy, so quick-fire drills could be left for another time.

在之前的都市防卫战一役时，宁亚深切明白，在战场上，是没有时间让人慢慢拉弓瞄准的，但现在的训练是提升命中准确度的训练，快速射击的训练留待下次再说。

And then -- she released her arrow.

然后——放出。

The arrow whistled as it tore through the air and flew in a straight line that ended in it striking the target dead on.

留下咻地划破空气的声音之后，以一直线奔走的箭矢不偏不倚的扎上箭靶。

Hoo, Neia exhaled.

呼、宁亚吐了口气。

Of the ten arrows she had fired, not a single one had been off target.

射十箭、没有一箭偏差。

This was an outstanding accuracy rate, but Neia took no joy in it.

虽然是出色的命中率，但宁亚并没有喜悦。

She could not do it in the past, but right now, Neia could even split the arrow she had just launched. Of course, she would damage the arrow if she did that, so she did not.

过去的自己虽然办不到，但现在的宁亚就连方才射中的箭矢上的箭尾都能够命中。不用说，如果那样箭矢就损坏，所以不会这么做。

The reason why she had ended up like this, why she could do something that was previously impossible for her was because after that battle, she was not just capable of archery, but of harnessing what they called divine power. However, the strange thing was that it was slightly different from the abilities that paladins were said to possess. This was because normally, paladins could only channel their powers through melee weapons, while she could imbue ranged weapons with her powers.

变得能像这样，做到至今为止做不到的事是在那场战斗之后，不只是用弓的技术、将所谓的神圣之力发挥出来也变得能够做到了。但是、有些奇怪的是与听说的圣骑士的能力有一些不同，会这么说是因为圣骑士是将力量理应只能寄宿在近战武器之中才对，而她的情况是能够寄宿在远距离武器之中。

While she did not quite understand what that meant, the Sorcerer King had seemed quite happy when he had heard about this. Still, even the Sorcerer King had only said, “It’s hard to tell from just that, let me know if other abilities awaken.”

虽然不太明白这个究竟是什么，但向魔导王询问之后这个话题似乎让他非常感到兴趣的样子，但就连魔导王都只说了「只靠那样还是难以看出，如果有其他的能力觉醒的话再告诉我吧」

Applause rang out, and Neia smiled bitterly, because she felt uncomfortable.

响起啪啪啪啪的拍手声，宁亚浮现出苦笑，因为感到难为情。

“Wow, you’re amazing, Baraja-chan.”

「哎呀、巴拉哈酱真厉害呢」

“Oh yes, it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone with such great shooting, nobody in my village could do that.”

「确实是哦。第一次见到弓箭技术这么高超的人，在我们村里可没有」

“Ahh, it’s true. I used to be a hunter by trade, and I knew a few people in my own right, but none of them had Baraja-chan’s skills.”

「啊啊、真的。我一直以来也是以猎人为职，也认识了好几个人，可没有人有像巴拉哈酱一般的技术」

The people praising Neia were the majority of the people practicing archery in the same training field as Neia. Many of their faces had not been seen on these streets during the defense of the city three weeks ago.

对宁亚赞不绝口的是在弓的训练所中一同流汗训练的大多数人们，这其中的很多人是在三周前的防卫战时没有在这街道上见过的。

The reason for that was because people were being rescued from the nearby prison camps and the city’s population has risen swiftly as a result. The people among them with a talent for archery or who had used bows before were drafted into archery units and placed under Neia’s command.

会这么说是因为现在这个都市的人口正急速增加，从周边的收容所中救出的人们流入进来的关系。其中有弓箭才能的人、曾经用过弓的人们被编入作为弓兵队成了宁亚的部下。

Normally, people would balk at being made subordinate to a squire girl, especially if some of them were old enough to be her father. However, none of the men -- and women -- gathered here protested.

按常理而言区区一名侍从小丫头，和看个人情况有的甚至能当作亲子般年龄差的大人，将他们作为部下的话会有很大的反弹。但是被聚集起来的他们——也有女性——没有发出不满的声音。

The main reason was because nobody dared voice any objections after being subjected to her vicious gaze, and also because they had to acknowledge her skill with the bow. Some of them were even more grateful to Neia after learning that she was the Sorcerer King’s squire.

主要原因是没有人敢在沐浴她凶恶的视线之后还发出异议、而见到她的弓箭技术后又为其脱帽致敬、听闻她正在做魔导王的侍从工作后，有的人更是对宁亚抱持着感谢之意。

There were also some who were afraid she was undead because they had heard that she was the Sorcerer King’s squire, but not everyone was like that.

也有人听说是魔导王的侍从而害怕不死者，但并不尽是那样。

In these three weeks, the paladins had been sent out to liberate prison camps, but at the same time, the Sorcerer King and Neia had also gone out to attack camps and rescue prisoners.

在这三周期间内，虽然圣骑士团也被派出去解放俘虏收容所，但与此同时魔导王和宁亚两人也去袭击了收容所并解放俘虏。

When the Sorcerer King had first broached the subject, there had been a shocking number of objections. However, the Sorcerer King then said, “Now that the Demihuman Alliance is short on manpower, they will start to execute the captives if they judge that they lack the ability to run the prison camps, so they must be rescued without delay”, and that had convinced Caspond to accept the Sorcerer King’s suggestion and send the two of them out.

虽然魔导王如此提案之时，有着多的让人惊讶的反对意见。然而在魔导王「兵员减少的亚人联合如果判断没有能力管理收容所的话，会有多数的俘虏被处分，所以有必要尽早救出」这段话才让卡斯邦登接受了魔导王的提案并将两人送出。

Neia had originally wanted to argue that the Sorcerer King ought to conserve his mana in order to battle Jaldabaoth. However, Neia admired how he acted to protect the people of another country and felt the justice emanating from him, so she could not bring herself to stop him.

为了与亚达巴沃战斗魔导王应该要保存魔力才对，以宁亚来说想要做出如此进言。但为了守护他国人民而行动，正因为是那样的人才让宁亚尊敬、感受到正义，而不可能去阻止。

And so, Neia and the Sorcerer King had freed many captives and brought them to this city. For this reason, there were people who were happy to serve under Neia.

就这样，宁亚和魔导王解放了多数的俘虏并将多数的民众引导到这个都市。也正是因为这样的事实，也有人为成为宁亚的部下而感到高兴。

“Ahhh~ I ought to learn a few things from Baraja-chan.”

「哎呀—我们也该向巴拉哈酱多学习一些呢」

“Yeah, that’s right. She’s amazing. Also, that bow you borrowed from the Sorcerer King -- the Ultimate Shootingstar Super -- you can do even more amazing things with that bow, right?”

「是啊、没错。真是太出色了。而且从魔导王陛下那借来的那把弓——终极超级流星[Ultimate Shootingstar Super]，使用那把弓的话就能发挥出更惊人的力量l 吧？」

“The Ultimate Shootingstar Super, huh. What an amazing bow…”

「终极超级流星吗。真是了不起的弓……」

All their eyes went to the bow stowed behind Neia’s back -- the Ultimate Shootingstar Super.

所有的视线都看向了捆扎在宁亚背后的弓——终极超级流星。

She ought to have used it during her training, but she had avoided doing so because she did not want to rely too heavily on her weapon.

在训练的时候虽然也该使用这个，但并不想只依赖武器所以在训练中没有使用。

“Yes, during the battle for the city walls, it was thanks to the Ultimate Shootingstar Super that I was able to survive until His Majesty arrived… no, that’s not it. It wasn’t just the Ultimate Shootingstar Super, but the armor I borrowed from His Majesty and all his other items that helped me too…”

「是呢，正因为有这个终极超级流星，我才能在魔导王前来救助之前在那场都市壁中的战斗中存活下来......不、不对。不只是终极超级流星，还有从魔导王陛下借来的这个铠甲、及所有其他道具的帮助之下......」

Neia caressed Buser’s armor.

宁亚抚摸豪王巴塞的铠甲。

“This armor came from a renowned demihuman, it looks amazing to me no matter how many times I look at it…”

「是有名亚人的铠甲吧，不管见了几次都觉得很厉害呢......」

“She let me touch it once, and its hardness is amazing. I chopped at it with a sword and it just bounced off.”

「曾经让我触摸过、硬度令人惊讶呢，我用剑劈砍时都被反弹了」

“Seriously? I’ve never heard that before?”

「是真的吗，那还是第一次听说」

As Neia’s wargear became a hot topic, she clapped to get everyone’s attention.

渐渐的宁亚的武具变成了热议话题，宁亚拍一次手吸引大家的注意。

“Alright, enough chitchat, back to training. According to the Sorcerer King, Jaldabaoth’s preparing to make another move soon, so we can’t waste a single moment.

「闲谈就到此为止、重新开始训练。据魔导王所说亚达巴沃方面也做好准备会再次展开行动才对，一分一秒都不能浪费。」

There was a chorus of acknowledgements.

了解的声音一齐发出。

“Alright, it’s time to begin practical shooting. Let’s start, everyone.”

「那么见习训练就差不多到这，大家请开始」

As she watched her subordinates -- the word sounded really grand, and it embarrassed her a little -- disperse, Neia removed the item which covered half her face. It was an item she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King.

四处散开的部下——这么说的话仿佛很伟大而有些害羞——目送他们的身影之后，宁亚将遮住自己脸部半边的道具摘下，那是从魔导王借来的道具。

This magic item was a visor-shaped set of mirrorshades that allowed her to use a special ability known as the Serpent Shot once every three minutes. It was a technique that allowed an arrow to twist and turn in front of one’s opponent, like an animal bringing down its prey.

是眼罩型遮阳镜[Visor Mirror Shade]般形状的魔法道具，三分钟一次、变得能使用名为蛇射的特殊技术。在对手的面前打弯、宛如捕获猎物般射向对手的招式。

She was not too sure what it did because she had not fired it at anyone, but in all likelihood, one would need to be very agile to avoid it.

因为没有对谁射过所以不太清楚，但恐怕不是相当灵巧的人想要闪躲这个是不可能的吧。

It was a very handy item for someone like Neia, who used the bow as her main weapon, but more importantly, the fact that it hid her eyes was amazing. Or rather, without that item, she could not have gotten along so well with the others.

对以弓为主体的宁亚而言是非常便利的道具，但比起那个能力能够将自己的眼睛隐藏起来实在是太棒了。不如说如果没有用这个的话，就没有办法与他们相处的这么融洽了吧。

Neia put her visor on, and took up her bow again.

宁亚将眼罩带上、再次架起弓。

Everyone here was experienced, and now that time was tight, she did not need to instruct them on the finer points of finger positioning. She had touched briefly on how to fire quickly, and after that all that was needed was to give them individual coaching and have them practice until their fingers ached. The most important thing for them was to accumulate shooting experience.

在这里的他们都具有经验的，都现在这个节骨眼了也已经无需再说明指尖的细微技巧了，速射的方式也只做了简单说明、之后只需要对他们进行个别指导，在让他们练到手指会感到疼痛般的程度就行了。不管怎样，重要的是蓄积射箭的经验。

As usual, Neia wondered about requesting healing magic from the priests as she loosed an arrow.

与往常一样，得向神官提出回复魔法的申请呢、一面这么想着的宁亚射出箭。

Just at that moment, Neia’s keen ears picked up a noise.

恰巧在这个时刻、宁亚的敏锐听觉捕捉到了嘈杂声。

It had come from the outside. While Neia’s shooting form nearly broke down, she managed to keep it together. It might not have been what she expected, and even if it was the person she had hoped to meet, they might have only been passing by, and not intended to come here.

是从外面来的。虽然宁亚的动作差点崩坏但还是忍住了。预期可能会落空，就算是与期待相同的人物，也不一定是以此为目的地而只是经过也说不准。

However, the being that appeared at the door to the training yard was the great king with the skeletal face -- the Sorcerer King.

但从训练所的大门现出身姿、与宁亚所想的一样是具有骸骨面孔的伟大王者——魔导王。

In the beginning, everyone had feared the undead, but many of them had been rescued by the Sorcerer King during the defense of the city and from the prison camps. The clamor of respectful and thankful voices soon came to herald the arrival of the Sorcerer King.

迄今尚有人对不死者怀有恐怖感，但被魔导王从收容所救出、在防卫战中被拯救的人们也有很多。敬畏和感谢的耳语嘈杂起来、那些都成为了魔导王现身的预告。

However, nobody stopped practicing. Normally, they would have knelt before the Sorcerer King when he appeared, but the Sorcerer King himself had put a stop to it.

但是没有人在训练中收手，本来的话应该在魔导王登场时进行跪拜，但那个被魔导王自己所制止了。

This isn’t a public place, so you don’t need to do that when I’m just showing my face, am I wrong?

（因为不是公开的场合，只是露个脸的话不需要做那种事、没错吧）

No king, especially the savior of a nation should have been treated that way.

那是对于一国之王、且还是救国英雄无法被允准的态度。

Even so, the Sorcerer King had said that they did not need to do so.

可尽管这样，却还是被说了什么也不必做。

What a great person he is...

（多么了不起的大人......）

After sighing in awe, Neia went to the Sorcerer King’s side, and forced her slackening face to tighten up.

宁亚发出佩服的叹息声后走到魔导王的身边，将仿佛要松弛的脸颊使劲绷紧。

She kept her visor on.

眼罩则继续戴着。

That was because the Sorcerer King had said that she ought to be ready to fight at any time, so she did not need to take it off.

因为被魔导王说平时就应当做好战斗准备、所以不必摘下也没关系。

He was probably concerned about whether she could use a magic item like it was part of her own body and thinking that she ought to be on guard no matter what unexpected things happened. Neia was deeply impressed by the depth of the Sorcerer King’s considerations.

在平常就使用魔法道具进行熟练有如自己身体一般运用自如、并且不论什么样的不测事态发生都该提防，是在担心这点吧。宁亚对于魔导王的深思熟虑感到钦佩。

Neia understood that the Sorcerer King’s eyes had gone from looking into his hands to herself as she ran over. For some reason, observing the Sorcerer King’s habitual movements made Neia a little happy.

能够明白魔导王的视线从低头看着的手中、转移向了跑着靠近的宁亚。看到魔导王一直以来的习惯动作、不知为何宁亚变得有点开心。

The thought that she understood the tiny quirks of an extraordinary individual made Neia’s cheeks relax.

知道了超凡脱俗之人的小小习惯，这不禁让宁亚放松了脸颊。

“Your Majesty! We are grateful that you have chosen to visit this place in person!”

「陛下！让您亲临这样的场所真是非常感谢！」

Neia was still the Sorcerer King’s squire, even after being appointed the commander of the archery unit. That said, it was hard to say that she had done a squire’s job properly, while leaving his side to train others in archery instead, not to mention she had even made him come here instead.

宁亚就算被任命为弓兵队的队长，现在也持续做着魔导王侍从的工作。话虽如此，离开身边进行弓的训练、不仅如此还让魔导王一个人步行到这里，实在难以说是充分做好了侍从的工作。

Neia wanted to prioritize her work as the Sorcerer King’s squire, but instead she had chosen to do this, because she no longer wanted to be a burden to him. And there was also another reason, which she had not told anyone else.

对宁亚来说想要优先作为魔导王的侍从的任务，但为了不再成为拖累才接受了那样的方式。还有一个、是没有对任何人说过的理由。

That was because the Sorcerer King refused to have anyone except Neia serve as his follower. He had said that to Caspond’s face with Neia in attendance.

那就是魔导王陛下并不承认宁亚以外的人担任侍从，他是当着宁亚的面对卡斯邦登这么说的。

As more and more people gathered, there were many more skilful or charming people than this mad-eyed maiden. Even so, he had said that Neia would be fine. The person she viewed as justice had said that about her.

渐渐的人多了起来，比起自己这样眼神凶恶的小姑娘、优秀的人或有魅力的人多着是。尽管如此还是说出了宁亚就好，被自己看做是正义的人物这么说了。

Could anything have made her happier?

还有比这个更加令人高兴的事吗。

“--Umu. While I know you’re being humble, I don’t think this is a mere ‘place’. After all, it is where you sharpen your fangs, is it not?”

「——呼姆。虽然知道是谦逊，但我可不认为只是这样的场所哦，毕竟这可是你们磨利尖牙的地方啊」

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty!”

「非常感谢、陛下！」

She looked around -- perhaps it would be disrespectful to look away from the Sorcerer King, but the visor she wore made it possible -- and saw that her people had heard it and the tips of their ears were turning red. The problem was that their performance deteriorated, possibly because they were nervous, or because they had stiffened up their shoulders in order to look good for the Sorcerer King.

用侧目窥视的话——在魔导王面前转移视线可能很失礼也说不定，但因为使用这个眼罩让这件事成为了可能——部下们可能也听到了而耳朵发红。困扰的是，他们也许是出于紧张或是想要好好表现所以肩膀用力的关系，比起刚才表现变得反而更差劲。

That said, her own ears felt a little hot too.

话虽如此，自己的耳朵也有些发烫。

“...Miss Baraja. Your men have made a great deal of progress since last time. Surely that must be your accomplishment as their leader.”

「......巴拉哈小姐。妳的部下们与之前相比进步了特别多不是吗，这也是身为队长的妳的功绩吧」

His pleasantries both embarrassed Neia and left her at a loss for how to answer.

因客套话宁亚一面感到有些害羞，一面苦恼着如何回答。

It would be embarrassing to say that they got nervous and can’t show their full ability because Your Majesty arrived. They would think so too.

（因为魔导王陛下光临而紧张得无法发挥实力、这么说明的话实在太丢脸了，他们也是如此吧）

Therefore, Neia decided to take his words as they were given. However--

所以宁亚就将那句话当作是那样。但是——

“No, it’s nothing of the sort. I hardly taught them anything. They could have done that by themselves.”

「不、没有那么回事，我几乎没有什么可教他们的，这样的表现他们本来就能够做到」

“Is that so? Well, if you say so, then it must be true.”

「是吗？嘛、如果妳这么说就当做是这样吧」

In other words -- the Sorcerer King did not think so. Which meant that the Sorcerer King thought very highly of Neia.

这么说——也就是魔导王不是这么认为的。也就是魔导王对于宁亚给予非常高的评价。

Neia raised her voice a little to try and hide her soaring emotions.

将想跳着走的心情蒙混过去一般，宁亚发出有点大的声音。

“In, in that case, Your Majesty, does your presence here mean that the meeting is already over?”

「那、那么陛下，您来到这里就表示会议已经结束了吗？」

“Ah, yes. They’re done for the day, but that said, I did not make any special suggestions.”

「啊啊。今天的分已经结束了呢。虽然这么说但是我并没有特别做出什么提案呢」

Right now, this city had a mountain of problems, all of which stemmed from the increasing population of the city. The original population of this small city of Lloyds had been less than 20’000, but after gathering the people from the liberated camps, it was now in excess of 150’000.

现在、这个都市的问题堆积如山，所有问题的根源是都市人口的增加。这个小都市洛伊兹、本来的人口连两万人都没有吧，从收容所解放的人们集中起来的关系，现在超过了十五万人。

The most recent of these overpopulation problems was the slimes used in the sewers -- the Sanitary Slimes -- whose own population had surged due to an abundance in food and had thus caused a panic when they erupted from the waterways.

人口过于集中而产生的问题，记忆犹新的是作为下水处理用的史莱姆[Slime]——卫生粘体[Sanitary Slime]——因为营养过剩而增值，从下水道中满溢出来而发生的骚动。

When the slime population grew, they were typically burned back down with magic items, but the unexpectedly rapid growth meant that this was not done in time and several men and women had been attacked.

史莱姆增加的情况有时会使用道具烧光驱逐，可由于以超出想象速度增长的结果，就是来不及进行而有导致数名男女遭到袭击。

When these men and women were surrounded by the slimes, a group of rubbish-clearing monsters called the Filth Eaters appeared from the sewers to help them.

那些男女在被史莱姆包围的时候，从下水道出现了的能够帮助处理垃圾的怪物、食污者[ファエクデツセ]帮助了他们。

Unlike how they appeared, the Filth Eaters were intelligent monsters, and they knew that humans could produce a great deal of their food, and so they saved the people with their acidic bodies.

食污者与其外表不一致是具有知性的怪物，可能是意识到人类们能够大量生产出自己的餐点吧，使用具有对酸耐性的身体救助了他们。

However, the people were not grateful to the Filth Eaters. That was because Sanitary Slimes were not infectious themselves, but the Filth Eaters who helped them were colonies of pathogens. Thus, the people they had helped had been infected by disease and were in a very bad state, particularly those who had contracted encephalitis.

但是，人们却没有办法对食污者表达感谢，这么说是因为卫生粘体本身不会带有病原菌，相反的因为提供了帮助的食污者那一方却是病原菌的集合体，所以被出手所救的人受到疾病传染变成了很糟糕的情况，特别是脑炎很严重。

In addition, it was winter now, so firewood and other fuels were scarce. Then there was the fact that there had been delays in the construction of housing. While there was no food shortage yet, that would become a danger in the future.

其他还有因为现在是冬季，薪火之类的燃料不足，加上住宅准备耽误等等之类，现在虽然还没有陷入粮食不足，但将来也有那个危险性。

The Sorcerer King had been invited to many of the meetings to deal with these problems, possibly because they were counting on his prodigious knowledge to solve their problems.

对于这一些的问题所召开的会议，在进入本周后魔导王就接连不断地被召集参加，可能是为了解决问题而期待其的广泛知识吧。

While the Sorcerer King had simply said that he did not know that much and had merely sat aside to listen, such a person could not have been summoned to meetings time and time again.

虽然魔导王本人说自己并没有那么多的知识只能旁听话题，但那样的人不可能屡次被召集到会议之中。

The fact that he conducted himself so humbly despite being the king of a nation only deepened Neia’s respect for him.

尽管身为一国之王，却总是以谦虚的姿态待人，这让宁亚的尊敬之意更深了。

“What do you intend to do next, Your Majesty?”

「那么陛下接下来的预定是？」

“Umu. I had intended to see if the moving of logs was going well… Are you busy with practice, Miss Baraja? If you don’t mind, would you like to accompany me?”

「呼姆。想要前去确认树木的搬运是否顺利进行，巴拉哈小姐......是否忙于训练？如果方便的话两人一起去吗？」

In order to solve the lack of fuel and housing, they were using the Sorcerer King’s undead horses to transport logs from a distant forest. Initially, many people had been averse to using undead horses for transport, but now there was a steady stream of praise for the merits of these undead horses.

为了解决住房不足以及燃料不足，使用了魔导王召唤出的不死者的马，将在远距离的森林中砍倒的树木搬运到这里。一开始有许多人对于使用不死马搬运这件事抱着逃避感，但现在的话都陆续发出佩服不死马厉害之处的声音。

“Ah, please allow me to go with you! I am Your Majesty’s Squire, after all!”

「不、请让我一起去！因为我是陛下的侍从！」

The knowledge that she would be able to perform her squirely duties at long last and her delight at being alone with the Sorcerer King caused Neia to unconsciously speak faster and louder. As a result, Neia’s ears burned.

久违的侍从工作，且对于单独两人这件事感到的喜悦，让说话不禁变得急促并发出了较大的声音。

宁亚因此耳朵发烫。

“Is, is that so? Then let us proceed.”

「是、是这样吗？那么我们走吧」

“Yes! Please--”

「是！请——」

Then, as though to interrupt her, a sky-blackening inferno erupted in the distance.

有如遮断宁亚的话一般，突然在远方轰地仿佛将天空烧焦一般的剧烈火焰刮起。

For a moment, Neia wondered what was burning.

一瞬间、宁亚在思考是什么燃烧起来了。

But that was wrong. She had been too far off. That could not have been caused by any form of natural combustion.

但是不对，差太多了。那种东西不可能是自燃所引起的。

That fire seemed to be enveloping the city. In other words, it was a wall of fire -- Neia’s mind immediately recalled what the members of Blue Rose had said.

那个火焰是仿佛将都市包在里面而刮起的。也就是火焰之壁——转瞬间宁亚的脑海里面想起了苍蔷薇所说过的话。

“--Your Majesty! That’s--”

「——魔导王陛下！那个是！」

“Ah, it is as you are thinking, and the same as what I heard from Momon… the time has come at last. It seems that bastard Jaldabaoth is attacking. Miss Baraja, I’m heading out.”

「啊啊、就和妳想的一样吧，我也从飞飞那里听过......这个时刻终于来了呢，是亚达巴沃，那家伙攻过来了。巴拉哈小姐，我要上了」

Had he anticipated this series of events? As though influenced by the Sorcerer King’s calm attitude, Neia’s heart calmed down as well. Or no, it would be better to say that the presence of a supreme being like the Sorcerer King gave her peace of mind.

已预期到这个事态了吧。被魔导王冷静的态度所带动一般，宁亚的内心也冷静下来。不、该说是因为魔导王这个绝对者存在才安心的吧。

“Where to!?”

「要往哪！」

“Ah -- hm. Jaldabaoth’s aim is still unclear. So, ah -- he might just be here to slaughter indiscriminately. However, if he has an objective, he’ll either be targeting me or the Holy Kingdom’s leadership, so it would be best if we met up. Tell your men to get ready for battle and then have them flee to a safe district.”

「啊——欸吶。亚达巴沃的目的是什么还不清楚。所以、欸—也有可能是无目标地为虐杀而来也说不定。但是，如果有目的的话，应该是我或者是圣王国的首脑部吧，那样的话进行合流比较好。让妳的部下做好战斗准备、让他们逃往安全区域」

“Eh!?”

「诶！？」

“They’ll be of no use against Jaldabaoth. In that case, it would be better to have them prepare to deal with any demons which might appear. Since the city will probably be in chaos now, once you form up your unit, won’t it be better to have them head outside the city?”

「亚达巴沃来的话根本派不上用场。那样不如准备对付有可能出现的恶魔比较好，恐怕都市内部会陷入混乱吧，部队准备好的话前往都市外面比较好哦？」

While his words had been unclear at first, perhaps he had organized his thoughts later on, because the middle part onwards was a nonstop series of instructions to Neia.

虽然一开始的说话方式不清楚，但后来可能想法归纳好了，从中途开始就没有停滞地对宁亚进行指示。

“Yes! Thank you very much, Your Majesty! Alright, everyone!”

「是！非常感谢、魔导王陛下！那么各位！」

While they had made plans in case Jaldabaoth led an army against them, they had not expected a blaze to surround the entire city. Another big problem was the fact that they did not know the extent of the preparations that the enemy had made.

虽然对亚达巴沃率领军队出现的情况定好了对应的预案，但像这样突然整个都市被火焰包围起来的事态则是意料之外。话说回来敌人到底准备到了什么程度依然不明，这也是非常大的问题。

Neia gave her instructions. There was only a single squad here and they could not do as they pleased, but as a team leader, she had a responsibility to do several things before her orders came.

宁亚做出了指示，虽然这里不过只有一支部队，也不能随意行动，但是作为队长，有责任在命令来之前做好一切应该做好的事。

The instructions were something like this:

指示的内容，大概来说就是这样。

Everyone in the squad was to take their families and head to the east gate, because if the enemy attacked, it was more likely that they would attack from the west gate. After that, they would form up at the east gate, and if there were demons outside the east gate, they would climb the walls near the east gate and attack them. In addition, they were to listen to Neia’s adjutant until she arrived and adapt to changes in the battlefield conditions.

让部队里的人把家眷都带上，向东门前进，因为敌人如果进攻的话，从西门来的可能性比较高。之后在东门那里整队，如果恶魔门在东门外的话，就登上东门右边的城墙对敌人进行攻击。还有直到宁亚到来之前，要听从副官的指示，依战场形势灵机应变。

Neia’s subordinates obeyed her instructions and moved swiftly into action.

遵从宁亚的指示，部下们迅速开始了行动。

“Your Majesty!”

「陛下!」

After giving her orders, Neia turned back and saw that the Sorcerer King’s eyes were on his hands, while he had used a flight spell to rise to somewhere around the level of Neia’s head.

下完命令的宁亚回头一看，魔导王正一边目光落在手上，一边使用了飞行的魔法浮起到了宁亚头部附近的高度。

“Your Majesty! Let me go with you!”

「陛下！我也一同前去！」

Perhaps he was startled by Neia’s shout, but the Sorcerer King suddenly closed his hand and a quiet sound came from within.

也许是因为宁亚的呼喊而吃惊，魔导王一下子握起了手，似乎从手里传出了什么微小的声音。

“Hmm… well, alright.”

「嗯……嘛，也行」

The Sorcerer King cast a flying spell on Neia as well. In that moment, she realised the greatness of magic as she learned what it was to fly.

魔导王向宁亚施放了飞行的魔法。那瞬间就能让人理解如何飞行，魔法的力量真是伟大。

Neia and the Sorcerer King moved as though they were skimming along the ground. They did not leave the surface except to soar over crowds of people, who had descended into chaos, because they could not get a grip on the situation. The reason for that was because flying in the air without cover made them very obvious, and if there were demons about, they might be subjected to attack spells from all directions.

宁亚他们在地上犹如滑行一般地移动着。除了遇到因为无法掌握状况而混乱的人群，一口气上浮飞越过去以外，都不会离开地面。要说为什么的话，在空中这样毫无遮蔽的地方飞行是非常扎眼的，要是恶魔在附近的话可不能保证不会遭到四面八方来袭的攻击魔法。

Neia bit her lip in unhappiness, feeling like she was being a burden. Whatever spells the demons used, they could not possibly pose a problem for the Sorcerer King. She could not help but think that he had chosen to go the long way around instead of flying directly to his destination because she was around.

宁亚觉得自己拖了后腿，不甘心地紧咬着嘴唇。恶魔的魔法什么的，目标只是魔导王得话就什么也不用担心了吧。大概，正是因为宁亚也在所以才不直接在空中飞往目的地，而是这样地绕了远路，她不由得这么想着。

Eventually, they reached their destination -- the headquarters, which also doubled as Caspond’s chambers.

终于，到达了目的地的本部）——卡斯邦登的住所兼司令部。

The two paladins at the door had their hands full trying to manage the people jammed up near the door.

为了对付塞在入口附近的人们，两名圣骑士正忙得晕头转向。

“Miss Baraja, we’ll go in from above.”

「巴拉哈小姐，我们从上面走」

“Yes!”

「是！」

After seeing that it would be a little difficult to enter from the front door, the two of them floated up and arrived at the balcony. Just then, the window facing them opened up.

眼看从正面进入实在有些困难，二人便浮空了起来，接着来到了阳台。这时，对面的窗户也打开了。

“Your Majesty! Thank you for coming.”

「陛下！恭候多时了」

It was a paladin.”

那是一名圣骑士。

“Are the others here yet?”

「其他人都到齐了？」

“No, Your Majesty. The priests are assembling. Vice-Captain Montagnes is off to liberate a prison camp and isn’t expected to return today. Right now, only Captain Custodio and Caspond-denka are present.”

「不，陛下。神官们还正在集结途中。前去解放收容所的蒙塔涅斯副团长也没有本日归还的预定，现在的话只有卡斯托迪奥团长和卡斯邦登殿下在」

“Is that so. Still, it’s good that the two of them are here. Lead the way.”

「是吗。不过，那两人在的话就好说。带路吧」

“Yes!”

「是！」

After the paladin led them to Caspond’s room, they could hear a loud discussion through the door. It seemed quite chaotic.

圣骑士在前引导他们走向卡斯邦登的房间，透过门都能听见里面大声的讨论着什么，似乎相当的混乱。

The paladin opened the door for them, and over a dozen pairs of bloodshot eyes greeted them.

前面的圣骑士打开门，迎接他们的是十几双充血着的眼睛。

“Sorry I’m late. We’re out of time, so what plans were you discussing just now?”

「抱歉有些迟到了。没什么时间了吧，现在讨论的是怎么样的作战？」

Everyone looked at each other, and Caspond spoke up on their behalf.

人们面面相觑，作为代表，卡斯邦登开口了。

“We have not spotted Jaldabaoth yet. Your Majesty, could this fire have been made by a magic item or a demon other than Jaldabaoth?”

「亚达巴沃的身影仍未发现。魔导王陛下，这样的火焰除了亚达巴沃以外的恶魔或者魔法的道具也能做到吗？」

“I am unsure. After all, even I could not do such a thing.”

「这就不清楚了。毕竟就算是我也办不到这样的事啊」

The others were shaken. The Sorcerer King employed magic that surpassed the imagination. How powerful must Jaldabaoth be if he could use a spell that even the Sorcerer King could not?

人们动摇了。魔导王所使用的各种魔法都是超乎想象的，而能行使连如此强大的魔导王也不能使用的魔法的亚达巴沃的力量，到底是何种程度呢。

“In that case, what effects does that fire have? Blue Rose said that they managed to pass through it, then surely normal people can do so as well, right?”

「那个，这火焰到底有着怎样的效果？确实苍蔷薇们说过能随意穿过去的，那么普通人也可以吗？」

After saying so, Remedios turned to look straight at the Sorcerer King.

提出问题的蕾梅迪奥丝转身直面着魔导王。

“That won’t be a problem. As for its effects, demons standing inside the fire benefit from improved attributes, negative-karma spells will do more damage, item drop rates will increase and many other effects. But according to the results from the investigation team, none of those effects exist. However, it still remains to be seen whether it has any other effects.”

「那倒是没有问题。关于它的效果，被这火焰包围的内部能使其中的恶魔的能力得到些许上升，若是善恶值为负的话被强化了的魔法伤害会有些许上升，掉宝率上升，之类的有着各种各样的意见。但根据调查队的调查结果来说，这些效果都不存在。只不过，是不是还有什么别的效果呢，这样的意见也还没有消失」

“Which means we can freely move in and out, right?”

「也就是说，可以随便出入？」

“Hm? Didn’t I say that at the beginning?”

「嗯？这我一开始就已经做出了回答才是啊？」

“In that case, we ought to evacuate as long as there are no demihumans or demons around, and then form up into units there. After all, I heard that demons appeared within the area surrounded by the fire when it was last seen in the Kingdom. Let’s go with that plan of action, everyone.”

「如果是那样的话，现在附近要是没有亚人或者恶魔的踪影的话，先出去外面避难，然后在那里进行部队的再编成。毕竟听说王国那次在火焰包围范围内会出现恶魔啊。大家按照这个方针开始计划吧」

After giving the paladins their orders, he asked the Sorcerer King again, “Can you use your magic to pinpoint Jaldabaoth’s location, Your Majesty?”

卡斯邦登如此对圣骑士们下了命令，并再次询问魔导王「那么使用陛下的力量是否能搞清亚达巴沃的所在呢？」

“If I could, I wouldn’t need to stay in this city now, would I?”

「要是做得到的话，我不就没有必要一直留在这座城里了么？」

“You have a point.”

「您说的没错」

Just as the Sorcerer King was dealing with one question after another, everyone heard an ominous creaking.

正在魔导王应对一个紧接着一个的提问的时候，人们听到了吱吱唧唧这样不吉的异响。

It started out quietly enough, and then it steadily grew to drown out the clamor in the room. One by one, they realised that the sound had died down, and finally, in the silence, the only thing that remained was the sound of creaking.

开始时还是小声，然后逐渐增大到连室内的喧嚣都被压过的地步。一人，又一人发觉到了这声音而沉默下来，最后在静寂中，只剩吱吱唧唧的声音不断回响着。

Everyone looked around nervously in all directions, and just then, Neia noticed something odd on the outside wall of the building and exclaimed an “Ah--”

无论是谁都不安地望向四周，这时，宁亚注意到了与屋外连接的墙壁的异常，“啊”地发出了声音。

A crack appeared on the wall, and as everyone watched, it began to spread. The wall bulged, and then--

墙上出现了裂纹，在全员的注目之下，一会儿就呈放射状地扩散了出来，室内侧的墙壁开始鼓起一个大包，然后——

“Everyone, get away!”

「快躲开！」

Just as Remedios shouted, the Sorcerer King stood in front of Neia.

在蕾梅迪奥丝叫喊的同时，魔导王挡在宁亚的跟前。

The wall broke apart and there was an explosion. Bricks flew through the room like a spray of shotgun pellets. Groans filled the air; they came from those people who had been hit by the high-speed chunks of bricks.

与爆音同时，墙壁碎裂了。砖块如散弹般在室内飞散开来。传来了几声呻吟，那是被高速砖块所击中的人们的声音。

If the Sorcerer King had not shielded Neia with his body, Neia might have ended up groaning on the ground with them.

若是魔导王没有以身为盾挡在宁亚前的话，也许宁亚就会跟他们一样倒在地上呻吟了吧。

“Th-thank you--”

「非、非常感——」

The Sorcerer King held up his hand to stop Neia before she could thank him, and then he pointed at the smoke-billowing gap in the wall to draw her attention there.

宁亚正要说出感谢之语，魔导王抬起手制止了她，然后指着弥漫着烟尘的缺口，把她的注意力转向了那边。

There was a gigantic silhouette there, the color of a roaring blaze.

那是一道巨大的身影，和熊熊燃起的烈焰之色。

“--Thank you for the warm welcome, humans.”

「——对你们的迎接表示感谢，人类们啊」

It was a deep and powerful voice.

沉重，而粗壮的声音。

As though cutting through the smoke, that being calmly poked itself through the hole in the outside wall and entered the room.

如分割了烟尘一般，从墙壁的大洞中从容地探进身体，进入了室内的存在。

It was -- a demon.

那是——恶魔。

Due to his size, he had to bend down in order to barely fit inside the room. His posture looked a little stupid, but now was definitely not the time for laughter. Her throat could not work properly; she wanted to swallow the saliva pooling in her mouth, but it stuck there instead.

由于他是如此巨大，不得身体微微弯曲，勉勉强强才能进到屋子里。虽然那姿势也不是不能说蠢，但现在也绝不是可以笑得出来的状况。喉咙没法正常地动作，想要咽下口中的唾液却卡在那里。

This was an overwhelming gathering of power.

压倒性的力量的集合。

Neia had never been very good at judging the strength of her foes relative to herself, but she understood that she could not win against him even with tens of thousands of Neias. She was swallowed by a swell of might comparable to the Sorcerer King after removing his ring, and she could not move a muscle.

本来宁亚并不是很擅长判断敌我的力量差别，但她也明白，就是有几万个宁亚也绝对赢不了。她被能与拿下戒指时的魔导王相匹敌的波动所吞没，就连一根手指也无法动弹。

It was then that she realised who she was facing.

直到这里，她也明白了那到底是什么。

That, that’s Jaldabaoth… the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth...

（那、那就是，亚达巴沃……魔皇亚达巴沃……）

His face was filled with wrath, his wings were red, and his burning arms -- he seemed to be holding something in one hand, and Neia could not help but doubt her eyes.

集聚着愤怒的面容和红莲之翼，还有燃烧着的巨腕——那单手似乎握着什么，宁亚不禁怀疑起了自己的眼睛。

That was -- though she dared not believe it -- a lower body. It emanated a vile stench, one of advanced decay.

那是，虽然不敢相信，但那似乎是人的下半身之类的东西。从那里飘来了异臭，是已经腐败多时的味道。

“Yeeeaaarrt!”

「咿呀啊啊啊啊！！」

It was a shout -- no, a scream. It was a sound that only one who had burst the shackles on their emotions and fallen into madness would make. It came from behind Neia.

吼叫，不，应该说是怪声吧，卸掉了感情的枷锁，陷入了疯狂的人才会有的声音从宁亚的背后发了出来。

Neia’s back shuddered. The person making that sound was Remedios.

宁亚的后背不禁打了个颤。声音的主人是蕾梅迪奥丝。

Remedios raised her holy sword high and charged straight at Jaldabaoth, not caring about her own defense.

蕾梅迪奥丝笔直地举起圣剑，彷佛完全不考虑防御一样的朝亚达巴沃突进。

This was too rash. Even Neia, who was not skilled with swords, felt that it was a foolish charge.

太鲁莽了。就连不擅长用剑的宁亚都觉得愚直的突击。

“--Get lost.”

「——真碍事」

Those weighty, quiet words were accompanied by the sound of splashing sound. At the same time, Remedios flew in a straight line and crashed into a wall. Her impact made such a crash that it seemed as though the entire building would collapse. After that, Remedios -- who had been swatted aside like a fly -- collapsed limply from the wall.

伴随着沉重平静的一句话，啪刷地水声响起。与此同时，蕾梅迪奥丝呈一直线的飞出去撞上墙壁，发出了让人觉得建筑物仿佛都快要被打坏的冲击声。接着就像球一样被弹开的蕾梅迪奥丝无力的从那里跌落下来。

It would seem Jaldabaoth had sent Remedios flying with the object that looked like a human’s lower body.

看来亚达巴沃是用那拿着的、像是人体下半身的东西，把蕾梅迪奥丝给打飞了出去。

Neia would surely have died if she had taken that hit. But as expected of the country’s strongest paladin, her life did not seem to be in danger.

如果换做是宁亚的话绝对会死掉的一击，不愧是圣王国最强的圣骑士，性命倒是没有大碍的样子。

However, in its place, a revolting odor began to spread through the air.

但该说是取而代之吗，刺鼻到令人作呕的恶臭飘散开来。

The room was filled with chunks of meat from the decayed lower body that Jaldabaoth had used to strike Remedios.

亚达巴沃拿着的腐坏下半身因为殴打蕾梅迪奥丝的冲击而化作肉片在房间里四处飞散。

“Ahh… what a mess. I sincerely apologize for getting the room dirty. Of course, it would not have ended up like this if that woman had not charged at me without thinking -- well, that’s just an excuse. Please forgive me.”

「啊啊……何等惨状啊。对于弄脏房间的事，我从心底感到抱歉。虽然要不是那个女的什么都不想就冲过来的话，也不会搞成这样了——这只是借口吧。请原谅我」

Jaldabaoth slowly bowed his head. He seemed genuinely apologetic, but that only made everyone else more afraid.

亚达巴沃慢慢的低下头。似乎是真心感到抱歉的态度，反而更加让人感到恐惧。

And then, he casually dumped what he was holding -- something that looked like the charred remains of a human ankle -- to the ground.

然后将留在手中的、被火烧得漆黒的像是人类脚踝骨一样的东西，随手就扔在了房内。

“My my, I guess I got too excited when swinging it around and the top half flew off somewhere. It’s a dirty little thing, so I’ve been looking for a chance to dispose of it… but in the end I managed to make good use of her. Am I not a kind demon? She must be thanking me from the afterlife.”

「唉呀唉呀，稍微太兴奋了到处乱挥结果上面一半不知道飞哪里去了。因为很脏所以也想要早点处理掉，虽然一直有在找机会……但到最后都能好好的活用她，我还真是温柔的恶魔。她在肯定在那个世界也会感谢我的」

Jaldabaoth muttered to himself.

亚达巴沃这么自言自语。

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

「啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊啊！」

Remedios touched herself as she wailed in anguish, fresh blood streaming from the corner of her mouth. No, she was collecting the chunks of meat that were stuck to her. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind at last, Neia wondered.

发出了悲痛的叫声，嘴角一边流出鲜血，稍微起身的蕾梅迪奥丝摸着自己的身子。不对，那是在收集沾着的肉片。她到底在做什么呢？难道发疯了吗，宁亚这么想着。

No, there was a method to her seeming madness.

不对，她那奇异的行动是有其含意在的。

Don’t tell me, that corpse was… how could this be...

（难道说，刚刚的尸体是……这怎么可能……）

Although the lower body had tattered bits of what looked like armor stuck to it, it should have belonged to a woman. In that case, she could imagine two people that it could have been.

虽然下半身只有黏着破破烂烂的像是铠甲的东西，但应该是女性。这样的话能够想象得到的人物有两个。

If that was really the case...

若真是如此——

“What a lovely sound,” Jaldabaoth waved his hand like a conductor. “In that case, I believe this is the first time we have met, Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown-dono -- or perhaps -sama would be a better form of address?”

「真是不错的音色」亚达巴沃像是指挥家一样轻轻挥动一只手「那么，这是初次见面、没错吧。魔导王安兹·乌尔·恭阁下——大人，还是该这么称呼比较好吗？」

“It doesn’t matter. Now then, I trust you’re here for a showdown with me?”

“Indeed. No amount of weaklings will make a difference.”

“I concur on that point. I have no intention of generating meaningless deaths.”

Still sniffling, Remedios looked towards the Sorcerer King.

“Your Majesty, you are strong. Stronger even than Momon. I hope you will allow me to adopt a strategy that will guarantee my victory.”

Jaldabaoth raised his hand, and a head poked itself through the hole.

It was a woman wearing a mask and a maid’s outfit. There were two of them, in fact.

“I trust you will not call me despicable?”

“--Uh, hm. Well, this is… mhm… uh… um.”

The Sorcerer King was starting to get worried. That was only to be expected.

Nobody could have expected Jaldabaoth to arrive with his maid demons in tow. However--

That’s probably not the case. The Sorcerer King is wise, and he must have anticipated this. In that case, why is he like this? Could it be that it’s because we’re here? Perhaps he’s not confident of protecting us all as well, so he’s worried!

“Your Majesty, please do not worry about us.”

“Eh?”

The Sorcerer King made a tiny exclamation of surprise.

Neia knew very well that the maid demons were beings who could kill everyone in this room, and they were so powerful that she could not be at ease even if someone told her not to worry. Compared to someone on the Sorcerer King’s level, Neia and the others, probably including Remedios, were little more than valueless pawns.

However -- she would rather die than get in his way.

She had once heard that the Sorcerer King’s subordinates were prepared to die if they became hostages. While the Sorcerer King said he had felt distressed by it, Neia could finally understand how his subordinates had felt. They did not want to become a burden to the person they respected.

“Hahaha! Do not worry, humans. I will torture you all to death afterwards. We will be waiting in the fountain at the center of town. Of course, you may flee if you wish, Sorcerer King.”

“I take those words and return them to you, Jaldabaoth.”

The Sorcerer King and Jaldabaoth stared each other down.

After that, Jaldabaoth turned -- and Remedios jumped up, her holy sword in hand, and rushed at him.

The weakly-glowing holy sword looked like a band of flowing light.

“Dieeeeee!”

And then, she stabbed it into Jaldabaoth’s back.

“What’s this? This is… Are you satisfied?”

--It was a cold, flat voice.

“Why… why… after taking a strike from the holy sword… you should be evil…”

Remedios’ back looked far too tiny and insignificant in comparison.

“I have no idea what to make of that. Why? What do you mean by why? It felt like a little prick, how about that? If you’re done, would you mind getting out of the way? I don’t intend to kill you here. I’ll decide after I kill the Sorcerer King.”

Jaldabaoth paid no heed to Remedios and spread his enormous, fiery wings before flying off. The maid demons followed him.

“...Then I’ll be going too. You should go take shelter so you don’t get caught up in the fighting. While I don’t think it’ll be a problem, I hope you’ll understand if this city ends up wrecked.”

“Your Majesty, will it be alright?”

Caspond rose from where he had dived for cover to avoid the debris flying about the room. His eyes looked at Remedios, who looked utterly defeated and could not rise to her feet.

“It’ll be fine -- I can’t say that for sure, but there ought to be a chance. It would have been very troublesome if he’d brought the demihumans along as shields. Looks like he’s still underestimating me, and this is also a chance to bring the maid demons into my fold.

“It’ll be fine. It’s okay. My sister is still here. Kelart is still here. As long as she’s around, Calca-sama might…”

Remedios smacked her face as she muttered to herself, and then she forcefully rose to her feet.

“Sorcerer King! I’ll go too! Lend me a weapon that can harm him! I’ll become your sword for the time being!”

The Sorcerer King looked at Remedios, her eyes bloodshot and filled with hate, and then shook his head.

“...Forget about it. You would only get in the way.”

“What are you saying!?”

“Do you not understand? I speak of the disparity in strength. Or do you mean to say you understand it, but refuse to accept it? Simply put -- you are a burden.”

Remedios glared at the Sorcerer King like he was her nemesis.

The Sorcerer King’s words were very harsh, but they were also true. Or rather, they were hard to accept precisely because they were true.

“Captain Remedios! I have another task for you. Evacuate these people outside the city!”

Caspond gave the order in a stern, commanding tone.

“The plan was to let His Majesty handle Jaldabaoth. You agreed to that too, didn’t you?”

“...Ahh, I know,” Remedios bit her lip, and then she forced out her next words. “You must kill that bastard.”

“Understood.”

“--Paladins, carefully gather the remains of that body. Don’t leave a single piece behind.”

“Captain… that body is…”

The paladin had an idea of what was going on, and ventured his question in a trembling voice. Remedios replied in a tone that seemed to be telling him not to ask any more.

“Don’t forget that there might be demonic trickery at work.”

Remedios left without looking back. Several paladins followed her, with half-frightened looks on their faces.

“Your Majesty, I sincerely apologize for the way she treated you… May I apologize on her behalf?” Caspond lowered his head. “Please, I beg your forgiveness.”

“...I accept your apology. Now then, hurry up and evacuate. If he has to wait too long, he might decide to go back on his word. I’ll be heading off first to buy time, but I hope you understand that I can only give you about 30 minutes.”

“I understand. Everyone heard that? Get moving!”

Several priests and paladins moved out with Caspond.

The only people left in the room were the Sorcerer King and Neia, as well as several paladins and priests who were stuffing the remains of a certain someone’s body into a bag. In that case--

“Your Majesty, may I come with you!?”

There were gasps of awe and sudden intakes of air from all around her. But Neia ignored those irrelevant people. She took off her visor and looked straight at the Sorcerer King.

“...Umu. I cannot. He may have said all that just now, but he’s a demon. If pressed, he will reveal his true nature and use you as a hostage.

“But if that happens, Your Majesty will kill me without hesitation, will you not?”

“When you say that with such a serious look on your face, you make me sound like a cruel person. Well, if I can’t save you, I’ll discard you. I’ll hit you with an attack spell as well.”

“In that case--”

“--I am not doing this because I want to kill hostages, you know?”

“Ah! Forgive me…”

That was how it was. He would do it because it was the best choice available. If there were a better alternative, this merciful man would surely choose that instead. Thus, not letting Neia accompany him was because it was the best of the best alternatives.

“But… Your Majesty, you have used many spells and even your magic items and mana in order to free this city. As a magic caster, surely you must be weakened now. Will that be alright?”

“Mhm! Indeed, it might be dangerous, but I came here to defeat Jaldabaoth. Fortunately, he came to find me instead. Now I’ll destroy him and mape the raids… ugh, saying that I want the maids makes me sound like a dirty old man, hm…”

Neia smiled bitterly at the Sorcerer King, who could still make a lame joke at a time like this. She wanted to speak, but the Sorcerer King cut her off with a raise of his hand.

“Besides, I’ll be a laughingstock if I run away here.”

The Sorcerer King shrugged, like he was kidding. Neia sensed that he was not being serious, and so she raised her voice.

“Your Majesty! If they want to laugh, let them! I humbly submit that you should only fight him in top condition! Also, you came here to battle Jaldabaoth, but you ended up using a vast amount of mana and strength on the behalf of the Holy Kingdom. That’s not what you agreed to in the beginning. If we say that, the people of my country will…”

“Indeed, that is true. But humans are creatures who only believe what they want to believe. Even if you spread the word, nobody would take it to heart, Miss Baraja.”

“That…! In that case, I can be a witness! And…”

Neia looked out the corner of her eye at the paladins and priests listening to their conversation, Surely they would be willing to be witnesses.

“...Neia Baraja. I thank you, but there is no need for that. I will not change my intention to fight Jaldabaoth.”

“This -- why is that?”

“Simple. It is because it is a promise I have made as a king.”

Neia had nothing to say. There was nothing she could say in response to that. A commoner like herself could not possibly say anything that could change the mind of a King.

There were murmurs of admiration around her. Indeed, this great and proud person was none other than His Majesty the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown.

Neia was filled with pride for the king that she held in such high esteem.

“Your Majesty, I know this is deeply disrespectful, but if you feel there is danger, I beg you to flee.”

Perhaps mentioning the possibility of his loss might make him unhappy, but even so she still had to say it.

“...But of course. It is a fool who fights without preparing a means of escape. Even if you lose one battle, you can make good use of the information gained in the next one. It doesn’t matter if you lose the first battle.”

“I expected nothing less of you, Your Majesty.”

An extreme interpretation of that was that if his aim was to defeat Jaldabaoth, then all he needed was to be victorious in the end. Neia was excited by this line of thinking, which was not a warrior’s mindset, but that of a king.

“Then I’ll be heading out first.”

***

Ainz walked toward the place Jaldabaoth had indicated. Along the way, he used [Message] to order the two Hanzos who had followed him to check for tails and if anyone was observing from afar.

安兹向亚达巴沃指定的地方走去。一边走一边使用<讯息>命令随自己而来的两名半藏确认身后是否有尾随者，以及是否有人在进行远距离监视。

After receiving a negative report on both those items, Ainz had originally intended to terminate the transmission immediately, but then he received a somewhat confused report that there were members of the Pleiades present.

在收到没有这类发现的报告后，本打算立刻切断通信的安兹，又收到了略带困惑的、昴宿星团在附近的报告。

Ainz acknowledged it and ended the [Message].

安兹回答了一声知道了，就解除了<讯息>。

...We didn’t find any other players or World-Class Item holders this time round either. I keep thinking they ought to have shown themselves by now… but if they don’t exist, how do you explain what happened to Shalltear? Was it some kind of coincidence? It should have been the effect of a World-Class Item, right? Or was it the work of some Talent?

（……这次也没有发现其他玩家或者世界级道具持有者啊。总觉得他们该出现了啊……如果不存在这种人的话，夏尔提雅的事情又该怎么解释？某种偶然？应该是世界级道具的效果啊？还是说难道是某种天生异能？）

The fact that nothing had turned up despite going to these lengths made the whole thing feel like a trap for him. For all he knew, the opposition was waiting for him to lower his guard before striking.

都已经提防到了这个地步却还没有任何发现，这件事本身就像是一个陷阱了。说不定是在等我方放松警惕的那个时刻到来吧。

Honestly… well, it doesn’t matter. Careful planning for the future won’t be wasted.

（真是的……也无所谓啦。反正小心驶得万年船警戒是不会白费的）

Therefore, Ainz contacted the other Hanzo squads with [Message] to verify their readiness and that his orders had been received.

于是安兹用<讯息>联络了其他半藏小队，确认了命令的传达以及他们的准备情况。

Alright, preparations are complete. The next part is simple, I just need to follow Demiurge’s playbook. Even if I make a mistake, I can always say “I was just testing you” and so on.

（好的，已经准备万全了。接下来简单了，只是按照迪米乌哥斯详细的计划书行动就行了。就算犯了什么错误，也可以推说是为了测试你一下什么的）

That was good.

不错。

Ainz was moved by how light his tread was. This the first time he had felt so relaxed since coming to this world, and it was like floating through the sky.

安兹为自己轻快的脚步而感动。自从来到这个世界之后大概是第一次感到如此轻松，就好像在天上飘一样。

Soon, Ainz came to an average-sized square.

不久安兹来到了一个不怎么大的广场。

This had originally been a periodically-activated fountain square for the citizens’ leisure. However, there was no water flowing through here after the demihumans had wrecked it. There were no plans to restore it for the time being, and the surroundings looked very austere.

这里原先是一个供市民休闲的定期启动的喷泉广场。但是遭到亚人们的破坏之后已经没有什么水流了。目前还没有修复计划，周围一片萧条的样子。

A demon stood proudly there.

一只恶魔堂堂地站在那里。

It was a huge demon with burning wings and two crimson, brawny fists.

那是有着燃烧的双翼和赤红的铁拳的巨大恶魔。

This was the Evil Lord of Wrath from Nazarick. However, what stood here was merely a monster that Demiurge had called up with his Evil Lord Summons. It could only be used once every 50 hours, but it could be freely controlled for a time. Nazarick would not be diminished even if it were killed.

存在于纳萨力克的愤怒魔将。不过面前这只是由迪米乌哥斯用了，五十个小时才能使用一次的魔将召唤所召唤出、并能在一段时间内自由驱使的魔物。即使杀了它对于纳萨力克也毫无损失。

It was level 84.

等级八十四。

As a physical-attacker type Evil Lord, it had a very high HP total.

作为擅长物理攻击的纯战士型魔将，生命值非常之高。

Of all the special abilities that Evil Lords possessed, the most dangerous one was the ability to summon another Evil Lord which was lower level than themselves. However, summoned monsters could not in turn summon more monsters. Therefore, the Evil Lord of Wrath that Demiurge had summoned could not summon another Evil Lord.

魔将们拥有的特殊能力之中最为麻烦的是召唤一只比自己等级低的其他魔将。但是前提是召唤出来的魔物不能再次进行召唤。所以迪米乌哥斯召唤出的愤怒魔将并不能召唤其他的魔将。

If this Evil Lord had been created or made, then it could summon additional another other creatures. For instance, the Evil Lord of Sloth would often summon pack after pack of demons and undead, making them very hard to deal with.

如果这只魔将是由创造或制作而产生的，就能召唤不同了。比如怠惰魔将在被打倒之前就会一批一批的召唤恶魔和不死者，非常难对付。

In addition, one troublesome point about the Evil Lord of Wrath was that it was very hard to manage its hate.

另外，愤怒魔将的麻烦之处在于难以控制其仇恨值。

The Evil Lord of Wrath built aggro more easily than other Evil Lords. He had heard tanks say that the most aggravating thing about dealing with multiple Evil Lords at once was how to keep the Evil Lord of Wrath from going off-target.

比起其他魔将愤怒魔将更容易产生仇恨值。听防御职业的人说过，在同时面对多种魔将的时候最让人发疯的就是怎么让愤怒魔将不OT。

In addition, it had the special ability of doing more damage and gaining more defense the higher its hate value became. Still, that was not too frightening. The only thing that Ainz had to be worried about was its ability called [Soul-Bought Miracle], which produced unknown effects.

并且它还有仇恨值越高对对方造成的伤害和防御能力就越高的特殊能力。不过这也不是那么可怕。

唯一需要担心的地方在于它那会产生不明效果的能力<灵魂代偿的奇迹>。

The spells it could cast included:

Tenth-tier spells: [Meteor Fall], [Time Stop], [Field of Unclean]

Ninth-tier spells: [Greater Rejection], [Vermillion Nova]

Eighth-tier spells: [Distort Moral], [Insanity], [Astral Smite], [Wave of Pain]

Seventh-tier spells: [Napalm], [Hellflame], [Greater Word of Curse], [Greater Teleportation], [Blasphemy]

Sixth-tier spells: [Flamewing]. [Wall of Hell]

Third-tier spells: [Fireball], [Slow]

能够产生的魔法有——

第十阶魔法：<陨石坠落>、<时间停止>、<不净领域>

第九阶魔法：<高阶排除>、<朱红新星>

第八阶魔法：<道德扭曲>、<疯狂>、<幽冥一击>、<痛苦波动>

第七阶魔法：<烧夷>、<地狱火>、<高阶诅咒>、<高阶转移>、<亵渎>

第六阶魔法：<炎翼>、<地狱之墙>

第三阶魔法：<火球>、<迟缓>

While the exact number of spells that monsters could use varied with their level and type, it was typically around 8. However, high-level monsters like Dragons, Demons and Angels were an exception.

虽说怪物使用的魔法数量会根据怪物的等级和种类而发生变化，但是一般也就是八个左右。但是像龙、恶魔和天使这样的高阶怪物所能使用的魔法数量就不在一般之列。

Still, as a pure warrior type, the Evil Lord of Wrath’s spells were not particularly fearsome.

不过作为一个纯战士，愤怒魔将的魔法也不是那么值得注意。

It had no skills to strengthen its spells, and its magic-related stats were very low. While the Evil Lord’s attack spells were fire-element and thus targeted a weakness of the undead, there was no need for him to be cautious. Its mind-affecting spells were also useless against the undead, and Ainz’s karma values had been negative to begin with, so spells like [Distort Moral] were a waste of time.

它既没有强化魔法的特殊技能，魔法相关的数值也很低。就算愤怒魔将的攻击魔法基本上都是克制不死者的火属性也没有达到需要警戒的程度，精神系的魔法对不死者也无效，本来安兹的善恶值就是负数，<道德扭曲>这种魔法也是白费力。

To Ainz, who was of negative karma, Angels were harder for him to deal with than Demons.

果然对于善恶值是负数的安兹而言，比起恶魔还是天使比较难对付。

As he contemplated his opposition’s data, Ainz glanced at the two maids behind the Evil Lord. He would think about them later.

一边思考着对方的数据，安兹一边看了一眼魔将身后的两名女仆，她们的事等会再说。

“Now then, you have heard everything?”

「那么，事情都听说了吗？」

“But of course, Ainz-sama.”

「那是当然，安兹大人」

Hearing that weighty voice made Suzuki Satoru smile unconsciously from inside Ainz’s heart. That was because this demon -- and all the monsters of Nazarick -- were designed in accordance with their image.

又一次听到这厚重的声音的安兹内心的铃木悟不觉地微笑了起来。这大概是因为不仅是这只恶魔，纳萨力克的各种怪物的声音都是按照想象设定好的。

Those voices were probably what the developers or their creators had envisioned for them. In that case, who had come up with the adorable voice that Lip Bugs had before consuming any vocal cords? Or did the whole seiyuu-in-your-mind thing that Peroroncino was talking about really exist?

这大概是是运营方、又或者是制作方的人想象中的声音吧。那么没有吃过声带的口唇虫那可爱声音又是谁想象出来的呢？还是说佩罗罗奇诺所说的脑内声优是真的存在的吗。

No, that was impossible.

不，那是不存在的。

Pandora’s Actor was a good example. He was a being who did not feel like he reflected what his creator had in mind. And then there was the fact that even a being without vocal cords like Ainz could speak. All he could say was that magical worlds were truly astounding.

潘多拉•亚克特就是个好例子，完全不觉得那是呈现出制作者所想的存在。而且连安兹这种没有声带的不死者都能发出声音，只能说魔法世界的法则实在令人惊讶。

“If you’re addressing me in that tone, I take it the surroundings have been swept clean?”

「既然你用这种语气称呼我，也就是说这附近已经清扫干净了吧？」

“Indeed.”

「正是如此」

“Then I will ask you the most important question. Are you prepared to fight with the intent of killing me?”

「那么就让我问你一个最重要的问题，你真的是——抱着杀死我的决心来的吗？」

“Yes, I was ordered to do so.”

「是，命令即是如此」

Ainz nodded as he heard the Evil Lord’s reply.

听了魔将的回答安兹点了点头。

One thing that had made Ainz uneasy all this time was a lack of strong opponents to fight.

安兹一直都有一个不安，那就是与强敌战斗的太少了。

After the battle with Shalltear, Ainz had been worrying about not having chances to fight with all his strength.

在与夏提雅的一战之后，安兹一直忧虑自己没有拼尽全力作战的机会。

After that, he had gained experience in close combat, and he could skilfully move his body as Momon and fight as a warrior of roughly level 33.

随着接近战训练的积累，作为飞鼠的身体已经能够完美地活动，可以作为相当于三十三级的战士来战斗了。

But how would this body function in higher-level combat?

但是如果是更高级别的战斗，这个身体又将如何呢？

He should have conducted combat training against high-level opponents. Unfortunately, he had not encountered such high-level monsters until now.

这就应该将高等级的强者当做对手进行战斗的训练才行。但是遗憾的是至今都没能遭遇如此高等级的怪物。

That was why he had ordered Demiurge to command the Evil Lord to kill Ainz.

所以这次才让迪米乌哥斯命令召唤出的魔将杀死安兹。

He would defeat this powerful foe who wanted to kill him, and strengthen himself.

借打倒想要杀死自己的强敌来强化自己。

That had been easier said than done. The two of them had been strongly opposed to the idea and persuading them had taken a lot of time. One could not fault a mentally exhausted Ainz from thinking, “I thought we agreed that my word was law...”

这件事说起来容易，但是要让两个猛烈反对的人接受还是花了非常多的时间。也难怪精神上无比疲劳的安兹会想「说好的我说黑就是黑的呢……」

In the end, after countless concessions and conditions, the stage had been set for this live battle.

最后终于在无数的让步和附加条件之中促成了这次真刀真枪的战斗。

A chill coursed through his body as he thought that he might die. It was a completely different sensation from what he had felt during the battle with Shalltear, because this was an unnecessary battle.

一想到还是可能会死，身体中渗出了一丝寒意。这跟夏提雅对战时所感受到的强烈感情有很大的不同，因为这一次是一场没有必要的死战。

However--

但是——

While I had a lot of PVP experience in YGGDRASIL, I realised in the battle against Shalltear that this world was not a game. If the time comes when I must face off against a level 100 player with a great deal of real combat experience, I won’t be able to win without an equivalent amount of experience. I have to know that fear is the road to defeat.

（就算在YGGDRASIL的时候积累了相当多的PVP经验，但在与夏提雅对战时还是感觉到这个世界并不是游戏。如果与在这个世界积累了足够实战经验的百级玩家对决的时刻到来的话，我没有同等的经验积累是无法取胜的。要知道，畏惧可是通往败北之路）

Ainz was very glad that he was undead and could suppress the fear he might have felt at the prospect of death. If he were still human, he might have curled up into a ball by now.

安兹很庆幸自己是不死者，能够抑制那种可能会面对死亡时的恐惧。如果是人类的话可能这时候已经退缩了。

“Now then, Yuri,” Ainz said to the maid behind the Evil Lord. “Since you and Lupusregina are here, does that mean you will be fighting me together with the Evil Lord? How about the others?”

「那么，由莉」安兹向魔将身后的女仆问道「你和露普斯蕾琪娜在这里的意思就是要和魔将一起同我战斗了是吧？其他几人不在吗？」

He saw no sign of Solution, Entoma or CZ. They must have been off doing work elsewhere.

没有看到索留香，安特玛和希姿的身影。除了面前的这两人之外的其他几个人大概在别的地方活动吧。

“We are the only two who have come here. We sisters will challenge you together with the Evil Lord of Wrath. The reason is because Albedo-sama feels that allowing the people of this country to witness the maid demons is not a bad thing. In addition, the Evil Lord of Wrath alone might not be enough to satisfy your request, Ainz-sama.”

「来到这里的只有我们两人。我们姐妹将与愤怒魔将一起挑战您。原因是雅儿贝德大人认为，让这个国家的人看到女仆恶魔不是坏事。而且只有愤怒魔将的话，恐怕无法满足安兹大人的要求」

It was true that a single level 80ish Evil Lord would be hard-pressed to stand against Ainz. However, even the addition of Yuri and Lupusregina did not make it a very powerful opponent.

确实只靠一只八十多级的魔将难以与安兹抗衡。但是就算加上由莉和露普斯蕾琪娜，也并不能称为非常强大的对手。

However, unnecessary, troublesome factors can become a disadvantage. Suffering because I underestimated my opponent would be foolish. I’d best stay on my guard.

（不过多余的麻烦有时候会转化为劣势，因为轻敌而吃亏是很愚蠢的，还是需要加以戒备）

“In addition, Albedo-sama ordered us to check something with you, Ainz-sama. Are you really alright with the condition that you will not leave Nazarick for the coming year if you are defeated?”

「另外，安兹大人，雅儿贝德大人命令我们确认一下，安兹大人如果败北的话，在接下来的一年时间内都不可以离开纳萨力克的条件真的没问题吗？」

“Ah, that was one of the conditions Albedo insisted on before agreeing to this bout. If I lose, I will spend the next year working hard within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, with Albedo, in the same room… aren’t you going to check the conditions that Demiurge mentioned?”

「啊，那是为了说服雅儿贝德同意这次战斗的附加条件之一。如果败北的话，我在接下来的一年内会专心在纳萨力克地下大坟墓工作。跟雅儿贝德一起，并且在同一个房间里……不确认一下迪米乌哥斯提出的条件吗？」

Ainz looked at the Evil Lord, but it said nothing. It probably felt that there was no need to check.

安兹看了看魔将，魔将没有出声。大概是认为没有确认的必要了吧。

“Thank you very much.”

「十分感谢」

Yuri bowed.

由莉施了一礼。

Now, there would be no room to change the plan. As he thought of how dire the situation was, Ainz could not help but sweat internally.

这样就没有改变计划的余地了，一想到事态如此严峻安兹不免在心中冒汗。

It would be easy enough to kill Yuri and the others due to the tremendous disparity in their respective strength, but Ainz Ooal Gown would never allow that. Killing an NPC for the sake of training was utterly ridiculous.

虽说杀掉由莉她们是很容易的，因为实力相差巨大，但是这是作为安兹•乌尔•恭所不能允许的。为了自己的训练而杀死NPC这种事非常荒谬。

In other words--

也就是说——

I have to kill the Evil Lord without harming Yuri and Lupusregina.

（要在不伤害到由莉她们的条件下杀死魔将）

Ainz could not help laughing. This would be one hell of a challenge. Still, there was nothing better for practice.

安兹不由得笑了起来。这设定真是高难度啊，但是，对于训练而言再好不过了。

“Is something wrong, Ainz-sama?”

「有什么问题哩吗？安兹大人」

“No, it’s nothing, don’t worry.”

「不，没什么，别在意」

“Also, Cocytus-sama requested that we record this battle so everyone in Nazarick can learn from it. Do you mind?”

「那么，科塞特斯大人请求能否把这场战斗记录下来，以便日后能供纳萨力克全员学习，您意下如何？」

While he did not want to do so because he felt it was embarrassing, recording battles was very common in YGGDRASIL. With that in mind, he ought to approve that request.

虽说感到很羞耻并不想这么做，但在YGGDRASIL中调取战斗记录是非常频繁的。考虑到这一点应该采纳这个请求。

“Still, recording the battle proceedings will trigger interference from the anti-divination offensive barriers. Shall I lower it?”

「可以，但是，对战斗进行记录会受到对探知的攻击性防护壁的干扰，要我把防护壁撤销吗？」

“Surely you mean the divination-detecting spell, do you not, Ainz-sama? And not the linked offensive spell model?”

「是安兹大人发动的探知探知魔法的那个哩吗？不是攻击魔法联动式的那个哩吗？」

“Ah, yes, that’s the one. After all, if it were the latter, it would be bad if someone from Nazarick were trying to find my position and triggered it.”

「嗯，现在发动的就是那个。毕竟后者的话，如果纳萨力克的成员想要探查我的位置而触发的话就糟了啊」

If he deployed the linked offensive spell barrier he had so carelessly done in the past, any member of Nazarick trying to cast a divination on Ainz would be very badly hurt. While he used to do that all the time because friendly fire was off, doing so now would be dangerous.

如果还向以前那样随时展开着攻击魔法联动式的防护壁的话，纳萨力克的成员若是发动了探知安兹的魔法，就会造成相当大的损害。虽然以前在没有友军火力的时候这是随时都会展开的魔法，现在却成了危险行为。

Of course, the denizens of Nazarick would not be hurt by the offensive barrier, given that they were protected by a World-Class Item, but the defense would incur a cost in gold coins. Rather, expenses like that were more painful for him.

当然对于世界级道具所保护的纳萨力克之中的人员，攻击性防护壁所发动的攻击魔法并不能造成伤害，但是却会造成防御上的金币花费。倒不如说弄得不好的话那种花费才更让人心疼。

“Then there’s no need to worry ~su.”

「那就不要紧了哩」

“No, I’d best deactivate it. Besides, offensive barriers disappear once they activate and have to be reset. In that case, I might as well just deactivate it from the start and have some peace of mind.”

「不，还是先解除吧，反正攻击性防护壁发动一次就会消失，还需要重新设置，这样还不如一开始就解除掉比较安心」

“I see ~su, then I’ll leave it to you ~su.”

「是这样啊哩，那就拜托您哩」

Ainz deactivated his offensive barrier.

安兹解除了攻击性防护壁。

“Alright -- then let’s begin the combat recording. Whose point of view are you using? Mine is fine too.”

「好了——那么就进行战斗记录吧。用谁的视点呢？用我的也可以哦」

“I think I was supposed to do the recording ~su.”

「总而言之好像是让我来记录的样子哩」

In truth, Ainz was fine with anything. Anyone’s perspective would have been alright.

其实安兹怎么样都可以，用谁的视点记录都不是问题。

In addition, the memories of sparring with his friends were coming back to him, and Ainz began to enjoy himself.

而且难得想起来以前与同伴训练的记忆，安兹开始有些乐在其中了。

Simulated battles with his friends were a fundamental part of devising new techniques and weapons.

为了构建新的战术或者使用新的武器，同伴之间的模拟战是基本环节。

He had often sparred with Touch Me, but those battles did not count and had not been entered in Ainz’s PVP record.

虽然经常与塔其米对战，但那些战斗是不算数的，没有被安兹算在PVP记录之中。

Since Ainz had never won even once, his win rate would have dropped if they had been recorded. He had never taken it seriously, simply treating it as “training” since he knew he could not win. Ainz always emphasized that.

因为安兹一次也没有赢过，如果计算到记录之中胜率就会下降。因为知道赢不了，所以只是作为「训练」而没有认真对待。安兹总是强调着这个理由。

“Shall we begin, then? You need to prepare yourself to kill me. Of course, I won’t kill you.”

「那么就开始吧？你们也要抱着杀死我的决心战斗哦。虽然我并不会杀死你们」

“No, actually, it’s alright if you kill us.”

「不，就算杀死我们也没有任何问题」

Before Ainz could say that he did not want to do so, Yuri stated the reason.

抢在安兹说出不想那样做之前，由莉就陈述了理由。

“Ainz-sama, we are not the actual members of the Pleiades. All of us are Greater Doppelgangers.”

「安兹大人，我们并非真正的昴宿星团成员。而是高阶二重幻影[Greater Doppelgänger]」

“W-what?”

「什、什么？！」

“We are musicians of the Erich String Orchestra under Chacmool-sama of the Five Worsts. By Albedo-sama’s order, we have transformed into members of the Pleiades.”

「我们是五大最恶之一的乐师、查克穆尔大人的直属部下，埃里希弦乐团的成员。受雅儿贝德大人的命令，变身为昴宿星团的成员」

“--Is that so?”

「——是这样的吗？」

He looked at them several more times, but Ainz could not tell the difference between them and the Yuri and Lupusregina which he knew. He could not help but wonder if this was a lie they were telling so he could kill them without worries during the fight.

再多看了几次，但仍看不出与安兹所熟知的由莉和露普丝蕾琪娜有什么区别。不禁让人觉得，这是不是为了让自己能毫无顾虑地在战斗中杀死她们而撒的谎。

Perhaps one of them was fake. He had once heard that the best lies were those that were truths blended with some small falsehoods.

也许其中一方确实不是本人吧。有听说过巧妙的谎言是在真实中混入少量谎言这种说法。

Ainz could not see through the Greater Doppelgangers’ disguise. There was a spell that could dispel the Greater Doppelgangers’ shapeshifting, but using that spell would keep them from transforming again for a period of time due to the spell’s effect. In that case, having them transform into the Pleiades would be meaningless. It would be a different matter if Ainz had learned lower-tier spells but--

安兹无法看破二重幻影。虽然有解除二重幻影的变身的魔法，但是使用那个的话就会因为次要效果而导致一定时间内不能再次变身。如果这样的话，特地变身成昴宿星团也就失去意义了。如果安兹有习得更低位的同类魔法的话就另当别论了，但是——

No--

不——

“Hm, it does seem like Lupusregina is speaking differently from normal. What’s going on?”

「确实露普丝蕾琪娜在用与平常不同的说话方式啊？那个是？」

Lupusregina’s face went blank for a moment.

露普丝蕾琪娜呆了一下。

“Is that strange, Ainz-sama?”

「很奇怪吗？安兹大人？」

The Greater Doppelganger pretending to be Lupusregina changed its way of speaking. That was probably its usual speech pattern.”

扮演露普丝蕾琪娜的二重幻影的说话方式变了。这才是原本的说话方式吧。

“Ah, those aren’t the usual expressions she uses.”

「啊啊，不像平常的她的遣词方式」

“But Lupusregina-sama always spoke like that in front of us…”

「但在我面前的露普丝蕾琪娜大人就是这样说话的……」

When a Doppelganger impersonated someone, people closer to the target would find it more difficult to see through their disguise. That was because they used a form of telepathy during their shapeshifting to read the surface thoughts of the people they were speaking to and those around them in order to extract information related to the target they were impersonating and then apply it to their impersonation act -- at least, that was what the monster encyclopedia said.

想要看破二重幻影的变身的话，越是关系好的人就越难看破。这是因为他们在变身中会使用精神操作系的特殊能力，读取正在对话的人和周围的人的简单的表层思考，抽出被变身的人物的相关情报并运用于演技——魔物解说里好像有这么写。

That was according to Pandora’s Actor, whose ability had become real in this world.

但在这个世界里就变成了可以实际使用的能力，潘多拉•亚克特是这么说的。

However, that was simply to discern the possible reactions that the impersonated subject might have, and it did not read minds or search through memories.

但是，这仅仅是读取了被变身对象可能作出的反应，并不是偷看心或记忆来收集情报。

In addition, since this ability was a form of psychic attack, it was useless on Ainz and other undead creatures. One could also simply resist it if the level difference was great enough. That was probably why it could not discern Lupusregina’s possible reactions from Ainz and had revealed itself.

而且因为这种能力属于精神攻击，所以对安兹这样的不死者并没有效果，若没有相当的等级差的话就会被简单地抵抗掉。所以才无法从安兹这里读取到露普丝蕾琪娜可能的反应，露出了破绽，这么想才对吧。

Incidentally, it was more likely that Doppelgangers would out themselves when facing multiple people, because each of them would have a different impression of the target.

顺带一提同时面对的人越多。由于存在多种印象而导致破绽的可能性就越大。

Umu. Why did Lupu always add a ~su at the end of her sentences in front of them? Ahh, I see, so it was to make them sound disturbing. Perhaps she was trying to help me. What a cute little rascal she is...

（呼嗯。露普丝蕾琪娜为什么要在它们面前用句尾加个「哩」的说话方式？啊啊，原来如此。是想让我产生违和感才这么做的吗。稍微帮你一把，也许是这么想的把。还真是可爱的家伙啊……）

“...Hm? My apologies. I have another question that is unrelated to combat. While that is Albedo’s order, if I were to tell you to abandon that order, who would have priority?

「……嗯？抱歉。还有一个和战斗没关系的问题。虽然是雅儿贝德的命令，但如果我说废弃那个命令的话，哪一方会被优先执行？」

“Naturally, your words would have priority, Ainz-sama. However, I must sincerely apologize that we will obey orders from our summoner, Anyami Shirabe-sama, above all else.”

「这是当然的事，显然是贵为无上至尊的安兹大人的话为优先。不过，非常抱歉最优先的还是召唤了我们的暗黑旋律大人的命令」

“...Hm? Who’s that?”

「……嗯？谁啊，那是？」

Was there an NPC like that? As the question grew in his heart, the flames in Ainz’s eyes flared as he heard Yuri’s answer.

有那种NPC吗？产生了这个疑问的安兹因为由莉接下去的话语而使得眼窝中寄宿的火焰明亮了起来。

“That would be Temperance-sama.”

「是唐普兰斯大人」

“Eh? Temperance-san? Anyami? Ahhh… well, that does work as a physical description… but still, Anyami Shirabe?”

「诶？唐普兰斯桑？暗黑？啊啊……虽然确实是可以这么形容的外观呢……不过暗黑旋律吗？」

“Yes. Temperance-sama once asked to be addressed that way, so Chacmool-sama instructed us to do so as well.”

「是的。因为唐普兰斯大人曾说过要这么称呼自己，查克穆尔大人也指示我们这么称呼」

“...After I return to Nazarick, I would like to hear all about this. Anyami Shirabe, is it.”

「……等回到纳萨力克后，变得非常地想听一听这方面的话题了啊。暗黑的旋律、吗」

This was the first time he had ever heard him refer to himself that way.

曾经这样自报家门还是第一次听说。

Ainz could not help laughing as he learned that a former friend had referred to himself that way in a place where nobody else knew. This was truly a cunning trap, set to decrease his fighting spirit.

知道了曾经的同伴在谁都不知道的地方这样自称过，安兹不禁笑了出来。在战斗前削减了这边的战意，这还真是设下了不得了的陷阱啊。

Ahh, no, no. I mustn’t fall for Anyami Shirabe’s trap! Ku, kuku...

（诶呀，不行不行。中了暗黑旋律的陷阱可不秒！呵、呵呵……）

Though he knew it was not the right time to do so, he recalled the guild member in question.

明知现在不是那个时候却还是不禁回想起了公会成员的事。

How had he looked and felt when he had given that name?

他曾经是以怎样的表情、怎样的心情报出这个名字的呢。

Ainz narrowed his eyes as he reminisced about his friend from the past, and then he saw a surprised look on the face of the Yuri-Doppelganger as it tilted its head. Ainz sensed that he had become careless and pulled himself together.

因为对昔日友人的怀念而眯起了眼睛的安兹，目击到像是对自己的反应感到惊讶的二重由莉歪起头的样子，察觉到自己真是太大意了而重新打起精神。

He could remember his old friends later. Right now, he ought to analyze the Doppelganger’s speech.

友人的事情之后再回想就行。现在应该分析二重幻影的话语。

After this, I’d like to question all the vassals and NPCs about the secrets they’ve been hiding. Kukuku -- in that case, another question popped up.

（其次，真想从各仆役们和NPC那里进行听取调查啊。大家都隐藏着怎样的一面呢。呵呵呵——那么！就又产生了一个疑问了啊）

In the absence of a direct order, vassals like Doppelgangers would obey the NPC in charge of them. In that case, what would happen if a certain NPC wanted to kill Ainz and gathered many high-level vassals and ordered them to attack Ainz with their strongest moves? Of course, this would be happening while Ainz was unable to detect or stop them.

二重幻影这样的仆役如果没有接受到直接命令的话，就会遵从直辖NPC的命令啊。那么如果纳萨力克内的某个想要杀死安兹的NPC，集合大量高等级的仆役，命令他们用最强招数攻击安兹的话会变成怎样呢。当然这是发生在安兹没有察觉，也没能阻止的情况下。

Would they carry out that order? Or would they refuse orders like that?

这个命令会被实行吗。还是说这类命令就会被拒绝呢。

“...You’re also ready to come at me like you want to kill me, is that it?”

「……你们也会按准备杀了我那样攻击过来，是这样吧？」

“Yes. Those are the orders I have received, and I have determined that I also have your permission, Ainz-sama.”

「是的。接收到了这样的命令，而且我判断这也是获得了安兹大人的许可的」

The Yuri-Doppelganger’s answer made Ainz wrinkle his -- nonexistent -- brows.

二重由莉的回答令安兹皱起了——虽然并不存在的——眉毛。

...Isn’t this dangerous? It’s probably best to see exactly where the boundary lies here.

（……这算是危险吗？这一块的分界线究竟在哪里，还是好好检证一下比较好啊）

If even Ainz could think of this, then Albedo had most likely inspected it herself, Still, he ought to make sure, just in case. He could not let a safety loophole sit unfilled.

连安兹都能想到的这种事情，诸如雅儿贝德很大可能已经在进行检证了吧，不过姑且，还是应该确认一下吧。把安全漏洞就那么放着不管可是不行的。

“...Indeed. I permit you to use your full abilities to kill me in this battle. Then swear on the name of Ainz Ooal Gown once more. Can you swear that what you said about your true identities just now was the truth?”

「……没错。准许你们在这一战中使出全力来杀死我。那么就再一次向安兹•乌尔•恭之名起誓吧。证明你们刚才说的有关于真身的发言绝非虚假吧？」

“Yes. This we do swear, upon the names of all the Supreme Beings.”

「是的。向各位无上至尊的名字起誓，请让我们如此约定」

Yuri and Lupusregina transformed their hands into alien-looking objects.

由莉和露普丝蕾琪娜仅把自己的手部变成了异质的东西。

“--Ah!”

「——啊！」

“What? What is it, Doppel-Yuri?”

「什么？怎么了，二重由莉」

“Ainz-sama, there is one thing I forgot. Our equipment was borrowed from the Pleiades. Therefore, can we trouble you to recover them for us if we are killed?”

「回安兹大人，有一件事忘记了。我们装备着的武装都是从昴宿星团的各位大人们那借用的。所以，如果我们被杀了的话能劳烦您进行回收吗？」

Doppelgangers could even copy the clothing and equipment of their targets if they wanted to. However, they could only duplicate appearances, and not the equipment’s abilities. Since they would gain no benefits from the gear, when fighting a magic caster like Ainz, the difference between them would be like that between heaven and earth. Therefore, they had no choice but to borrow the real thing from the originals.

二重幻影如果有这个想法的话，甚至连服装和装备品都可以分毫不差地复制下来。但那仅限于外观，装备的性能还是没法模仿的。因装备而获得的耐性的有无，在与像安兹这般的魔法咏唱者战斗的时候可谓是云泥之差。所以只能向本人借用实物了吧。

Greater Doppelgangers can imitate people of up to level 60. However, unlike the NPCs, they can only copy up to 90% of the originals’ abilities. Even if they possess gear from the Pleiades, there’s no need to be worried… is there? In that case, killing them would be too much of a waste. After all, they’re mercenary vassals, which means summoning them cost money -- as I thought, I should just remove their ability to fight. Do I need to put that into the rules after all?

（高阶二重幻影可以变身的最高等级是60级。然后与以NPC制作的时候不同，有着百分之九十的复制能力。就算装备品是昴宿星团的东西，也不需要那么警戒、吗。这样的话杀掉的损失太大了啊。因为既然是佣兵仆役，也就是说召唤时需要花费金钱——果然还是尽量只让她们丧失战斗能力吧。果然这一点也是不加进规则里不行吗）

“Alright! I will add one more rule. Once you Greater Doppelgangers are near death, you are out. I will monitor your health with [Life Essence]. You can hide your HP totals, right?” After Yuri replied in the affirmative, Ainz nodded. “Then suppress that ability for a while. If I judge that you’ll die after a light hit, I will call your name and rule you out. In that case, you will count as dead. Leave the battle area immediately. In addition, the same thing applies to the Evil Lord of Wrath. If I declare victory, the combat will end. Do you understand?”

「好吧！增加一下规则。你们这些二重幻影们如果濒死了就算出局。你们的生命力会由我用〈生命的精髓〉来进行观察。你们确实是可以伪装体力值的吧？」见到由莉对此表示同意，安兹点了点头。「那么就把那个暂时抑制一下。如果我判断你们再被我轻击一下就会死了的话，我就会叫你们的名字，宣告你们出局。如果这样的话那个人就是死人了。迅速地脱离战斗范围。此外愤怒的魔将也是，如果我宣告了胜利的话，战斗就此结束。明白了吧？」

The Evil Lord of Wrath and the two Doppelgangers indicated that they understood.

愤怒的魔将和两个二重幻影都表示了了解之意。

“Very well. Then we’ll start when the coin hits the ground… about 25 minutes has passed, so I guess they won’t complain even if we start.”

「很好。那么硬币落到地面了就开始……差不多已经过了二十五分钟了，所以就算开始了也不会被埋怨了吧」

Ainz cast [Life Essence] and then took out a gold coin. Of course, this was not a YGGDRASIL gold coin, but a trading gold coin used in this world.

安兹发动了〈生命的精髓〉[Life Essential]后又取出一枚金币。当然，并不是Yggdrasil的金币，而是这个世界的通用交易金币。

“Will you not buff yourself?”

「不先加buff哩吗？」

“Ensuring you have time to buff up is also part of combat training.”

「确保加buff的时间也是战斗训练的一环」

After replying thus to Doppel-Lupusregina, Ainz backed away from them, then flicked the coin up with his thumb so it landed between the two of them.

安兹这样回答二重露普丝蕾琪娜后，稍微离远了一些，然后用手指弹起硬币好让它落到两方的中间位置。

As the coin hit the ground, Ainz jumped back, then threw his hands out and shouted:

与硬币落地同时，安兹边向后方飞跳，边伸出双手叫道。

“Absolute Immunity Barrier!”

「绝对无敌壁障！」

He saw the Evil Lord and the two Doppelgangers freeze up for a moment. However, the Evil Lord and Doppel-Yuri immediately rushed in.

可以看到魔将和两个二重幻影的身体都硬直了一下。不过马上魔将和二重由莉就突进了过来。

That was it. That was the right answer.

就是这样。这就是正确答案。

Ainz’s previous actions were meaningless. There was no ability called Absolute Immunity Barrier in YGGDRASIL -- or at least, there should not have been, was far as Ainz knew. Still, Ainz had shouted that name not simply to fake them out, but also for a different reason.

刚刚的安兹的行动并没有意义。在Yggdrasil中并不存在名为绝对无敌壁障的技能——应该是这样的，虽然只限于安兹所知的范围。然而安兹还是喊出这个技能名的意义并不仅是佯攻，更有着其它意义。

Ah-- it feels like they’re a little slow. Could it be that they think something was done to them and they’ve become a little timid now? Well, that’s what happens when you wonder if you’ve fallen into the enemy’s trap.

（啊—，感觉动作有点迟钝呢。他们也觉得可能被做了什么，而变得有点畏首畏尾吗？嘛，一旦陷入怀疑是不是可能有对方的陷阱的这种情况的话，就会变成这样的吧）

The uneasiness that came from the fact that such a technique might actually exist in this world restricted their movements. One could say that this feint had succeeded because there were still unknown things out there.

因为转移到这个世界而说不定存在这样的技能的不安，束缚着他们的行动。也就是说正是因为残留着未知，那才能作为佯攻成立。

Of course, that was not simply because of the unknown. Special abilities like the kind that were innate to Ainz were a good example.

然后那不仅仅是未知。安兹的不死者生成这个特殊技能就是一个很好的例子。

During YGGDRASIL, there was no such thing as using a corpse as a medium to ignore the duration on created undead. This aberration had only sprung up after coming to this world. One could imagine that there were many other such changes that had happened in the process of coming to this world from the game. No, only a fool would think no such thing had happened.

在游戏时代，以尸体为媒介生成不死者的话就能无视时间数量限制这种事是不存在的。是来到这个世界以后才变得异质化的。可以认为像这样跟游戏时代相比有变化的技能还存在着各种各样其它的。不，认为没有才是愚蠢的。

In other words, making decisions with YGGDRASIL knowledge alone was very dangerous.

也就是说仅凭Yggdrasil时代的游戏知识来判断是非常危险的。

I ought to discuss this with Albedo… and the others, Cocytus included.

（这些也应该和雅儿贝德……还有包括科塞特斯在内的大家商量一下比较好呢）

Ainz cast a silent [Fly] spell and began thinking as he retreated to the rear while keeping a fixed distance from his pursuers.

安兹发动着无咏唱化的〈飞行〉，与后方保持着一定距离边逃跑边思考着。

Albedo said that it would take about two years of preparation before destroying the Kingdom. Should I collect information until then? Expanding one’s nation means expanding the area that will be in contact with the outside...

（雅儿贝德说过距离毁灭王国还有两年左右的准备时间。到那时为止应该先集中进行情报收集吗。让国家扩大意味着与外部的接触也会扩大……）

I ought to throw these questions at Albedo and Demiurge and get their opinions. Hm -- illusions seem to be surprisingly powerful, it might be very bad if we don’t watch out for them. It feels like you could do a lot with them if you were smart. If I meet a skilled illusionist, I should probably treat them well to recruit them. Fluder -- whoa!

这些部分也应该一边丢给雅儿贝德和迪米乌哥斯，一边听取两人的意见呢。嗯—幻术感觉也意外的强啊，如果不警戒的话可能会很不妙。如果脑子好的话感觉可以做到很厉害的事情。如果发现了精于幻术的家伙的话，真想用好待遇来挖角呢。夫路达——哦啊）

The Evil Lord had outpaced Ainz’s [Fly] spell on foot. Unfortunately, flying was not that fast.

比起用〈飞行〉逃跑的安兹，魔将奔跑的速度更快。很可惜，飞行并没有那么快的速度。

“!”

「！」

After taking the Evil Lord’s maul-like fist, Ainz felt pain -- though it was immediately suppressed. Though he had felt the same way during the fight with Shalltear, he was once against thankful for this body of his that could even suppress his pain. It was thanks to it that Ainz could fight.

吃了魔将那仿佛巨锤般的一拳，安兹感受到了痛楚——虽然立刻就被压抑住了。与夏提雅战斗时也有这么想过，果然对连疼痛都会压抑住的这个身体只能表示感谢。正因为有它安兹才可以这样战斗。

After that, the Evil Lord pursued Ainz -- who had been knocked flying -- and closed the distance to him.

接着魔将追着被打飞的安兹，开始拉近距离。

To Ainz, this was the worst possible thing they could have done.

对安兹来说这是最糟的行动。

Yuri’s circled around behind me. They’re using a pincer attack of two people who can do bludgeoning damage, which is my weakness. Meanwhile, Lupusregina’s keeping her distance and casting spells… hm, that’s a buff. Good grief, this is the best way to deal with magic casters. Is this because of the Evil Lord’s combat AI? Or is it because it’s choosing moves from the mind of its summoner, Demiurge? Ah, never mind.

（由莉采取了绕到后方的移动啊。由可以给我造成弱点的殴打伤害的两人进行夹击吗。然后露普丝蕾琪娜则保持距离发动魔法……这是buff呢。哎呀哎呀，这正是对付魔法咏唱者的最佳是手段啊。这是因为魔将自身的战斗AI吗？还是从召唤出它的迪米乌哥斯的知识中选择的行动呢？嘛，算了）

If they would not let him keep his distance, then he would make his own space.

如果不让保持距离的话，强行拉开就好。

“[Greater Teleportation].”

〈上位传送〉[Greater Teleportation]

His field of vision immediately opened up, and the city spread below him. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to teleport to an unknown destination, but it would be alright as long as it was within line of sight. Having teleported 1 kilometer above the ground without any hesitation whatsoever, Ainz cast a spell. It was [Body of Effulgent Beryl].

视野一口气变得开阔，都市在下方延展开来。通常情况下转移是无法移动到不知道的地方的，但如果是在视线可及的范围内的话就没问题。毫不犹豫地转移到千米以上高空的安兹发动了下一个魔法。

是〈光辉翠绿体〉[Body of Effulgent Beryl]。

This spell was exceptionally effective because Yuri and the Evil Lord both did bludgeoning damage.

因为由莉和魔将都会用殴打攻击来输出伤害，所以这个魔法非常有效。

As he muttered, “Of course, that’s not all”, Ainz looked to the ground. “...If Bukubukuchagama-san or Variable Talisman-san were here, the backliners wouldn’t be getting beaten up.”

一边嘀咕着「当然，可不止如此哦」安兹望向地面「……如果泡泡茶壶桑或者可变护身符桑在的话，后卫被揍这种事就不会发生了啊」

When playing as a party, skilled aggro managers like tanks would not make mistakes like allowing the magic casters in the backline to be attacked.

如果组队进行游戏的话，擅长仇恨值管理的防御人员是不可能允许魔法咏唱者被攻击这种失误发生的。

During the time when they had stopped playing the game -- when he had gone out to earn the money to pay for Nazarick’s upkeep by himself, he had used mercenary NPCs to allow him to act with impunity. The only time he had truly fought alone was the battle with Shalltear. Perhaps that was why he could not help complaining.

他们不再登入游戏的那个时代——最终变成一个人去赚取纳萨力克的维持费的时候，也有雇用佣兵NPC来维持有余裕地行动。为此独身一人认真进行战斗，还是那时的夏提雅战以来第一次呢。也许是因为这个原因吧，忍不住发起了牢骚。

It had been a while, so he had no idea where the Evil Lord was, but he had a rough idea of where the square was. While carpetbombing the location with attack spells was a valid tactic, that would be pointless. One could say that the objective this time round was to win in a full-powered contest with the opposition.

因为离了一段距离所以没法掌握到魔将所在之处，不过广场的位置还是能够大概知道的。虽然对着那里用攻击魔法进行地毯式爆击是有效的战术，但这样就没什么意义了。可以说正面相对的全力胜负才是这次的目的。

“[Widen Magic Delay Teleportation]!”

「〈魔法效果范围扩大化•转移延迟〉[Widen Magic·Delay Teleportation]」

Come to think of it, I used to get pissed off by the mercenary NPCs’ poor management of aggro. That was probably the devs’ way of saying “please group up with other players” or something.

（说起来，雇用佣兵NPC的时候也有因为那随便的仇恨管理而感到火大过呢。那大概是「请还是与玩家组队吧」这样的运营的用意吧……）

He then confirmed that there was something large that was going to teleport above him, within the area of the [Delay Teleportation] spell -- the Evil Lord. Thanks to the effect of the [Delay Teleportation], it would take a while before it appeared in the real world. In other words, it meant that these two weak enemies which had lost their strongest shield were completely exposed before him.

更加上空的位置，确认到了转移至〈转移延迟〉效果范围内的大型存在——魔将的存在。因为〈转移延迟〉的效果，其身姿出现在这个世界还要再过一段时间。也就是说失去了最强之盾的两个脆弱的敌人处于完全暴露在眼前的状态。

In order to weaken the enemy’s fighting strength, he ought to defeat the weaker two first. Ainz let gravity claim him, and then accelerated further with [Fly].

如果要削弱敌人的战力的话就应该先打倒较弱的两人。安兹将身体交给重力，再利用〈飞行〉再次加速。

The added speed of the freefall meant that he was moving quite fast. The air struck Ainz’s face and flowed past him. At the same time, Ainz opened his eyes and observed the square.

加上自由落体，产生了相当的速度。轰隆的空气穿流而过，撞击着脸部。在那同时，安兹睁大了眼睛，注视着广场。

“Though I think hiding in a house would have been better…”

「虽然我觉得隐藏在民家里比较好……」

Ainz muttered quietly and then selected Lupusregina -- who was proudly standing in the middle of the square -- as his target.

安兹小声嘀咕着，把目标定为了光明正大站在广场上的露普丝蕾琪娜。

Yuri was some distance away. While she could see him, she did not look like she was prepared to intercept him. Leaving a healer alone was quite frustrating, but Yuri had made the right decision considering that she had to be wary of area-effect spells,.

由莉在离了一段距离的地方。虽然可以视认到这边，但丝毫没有准备迎击的样子。对于让回复职的人单独一人这种做法确实让人皱眉，但如果考虑到要警戒范围魔法的话由莉的行动也没有错。

Ainz ground to a halt -- in truth, Ainz would not have been hurt even if he had crashed straight into the ground -- and cast his spell.

摩擦着地面停止下来——其实就算直接撞上地面安兹也不会受到任何伤害——发动了魔法。

Ainz chose one of the most destructive tenth-tier spells in his arsenal. At the same time, he used a special ability to maximize the spell. While he could have tripled the spell or something similar to do a great deal of damage, it would be very dangerous while he did not know how much damage the Doppelgangers had taken. He had to avoid the dangerous possibility that he might kill them by accident.

安兹选择了就算在第十位阶中也是以破坏力见长的魔法、〈现断〉[Reality Slash]。同时起动了特殊技能的魔法最强化。虽然如果使用魔法三重化之类的就能一口气输出伤害，但在不清楚二重幻影能承受多少伤害的情况下是很危险的。万一一击就杀掉的这种危险应该避免。

“[Maximize Magic--]”

「〈魔法最强化——〉[Maximize Magic——]」

As he raised his hand, his hand was struck and damaged, and the spell fizzled. The mana spent on casting the spell was wasted.

举起手臂的瞬间，飞来的一击对手臂造成了伤害，魔法也烟消云散了。只有准备使用的魔力被白白消耗掉了。

What? Interfering with a spell through a ranged attack? Is it some kind of special ability?

（什么！？通过射击进行的魔法妨碍！？特殊技能吗！？）

Perhaps it was because he was undead, or because he was a veteran player, but his confusion only lasted for a moment. Ainz immediately analyzed the attack he had received.

是因为不死者的特性吗，还是作为历经沙场的玩家的实力吗，产生混乱的仅仅只有一瞬间。安兹立刻就分析起了所受到的攻击。

Neither the Evil Lord nor Yuri nor Lupusregina possessed abilities like this.

不论是魔将还是由莉还是露普丝蕾琪娜都没有这样的能力。

Perhaps it’s the World-Clas Item holder who brainwashed Shalltear--

（虽然也有可能是洗脑了夏提雅的世界级道具持有者——）

To think the Hanzos missed him--

既然会被半藏放过——

And if it was a ranged weapon user--

而且会使用投掷道具的是——

If it was her, she could use a special ability to interfere with spell--

如果是她的话，妨害魔法的特殊技能——

“--I fell for it!”

「——被坑了！」

Ainz shouted as he found the answer.

找到答案的安兹喊了出来。

Although Yuri closed in and delivered a punch, Ainz had already enhanced his defense with a spell, so he did not need to be so wary of her. After all, there was something more important than that.

虽然由莉接近打了过来，但因为已经用魔法增强了防御，所以并不怎么需要那么警戒。毕竟现在比起这个有需要更优先处理的事情。

The whole thing was a trap from the start! No, Yuri -- I see! “Here” was referring to the square! That was w