Although he had broken all of Orlando’s weapons, the Grand King withdrew after seeing the reinforcements sent from the fortress. In a sense, being able to hold out until help arrived was a win for Orlando, and many people praised him for it. To Orlando, however, it simply meant that the Grand King did not see him as an enemy who was worth taking risks to defeat, and so all he felt was a hollow sense of defeat.

虽然把奥尔兰德所持有的武器全部都破坏了，但看到要塞派来的援军之后，豪王以撤退的形式为这场战斗画上了句号。以在援军到来之前拖出对手的意义上，是奥尔兰德的胜利，称赞他武勇的呼声也很高。可奥尔兰德却因为，豪王没有将自己看做是、即使冒上风险也不得不在此打倒的敌人，为此只有空虚的败北感铭刻在了他心头。

“I do want to fight him again, but… I guess I can’t beat him now. You’d probably need one of those people they call heroes to defeat him, otherwise it would be very difficult. Therefore… ah, you’ve also heard of it, right boss? How that great warrior, Gazef Stronoff, died in battle.”

「虽然想要和那家伙再战一次，但是……现在大概还是赢不了吧。想要赢那个家伙的话，如果不是那些被冠上英雄之名的人的话，应该是相当困难吧。所以……啊，老大也已经知道了吧？那位大战士、葛杰夫·史托罗诺夫战死了的消息」

“Ah, yes, I did. The higher-ups are debating hotly about how that’s going to affect the surrounding countries, after all.”

「啊啊，已经知道了。毕竟上层正对这件事会对周边国家造成怎样的影响，而展开着热议呢」

The death of Gazef Stronoff, known as the mightiest warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, was a matter of great interest to the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom — particularly the skilled ones.

号称里·耶斯提杰王国最强的战士的死，对圣王国的军士们——而且是在身手相当好的人——之中成为了相当大的话题。

“Do you know the details?”

「知道详细的状况么？」

“Some of them. Apparently, he duelled a magic caster known as the Sorcerer King and was struck down. Frankly speaking, the fact that he would actually challenge a magic caster to a duel is quite hard to take in.”

「粗略的听到一些。据说是跟名为魔导王的魔法吟唱者进行了一对一的单挑中被打倒的。老实说，跟魔法吟唱者一对一单挑这件事，确实叫人有些费解啊」

Orlando nodded his agreement.

奥尔兰德对此也表示同意。

That said, the term “magic casters” was quite broad. Divine magic caster could, after using spells which enhanced their physical abilities, end up stronger than a half-baked warrior. In addition, the paladins who were the pride of this nation could use magic too, so to some extent, one could not say they were not magic casters. In that case, he could understand the reasons for the duel.

但是，说是魔法吟唱者范围也很广。信仰系魔法吟唱者的话，使用强化身体的魔法的话，能比那些半吊子的战士还要强。除此之外，这个国家引以为豪的圣骑士也能使用魔法，所以，在广义上也不是不能被称之为魔法吟唱者。这样的话，一对一单挑也就可以理解了吧。

“...In addition, others say that the Sorcerer King massacred an entire army. Apparently he summoned gigantic goats, or sheep, rather.”

「……除此之外也还有其他说魔导王歼灭了一支军队这样的，貌似还有召唤出了巨大山羊、还是绵羊这样的传闻」

“Well, this is new. Still, gigantic goats? What a queer magic caster.”

「这还是第一次听说啊，但是，巨大的山羊么？……还真是奇怪的魔法吟唱者啊」

The mention of goats brought unhappy memories of that defeat to Orlando. That said, while the rumors said he had summoned goats, they were clearly not ordinary goats.

听到山羊，即使不愿意奥尔兰德也想起了那败北的记忆。不过虽然说是召唤山羊，但当然不可能只是普通的山羊。

“Well, it’s also because of that weird magic caster. That’s why I need to do this.”

「嘛，也有那个奇怪的魔法吟唱者的因素吧。所以我才要这样做啊」

“...That’s why? I don’t quite get your meaning.”

「……所以？不是很明白你的意思？」

“This hasn’t changed from when I lost to you, but I’m the sort of person who disregards items that grant flight, spells, and the like. I’ve always thought that all you need to do is beat them with your sword. However, after the Kingdom’s Warrior-Captain-dono — who was stronger than me — lost to those, I began to think that maybe I shouldn’t look down on them.”

「虽然输给老大你的时候也是这样，我这个人啊，对于飞行道具啊、魔法啊，完全没放在眼里。认为那样的东西用剑全部都打倒就好。但是，当确实要比我更强的那位王国战士长阁下却输给了这些后，我就在想啊，是不是有点太小看这些东西了」

“Which means?”

「也就是说？」

“Which means I need to go on a warrior’s pilgrimage.”

「重新进行武者修行这样的」

“...Aren’t you going to say you’re going to challenge those people in our country that you can’t beat?”

「……你不会说，你要去挑战国内那些你赢不了的对手吧」

“I won’t.”

「不会说哟」

Orlando could not win against the other members of the Nine Colors.

奥尔兰德赢不了对手就是九色之内的其他几个人了。

The vice-captain of the marines, Enrikai Belusai, known as “the Blue”.

被冠名青的海兵队副队长恩利凯·贝路斯艾。

The leader of the paladin order, Remedios Custodio, known as “the White”.

被冠名白的圣骑士团团长蕾梅蒂欧丝·卡斯特迪奥。

Babel Baraja, known as “the Black”.

被冠名黑的帕贝尔·巴拉哈。

Ran Ji An Rin, one of the Mermen who lived in the sea, known as “the Green”.

在海里生活的人鱼们。在那之中被冠名绿的兰·次·安·琳。

And then, outside of the Nine Colors, there was the most powerful priest in the nation, Kylardo Custodio.

还有就是不在九色之中的最高位神官凯拉尔德·卡斯特迪奥。

In other words, they were some of the most highly-placed people in the nation, and challenging them would surely cause great ructions in the country. If it was just a mock battle, then it ought to be alright, so long as it was against a fellow member of the Nine Colors, but an all-out duel would never be allowed.

也就是说，这些大多数都是在这个国家中拥有最高地位的人们，向这些人挑战的话会肯定会引起大骚动的吧。如果是模拟战程度的话，以同样是九色成员为挡箭牌的话总会有办法的吧，但是，真正的刀剑相向的战斗的话，绝对是不会被允许的吧。

A true clash of blades was completely different from a mock battle. Sometimes, the winner and loser could be completely reversed between them. Many people became much stronger — or weaker — when going from a training to a live combat environment. Naturally, the strong were recognized as such because they showed their power in actual combat. Therefore, one could not consider a warrior pilgrimage complete without fighting a real battle.

真正的刀剑之间的战斗和模拟剑之间的战斗完全是两码事，有时，胜者和败者完全会颠倒过来。有很多人在测试和正式上场的时候强度也会发生很大的变化。然后，强者就是在正式的场合很强所以才被称为强者。所以，不是真正的刀剑相向的话，是不能称作武者修行的。

“Alright… still, where do you plan to train yourself?”

「那就好……可是，你准备在哪里进行武者修行呢。

“I was thinking of visiting the Sorcerous Kingdom you mentioned earlier. It seems there’s powerful undead there.”

「我打算去之前说到的魔导国瞧瞧。好像有相当强的不死者在那里的样子」

The Sorcerous Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown.

安兹·乌尔·恭魔导国。

Few people would be drunk enough on their own egotism to actually name a country after themselves, but it was not that such people did not exist. More to the point, the person who had done so had the power to back it up.

以自己的全名给国家命名什么的，是沉醉在多强的自我展示欲中啊之类的，会这样想的人也不是没有，但这也并非是绝对没有的事。而且拥有将那个贯彻到底的力量也是事实。

“Indeed, I’ve heard of it from the merchants who travel between the Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom.”

「确实、有从在王国和圣王国间奔走的商人那里听说过啊」

The teachings of the churches were deeply ingrained into their hearts, so the people of the Holy Kingdom had a shared hatred and revulsion of the undead. Even Babel was no exception. No, Orlando thought. Babel did not hate them because they were the enemies of the Holy Kingdom, but because they were his wife’s enemies.

因为神殿的教义已经深入人心，圣王国有着厌恶，憎恨不死者的国民共性。即使是帕贝尔也不例外吧。不对，奥尔兰德思考着。帕贝尔的厌恶并非因为它们是圣王国的敌人，而是因为它们是其妻子的敌人吧。

However, he could not bring that up. While he did not lose himself in chatting about his wife as he did with his daughter, he still spoke far too much.

不过，这些话可不能说出口。虽然不至于像谈起女儿那样失去自我，但果然他的话还是太长了。

“The Holy Kingdom’s stance is to tacitly acknowledge the existence of the Sorcerous Kingdom, right? They say it’s okay for people of the Holy Kingdom to go over there… right?”

「圣王国那个叫斯坦斯的家伙是默认了魔导国的存在了吧？说就算圣王国的人要过去也没问题……对吧？」

There was no way to hide the fact that the Sorcerous Kingdom, with its armies of the undead, was an intolerable foe of the Holy Kingdom. Many people had urged them to send out troops when they thought of how the people in the Sorcerous Kingdom’s Capital of E-Rantel must be suffering. However, the Holy Kingdom presently faced the threat of the demihumans, and they would not be able to conduct military operations in other countries without first pacifying the hills.

保有着不死者军团的魔导国，不管怎么掩饰都是圣王国不共戴天的敌人。一想到变成魔导王主城的耶·兰提尔的人们那水深火热的处境，有很多人发出应该立刻出兵的请求。但是圣王国现在还面临着亚人们的威胁，不先平定这片丘陵地带的话对他国进行军事行动根本就是不可能的。

The feelings of the people aside, the country’s leadership could only express their deep disapproval of the Sorcerous Kingdom.

先不论国民感情，首脑们对魔导国只是采取了消极的责难程度的对应。

“...The Sorcerous Kingdom, hm. Well, if you apply to the brass, you ought to be able to go over there as a member of the army. They view the Sorcerous Kingdom as a threat second only to the demihumans. It seems they want to ally with the Theocracy against them.”

「……魔导国啊。向上头申请的话，应该能作为军队所属者过去的吧。上层将魔导国看做是仅次于亚人的威胁。好像正考虑着要于教国成立共同战线的样子」

“Really now. Seems there’ll be a lot of problems due to religious differences, then.”

「是吗—。宗教不同所产生的纠纷好像会很麻烦啊」

“Yes, precisely. Well, that aside, if your allegiance doesn’t change, you can receive the country’s aid and you can skip those annoying immigration checks… I think. If you go over, you’ll be a godsend to the people who want to know more about the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

「是啊，说的太对了。先不管这个，所属不变的话既能受到国家的援助，也可以免去麻烦的入国审查……应该吧。你要是过去的话，对于想知道魔导国内情的那些大人来说简直就是雪中送炭啊」

“Well, wouldn’t that be nice. Still, if I did that, I couldn’t just go around picking fights.”

「那还确实不错呢。不过那样一来，不就不能随便地揍上去了么」

“You… the way you say that so seriously is really headache-inducing.”

「你这家伙……。听上去一点也不像玩笑这点还真是让人头疼啊」

“I guess it’ll be hard on you if it became an international incident, huh.”

「要是变成国际问题可就对不住老大了啊」

The cold wind blew past them. For a while, Babel went silent, his expression unchanged, but after that, he began muttering unhappily (as usual).

寒冷的夜风吹拂而过。帕贝尔表情不变地沉默了一会，但之后他像是不高兴的——一如既往地——喃喃起来。

“I’m going to miss that ugly face of yours.”

「想想就连你那张寒酸的脸都看不到了，稍微有点寂寞啊」

Orlando smiled wickedly. It was a savage, bestial grin, but he was being uncharacteristically shy. Babel had not said, “don’t go”, but neither had he said, “go”. He decided to make sure that he would have somewhere to return to.

奥尔兰德坏笑起来。虽是像野兽般狞猛的笑容，但其实是在一反常态的害羞着。帕贝尔虽然没有说出“不要去”，但也没有说出“去吧”。他正试图将归来的场所确定下来。

“Sorry about that… Well, I’ll come back after I become stronger. Want me to train you up at that time?”

「那还真是抱歉了哪。……嘛，我会变得更强然后回来的。到那时候，要不要帮你训练一下啊」

“Fancy you saying that.”

「还真敢说啊」

As Orlando smiled, Babel smiled back to him in turn. Their smiles were every bit as ferocious as two wild beasts growling at each other.

回应奥尔兰德的轻笑，帕贝尔也同样地笑了起来。那笑容简直就像两头野兽正发出低吼一样狞猛可怖。

Just then, the bell rang. It would seem that it was time to change over to the night shift. They had spoken at great length, so they would wrap it up with one more thing. Just as Orlando thought that, that notion evaporated from his mind as the bell continued to ring.

这时钟声响了起来。已经到了换人值夜班的时间了啊。话说的有些久了，就再说一句然后结束吧。奥尔兰德的这种想法因为一直没有停的钟声而烟消云散了。

Babel, followed closely by Orlando, looked to the hills.

紧接着帕贝尔，奥尔兰德也反射性地看向丘陵地带。

Those bells meant, “Demihumans sighted.”

这钟声意味着「亚人的身影出现了」

Their visibility extended to over four hundred meters, and there were no obstacles to their line of sight. While there had once been forests and trees here, the country had conducted a massive landscaping project as part of the wall’s construction to flatten it out. However, at the furthest reaches of the expansive plains — where there were hills and other obstructions — they saw sparkles in the darkness and moving black shadows.

能看到四百米以上的视线上没有任何遮蔽物——虽然曾经有着山丘和森林之类的，但在建筑城墙的时候，作为国家事业的一环实施了大规模的土木工事，将这里变成了平地——只是在广阔草原的远处，

在山丘之类遮蔽物徐徐增加的场所，那仿佛仅存星光的黑暗之地好像有着移动的黑影。

“Boss…”

「老大」

It was impossible for Orlando to discern the true identities of those demihumans at this distance while in the dark. Therefore, he called on the man with the keenest eyesight.

在这黑暗之中，想要离着如此之远的距离就看清亚人的真面目对奥尔兰德来说是不可能的。正因如此才要招呼那眼力最为优秀的男人。

“Yes, they’re demihumans… Snakemen,” Babel immediately answered.

「没有错。是亚人。……是蛇身人[snake man]啊」

帕贝尔立刻予以了答复。

Snakemen had heads like a cobra and scaly, humanoid bodies, as well as tails. They were considered close relatives to Lizardmen. Their serpentine heads had venomous bites and their spears were coated in powerful toxins. Close combat with them was to be avoided as much as possible.

蛇身人是有着眼镜蛇般头部和长着鳞片的人类一样的身体，还有着尾巴的种族，是种被当做蜥蜴人[lizard man]近亲种族的亚人。蛇的头部拥有强力的毒素，手中持有的长枪上也涂满了剧毒，是群要尽可能避免与之近战的对手。

That said, Orlando and his lads were seasoned veterans, and they possessed very high resistance to poisons. While their scales provided some protection, they were not hard enough to deflect metal weapons. They might be skilled with their tails, but one could simply consider them another weapon. In addition, they had the advantage at night due to their ophidian sensory organs, but that was not a problem.

话虽如此，若是奥尔兰德和他部下们这般身体千锤百炼的人，抵抗毒素效果的概率是非常高的。虽然鳞片多少有着一些防御能力，但并没有能弹回金属武器的坚硬。尽管能很灵活地使用尾巴，但当做武器的一种就好。再就是因为有着和蛇一样的感知器官所以夜晚会对他们有利，但这不成问题。

Is leading the charge on them going to be our job? No, by the time they reach here, Boss’ unit will have feathered them all.

（带头冲锋会变成我们的任务吗？不，让他们过来之前老大的部队就能将其全部射杀了吧）

Snakemen despised cold objects, so they would not use metal armor and other such items. As a result, it was a simple task for first-rate archers like Babel and his men to fill them full of arrows.

因为蛇身人有着讨厌冰冷物体的性质，他们不会使用金属制的铠甲等物。为此对于帕贝尔属下那样一流的弓兵来说将其射穿也不是难事。

“So how many of them are there, Boss?”

「那么老大，大概有多少人啊？」

Usually, there would be less than twenty of them.

一如既往的话连二十人也不会有的吧。

“...Boss?”

「……老大？」

Orlando was briefly puzzled by the lack of a response. He looked at Babel, and saw a look of clear vexation on that typically blank face of his.

奥尔兰德对没有回应一事感到了困惑。看向帕贝尔的话，那张平常总是无表情的脸上浮现出明显的困惑之色。

“What’s wrong, Boss?”

「怎么了，老大？」

“...There’s more of them? Could this be — this is bad! I’ve spotted members of other species! Pangolinmen, Ogres, and are those Morlocks?”

「……数量增加了？这难道是——不妙啊！还有其他种族的身影。铁鼠人，食人魔[orga]，那是洞下人么？」

“What did you say?”

「你说什么！？」

There were all kinds of demihumans in the hill region, but they did not have good relationships with each other. Rather, they often fought over territory, and apart from cases where Ogres took Goblins as slaves and cruelly used them, these races very rarely worked with each other.

丘陵地带虽然存在着各种各样的亚人，但他们之间也并非关系良好。反倒会为了土地发生争执，除去像是哥布林和食人魔这样一方被另一方当做奴隶一样残酷驱使而共存着的情况，很少会与其他种族步调一致。

There had even been cases where some of them had been driven out of their land and forced to attack the Holy Kingdom.

让其他种族夺去了领土而被赶出来，以这种形式攻向圣王国的情况甚至都有。

Then this ought to be the same thing. Because if it was not—

那么这次也是这样的吧。可万一不是这种情况——

“An invasion?”

「大侵攻？」

He did not know who had said that. Perhaps the person saying so might have thought he was speaking to himself, but it sounded clear enough to his ears.

不知是谁的声音。对本人来说可能只是在低声自言自语，听在耳中却异常的清晰。

“Orlando, I’ve got something to ask you.”

「奥尔兰德，有点事想问你」

There was tension in Babel’s voice. No, that was only to be expected.

帕贝尔的声音中有着难以言表的紧张感。不，这是理所当然的。

Ethnicity, culture and religion. Just as how there could be many nations composed of members of the same species, creating a cohesive nation was a very difficult task. It was even more difficult when the races of the members were different. Therefore, uniting the demihuman tribes in the hills was a nigh-impossible task.

人种，文化，宗教。就像同样的种族间也存在着很多不同的国家一样，创造一个统一的国家是非常困难的。种族不同的话就更是难上加难。所以存在于丘陵地带的亚人们联合在一起之类的乃是近乎不可能的事情。

If that was what had happened, that would mean the beginning of a battle for the Holy Kingdom’s survival.

即便如此这也发生了的话，那就会演变为关乎国家存亡的战争的开端吧。

After that — Orlando’s body trembled uncontrollably.

然后——奥尔兰德的身体不禁颤抖了。

Uniting all these races would require obvious power. Among mankind, wisdom and wealth would qualify as a form of strength, but the demihuman races prized power. In other words—

将多样的种族凝聚在一起必须要有显而易见的力量。人类的话财力智力之类也算是力量的一种，但对亚人们来说最为重视的就是武力。也就是说——

That means there might be a frighteningly powerful enemy out there, is that it?

（也就是说说不定会有强到可怕的敌人存在着，是这么一回事吗）

“Tell me with your warrior’s instincts. Why do you think these guys chose to reveal themselves at a fortress like this — at such a well defended place? One — they’re serving as bait to draw out our forces to thin out our defences. Two—”

「用你战士的直觉回答我。你觉得这些家伙在这大要塞——这防备相当坚固的场所显露身姿的理由会是什么？一、是为了突破防御薄弱场所而作为诱饵的别动队。二——」

“They’re confident of breaking through in a head-on attack. Twenty percent of the Holy Kingdom’s fighting strength is stationed here, and they’re going to crush us like cockroaches.”

Despite feeling Babel’s keen gaze from beside him, Orlando did not stop talking.

“At the same time, they’re going to use this fortress as a bridgehead. Then, they’re going to crush the morale of the Holy Kingdom and boost their own morale. Is that it?”

「有着能够正面突破的自信。他们要在这里将圣王国战力的五分之一击溃到体无完肤」奥尔兰德感受到帕贝尔锐利的视线从旁边扎到了自己脸上却仍未停止诉说。「与此同时再把这座要塞变成桥头堡。接着就是削减圣王国的士气，提升自军的士气这种事情了吧？」

“...They might issue a mass mobilization order.”

「……国家总动员令说不定要发布了啊」

“Haha! A war like this has only occurred once before in the history of the Holy Kingdom, and now there’s going to be another one like it in our time! What can we say to that!?”

「哈哈！圣王国历史上，仅仅发生过一次的大战争在我们的时代又一次降临了，这还真是没话说了啊

—」

“I’m going to report to the higher-ups. You come with me too.”

「……我去向上方汇报。你也跟着过来」

“Got it, boss! Oi, you lot! This party’s going to get really cuhrayzee! Keep the backup weapons coming!”

「明白了，老大！你们这些家伙！接下去愉快的宴会就要开始了！把预备武器接连不断地端上来吧！」

If the enemy was an army, they would have to spend a lot of time forming their troops up. This was especially true if they counted numerous races among their number. However, the same applied to the defenders as well. Since they were an army, they would need time to prepare themselves. This held true even on the frontline. There were a shocking amount of things which needed to be done. There was no more time to idle around.

敌人若是大军就应该会在整理如此庞大的阵型上花费不少时间。有各式各样的种族的话就更是如此。不过，这对我方来说也是同样的。既然是军队，就需要花费时间准备。即使是在最前线也是一样。

要做的事情惊人的多。已经没有优哉游哉的时间了。

Orlando ran after Babel.

奥尔兰德追在帕贝尔身后跑了起来。

♦ ♦ ♦

Part 2

As the enemy forces slowly took their formation, Babel felt a sharp pain in his throat.

在敌人的大军在慢慢摆出阵形的期间，帕贝尔感到自己的喉咙正刺痛着。

The slower the enemy attack, the more forces they could concentrate to this fortress, and the more time they would have to give the mobilization order. This was the perfect scenario for their commanding officers, but Babel did not share their opinion.

敌人的攻击越是迟缓，己方就越能把兵力集中到这个要塞，还能有时间下达总动员令。这对长官们来说是非常理想的展开，可帕贝尔却并不这么想。

There were demihumans with intellect that surpassed humanity. Surely the commander of such a vast army was no fool. In that case, he would know that giving their opponent time to prepare was a disadvantageous thing.

亚人之中也有人有着和人类一样甚至之上的智力。统领这般大的军队的人不可能是愚昧无知之徒，那样的话肯定知道给予对方时间是无利可图的事。

In addition, it was late at night now, and the coming battle would be to the demihumans’ advantage. It would be the same even if they lit bonfires.

而且现在是深夜，接下来的战斗对亚人一方是有利的。就算点燃了篝火也一样。

Babel looked at the enemy formation, four hundred meters away.

帕贝尔盯着四百米外的敌人阵地。

While they were organized in tribes, they did not seem to have considered things like the weapons they wielded, their respective tactics, their various racial characteristics, among other things.

虽然以种族为单位整合在一起，但好像并未考虑到各自所持的武器和战术，以及种族的特性等等诸多事项的样子。

In all likelihood, the demihumans were not marching under the same flag. Otherwise they would have fielded a more cohesive battle line. Or was this something like an oligarchy, an alliance of demihumans led by a council of equals?

恐怕亚人们并不是统一在一面旗下的军队吧。要不然应该会摆出更加合理的军列才对。又或者这是像多头政治一样的，由数个拥有同等权力的种族组成的亚人联合吗？

“Can’t quite make it out, Boss. Can you see the enemy commander?”

「看太不清楚啊，老大。能看到敌人的大将了吗？」

“...No, I haven’t spotted their leader yet.”

「……不，目前还没有发现像是敌方魁首的存在」

His men had not reported sighting anything like that so far.

部下们也没有报告说有发现类似的存在。

However, there had to be a commander. Otherwise even forming up into units would be very difficult.

但是必定有类似指挥官的人，不然就连组成队伍都会很困难。

“He can’t keep hiding forever. He’ll surely show up on the battlefield.”

「不可能一直藏下去。总之，肯定会出现在战线上」

Among demihumans, their powerful leaders would show up to flaunt their strength.

亚人们在性质上，有着高强战斗力的统领者会夸耀武威而现身。

That would be when Babel went to work.

然后这个时候才是帕贝尔工作的最佳时机。

Babel clutched his bow.

帕贝尔紧紧握着自己的弓。

It was a magical composite longbow, infused with enchantments specialized for use against demihumans. In addition, he also had a Mantle of Shadow, suitable for blending into shadows and conducting ambushes, Boots of Silence which eliminated the sound of his footsteps, a Vest of Resistance to improve his resilience against various attacks, a Ring of Deflection to protect him from ranged weapons and many other such accoutrements. These were a sign of how much the country valued Babel.

这是注入了对亚人特化用魔法的复合长弓。不只如此，还有融入影子、利于潜伏的影子披风(Mantle of Shadow)，消除脚步声的无音靴(Boots ofSilence)，提高抵抗力的抵抗上衣(Vest of Resistance)，从射击武器下保护自己的偏移戒指(Ring of Deflection)等等如此多的配给，这也代表国家有多重视帕贝尔。

“You all prepare to shoot at any time,” he ordered his subordinates, who were hidden beside him as though they had vanished into the night.

「你们做好随时都能射击的准备」

对着潜藏在附近，如同消失在黑夜一般的部下们给出指令。

Humans would exchange envoys to read out declarations and pronouncements; a characteristic of wars between nobles. However, nobody from the Holy Kingdom who was quartered in this fortress, the generals included, wanted to parley with the demihumans of the hills. At the very most, they would hold talks as part of a scheme or to deceive them, and once they spotted the enemy commander they would shoot him dead on the spot.

如果是人类的话就会互相派出使者，宣读宣告文，做出像是这样贵族风战争的事情。但是驻扎在这个要塞的圣王国民，包括将校在内，没有人会想和丘陵地带来的亚人交涉。顶多是作为欺骗和策略的一环，为了争取时间而做一些像是交涉的事吧。一旦发现对方的指挥官就会立刻射杀。

“You should head back to your unit too.”

「你差不多也该回到自己的队上了吧」

“I’ll do that. Take care, Boss.”

「我就那么做吧，老大，小心点啊」

“Ahh, you too.”

「啊啊，你也是」

A wisp of unease wound through Babel’s heart as he watched Orlando leave.

看着走远的奥尔兰德的背影，帕贝尔感到一丝不安。

Some demihumans possessed lethal special attacks.

亚人所持有的特殊能力之中有些是致命性的。

For instance, the Mystic Eyes of the Giant Biclops.

比如说巨双眼族的魔眼。

These demihumans had a pair of disproportionately massive eyes. One of these Mystic Eyes contained the ability to 「Charm」their foes. Its victims would unconsciously approach the opposition. Indeed, even defenders on the walls would take the shortest possible path to the demihumans before them.

这种亚人有着程度大到让人感到五官比例古怪的巨大双眼，其持有的两种魔眼其中之一是<魅惑>(Charm)。要是中招的话，就会无意识的走近对方。没错，人就算是在城墙上，也会以最短距离接近眼前的亚人。

Usually, they would be equipped with magic items to resist such special abilities, but Orlando had not been furnished with such items. If his luck was bad, he might be taken out in one shot.

一般为了增强对应这种特异能力的抗性，都会装备上魔法道具，但是奥尔兰德却没有得到配给，运气不好的话，一击就可能会被打倒。

He closed his eyes to clear away his unease, and a woman’s figure appeared in Babel’s mind.

为了消除不安而闭上眼睛，帕贝尔的脑海里突然浮现的一个女性的身影。

She was one of the Nine Colors, the woman known as the White.

九色中的一色，受领白色的女人。

She worries me too, but in a different way. She’s clueless and often gets the people around her in trouble. That’s why Peach has it so hard… why does my daughter want to stand by her side? Wouldn’t it be good enough for her to just meet a good man, fall in love with him and then marry him— no!

（那家伙在别的意义上也是让人不安的女人。因为缺乏知识的缘故，很容易给周围带来麻烦。桃色才会那么辛苦。……为什么我家的孩子会想去那家伙那里呢？平凡的遇上一个好男人，坠入爱河，然后结婚不也很好——不行！）

He shook away the worry for his daughter that swelled in his heart.

摇摇头将在心中膨胀起来的对于女儿的担心从脑袋赶出去。

At the same time, he looked back at the demihuman array, to change his mood.

同时也带着转换心情的意义，他再次看向亚人们的阵地。

He did not know how many demihumans stood at the foothills, but there were many flags waving there. Those flags were not camouflage; the sole third-tier magic caster in this fortress had already verified it from the sky.

虽然不知道在丘陵的一头到底有多少亚人，但飘扬的旗子数量很多。旗子的数量不是伪装的事，已经让这个要塞里唯一的第三位阶魔力系魔法吟唱者飞上天空确认过了。

In other words, there really were that many combat units gathered here today. Things would not end with a simple staring match.

那也就是说，实际上就是有如此多的军队聚集起来，事情绝不会只是互相瞪瞪就完了的。

Babel began his usual ritual.

帕贝尔进行起了往常的仪式。

He took out a carved wooden doll from his breast pocket, and then kissed it.

从怀中掏出木雕人偶，然后亲了上去。

This was a figurine his daughter had made when she was six. It was a grotesque doll with four sticks coming out of a ball, made to look like her father. He still clearly remembered the day when he had praised her by saying “this is a really cool monster”, and how she had burst into tears, and how his wife had kicked him.

这是女儿在六岁时作的人偶。像是一颗球上冒出四根棒子的异形人偶似乎是模仿父亲的样子。至今仍清楚记得，夸奖说是很酷的魔物喔，结果却弄哭她的事，还有被妻子踢了的事。

The doll was worn out because he had touched it countless times, and the carved eyes and mouth were faded away. She had grown much older since that time, so he wanted her to make a figurine that looked more like him. But perhaps she did not know his heart, because she showed no signs of wanting to remake it.

木偶因为摸了无数次而磨损，一开始雕刻上去的眼睛和嘴巴的痕迹已经变淡。因为比起那时已经成长了不少，很想要让她作个更像自己的新人偶。但该说女儿不知父亲心吗，她一点重作的意思都没有。

It was probably because of his long tours of duty stationed here, but he rarely had the chance to see his wife and daughter. He felt himself drawing further and further away from her every day. In the past she would have hugged him immediately, but at some point, she no longer hugged him after he returned home.

大概是因为在这里长期进行勤务，很少有机会见到女儿和妻子吧。感觉与女儿的距离一天天越来越远。以前的话立刻就会抱过来的，但不知何时起，回去了也不再抱过来了。

She’s grown independent of her father, his wife had smiled, but this was a big thing to Babel.

从爸爸那里独立了吧，妻子这么笑着说，但对帕贝尔来说这可是大事。

If I could take two months’ leave, I’d like to go camping as a family, like we used to.

（要是能请两个月的假的话，真想要像以前一样全家一起去露营啊）

His daughter would listen with rapt attention whenever he taught her his ranger knowledge. That was what he was aiming for. That said, he knew it would probably not work out.

一传授游击兵的知识，女儿就会用尊敬的眼神看着这里。这个作战就是期待这个。虽然也清楚这大概不会顺利吧。

He put the doll back into his pocket.

再次把人偶放回怀里。

His daughter was rarely home due to her aim of becoming a paladin. When Babel returned to his home after a long absence, his daughter was often gone too.

女儿也以成为圣骑士为目标不在家里。帕贝尔许久回家一趟时，女儿大部分时间也不在。

It would be best if she married someone who lived close to our home… no, it would be good, or maybe just a little bit.

（果然与离家近的男人结婚的话——会比较好一些，不，只是稍微，不对只是好一点点而已）

A paladin’s way of life was the least suitable for his daughter. He had been observing her all this time, so he was sure of it.

圣骑士的生活方式是最不适合女儿的。因为一直在关注着，所以肯定没错。

His daughter had chosen this path because she admired how her mother looked as a paladin herself. However, that was not enough to be a paladin. Only a knight who physically expressed the justice they believed in could be called a paladin.

那个女儿憧憬着母亲作为圣骑士的身影，所以选择这条道路。然而，这作为圣骑士是不及格的。

体现出自己所信的正义的骑士才叫做圣骑士。

Therefore — it was largely because his wife was very scary — he did not say it, but to him, paladins were essentially madmen.

正因为如此——虽然因为妻子很可怕——所以帕贝尔没有说出过口，但在他看来所谓的圣骑士就是狂信者。

I wonder if my girl knows that… While I don’t want her to know...

（我家孩子到底知不知道呢……。虽然不想她知道啊……）

“—That really is a ridiculous number out there.”

「——真是夸张的数量呢」

The words of his adjutant as he muttered to himself with bated breath brought Babel to his senses.

一旁压住气息，眺望敌军阵地的副官的自言自语让帕贝尔回过神来。

“Ahhh, that’s right. Still, there’s no need to be scared. Just back me up.”

「啊啊，是啊。但是没有害怕的必要，只要支援我就好」

In addition to his adjutant, the mood from the men around him relaxed somewhat.

不只副官，自己在周围的部下们散发出来的气氛也稍稍缓和下来。

That’s right, that’s it. Tension is the archenemy of sniping.

（没错，这样就好。紧张是狙击的天敌）

And just as Babel broke his own blank face — although he did not know he had — with a thin smile, there was a shift in the enemy lines.

而正当帕贝尔打破自己的面无表情——虽然自己并不觉得——露出浅浅的笑容时，敌方的阵地也有了动静。

A lone demihuman slowly stepped forward.

一名亚人缓慢的向前迈进。

Despite the many demihumans around him, he was unescorted. Did he not need an escort, or was he full of arrogance, or was he a messenger whose death would not be missed?

尽管有那么多的亚人，但没有任何一个护卫陪伴他。是不需要那样做、还是骄傲自满，亦是就算被杀也不足为惜的信使呢。

“Should we shoot him?”

「要射吗？」

“Not for now. But move to a place where it’ll be easy to shoot and then wait for my order.”

「先不要。但开始向容易射击的地方移动，然后等待我的命令」

After quietly giving his orders, his men sped away in droves, like lengthening shadows.

对部下小声地下达命令后、部下如影子延伸一般、飒地大量散开到周围。

Was he the enemy general, or was he just a regular messenger? Babel studied him carefully to find out.

是敌人的大将吗、还是说只是一般的信使呢，帕贝尔为了判读而仔细观察了起来。

That demihuman… what species does he belong to? Doesn’t feel like anything I’ve seen before… and what’s with those clothes? Is it a tribal outfit? Is that mask something like that too?

（那个亚人……到底是什么种族？感觉目前为止都没见过的样子……那个服装是什么？是民族服装吗？那面具也是类似的东西？）

He was definitely not human, judging by the tail coming from behind his waist.

肯定不是人类，能看见在腰后方有着如尾巴一般的东西。

The problem was that demihuman’s clothes. One could think of it as a tribal costume, and indeed, it felt like it might have been something like that. However, even at this distance, one could tell that the clothing was of excellent make, even when compared to those of humans.

问题是那个亚人的服装，如果认为是民族服装，确实看起来也不是没那个感觉。但是，那个服装的式样之好就算远望也能够分辨，即使与人类的比较起来也有着相当高度的技术。

Highly civilized demihumans are very troublesome...

（文化程度高的亚人很棘手啊……）

It was not just Babel, but all the soldiers waiting on the walls who gulped as they watched every move the demihuman made. Amidst the mounting tension in the air, the demihuman approached to within fifty meters of his location.

不仅仅是帕贝尔，在城墙上等候的士兵全员们也是紧张地吞了吞口沫监视着那个亚人的一举一动。在这样压迫的氛围之中，那个亚人走到了距离这里约五十米的地方。

“That’s far enough! Any further and you’ll be encroaching on the Holy Kingdom’s territory! This is no place for you demihumans! Leave at once!”

「到此为止！再往前就是圣王国的领土！不是你们这些亚人能来的地方！尽早离开这里！」

The voice was loud enough that even Babel, who was some distance away, felt it was loud. It came from the man in command of the fortress, one of just five generals in the Holy Kingdom. He imagined could feel the voice of the man in battered, unpolished armor resonating in his gut.

发出连有着一段距离的帕贝尔所在之处都显得大声的、是大堡垒的最高责任者，圣王国仅有五名的将军中一人。穿着没有光泽、满是伤痕的全身铠甲的男人所发出的声音仿佛能到达小腹。

The reason why he only had one staff officer by his side was probably because he did not intend to get the others caught up in it if the enemy launched an attack. At the same time, there were many troops with tower shields hidden behind them, who were ready to rush out if anything happened.

在他的身边仅有一名参谋的原因是在敌人攻击过来之时，为了不被卷入其中吧。与此同时在后方隐藏着数名手持塔盾的士兵，在发生情况时能马上冲出来而准备着。

In contrast, the demihuman’s voice was gentle and pleasing to the ear, nuanced and subtle enough to settle into every man’s heart. Even at this distance, it still reached Babel’s ears.

相较之下亚人的声音柔和而悦耳，意味深长般仿佛能够滑溜地深入人的内心之中，尽管有这样的距离仍然能够确实地传达到帕贝尔这里。

“That we already know. Now then -- may I know who you are?”

「那个我们当然早已知道。那么——您是哪位呢？」

“I’m -- I’m the general in charge of this fortress! Who are you!?”

「我是——负责守护这个堡垒的将军！你到底是何人！」

There was no need to tell the opposition that, Babel frowned, but he already knew that the general was not a shrewd man. Therefore, all he could do was think of this as something inevitable.

明明没有必要给对方情报，帕贝尔皱了皱眉，然而将军不擅心机也早已知道，因此也只能认为这是发生了该发生的事情而已。

“I see, I see. Since you have given your name, I fear it might be rude not to respond in kind. Greetings, gentlemen of the Holy Kingdom. My name is Jaldabaoth.”

「原来如此、原来如此。既然报上名号而不回应的话恐怕有些失礼呢。初次见面，圣王国的诸位。我的名字叫做亚达巴沃」

“Could it be!”

The man who shouted was the staff officer near the general.

“The archfiend Jaldabaoth! Are you the demon who led an army of demons in that disturbance in the Royal Capital!”

「难道是！」如此喊叫的是将军附近的参谋。「大恶魔亚达巴沃！率领着恶魔军在王国的王都之中暴乱的那个恶魔吗！」

“Ohh! I am honored that you know my name. Indeed, I was the architect of that magnificent feast in the Re-Estize Kingdom. However… the title of Archfiend is quite saddening… yes, I was wondering if you could address me as the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth.”

「喔喔！有人知晓我的名字还真是倍感荣幸啊。的确，在里・耶斯提杰王国举办让人拍手喝彩的宴会之人正是我。但是——大恶魔真是让人悲伤的称号呢……说的也是呢，能否以魔皇亚达巴沃来称呼我呢」

Babel tasted that phrase, “Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth,”

帕贝尔在口中玩味着魔皇亚达巴沃这个词语。

It was a truly arrogant title, but given the many demihumans it led, and after thinking back on what he had heard about the disturbance in the Royal Capital, that title might be well-deserved.

虽是个非常傲慢的名号，但那个存在率领着其身后各式各样亚人，再回想起传闻中听到过关于王都的骚动的话，那个名号可以说是名副其实。

“Damn you! Are you laying your designs on us after what you did to the Kingdom!?”

「你这家伙！即王国之后、接下来打算在我国也搞出那样的狼藉吗！」

“No, that is not quite right. It is because I met a fearsome warrior in the Kingdom--”

「不、有一些不正确。因为在王国遇到了叫人恐怖的战士——」

Jaldabaoth shrugged boredly. There was an indescribable sense of style to that movement, and it gave Babel the false impression that he was dealing with a human noble for a moment.

亚达巴沃仿佛很无趣般耸了耸肩，那个动作有着说不出的品格、让帕贝尔不禁觉得有如同面对人类贵族一般的错觉。

“--Well, do permit me to keep that knowledge to myself.”

「——嘛、关于那些还请容我割爱」

“Then what business do you have here? Why did you lead these demihumans to this place?”

「那么到底有何事！为何率领亚人们来到这里！」

“I have come here to turn this country into a living hell. I wish to make this country one which echoes with cries, curses, and screams everlasting. However, making sport of millions of human beings individually is impossible, and so I have brought them along. In my place, they will plunge you pitiful humans shoulder-deep into a morass of despair, in order to draw shouts of regret and suffering from you all.”

「我是为了将这个国家化为地狱而来。悲鸣、诅咒、尖叫，想要将这里变成能够回响那样延绵不断的声音的国家。但果然如要以数百万而记的人类一个个做为游玩对像是不可能的，因此才将他们带来。他们将代替我让人类这样的脆弱生物沉入名为绝望的沼泽至肩高、让他们发出悲叹和哀怨的呼喊声」

Jaldabaoth said so very happily.

亚达巴沃非常愉快地说着。

Babel knew his evil scheme, and that what the holy men shouted about the “wicked demihumans” was nothing more than propaganda to raise fighting spirit. From the perspective of the gods, this demihuman invasion was nothing more than a trip to the farm; a very natural action.

帕贝尔在此知道了邪恶的意图，圣职者们高声呼喊的「邪恶的亚人种」之类的，只不过是一种让战意高扬的政治宣传罢了，如同梦话一般。以上帝视角来看的话，亚人的侵略不过只是去饲料厂走一遭，属于非常自然的行为。

Terror filled Babel’s body, as did a powerful determination.

帕贝尔的全身被战栗般的恐怖所袭击，与此同时强烈地决意道。

He would not allow that demon to set foot on the land of the Holy Kingdom, where his wife and daughter were.

绝对不能让那个恶魔踏入妻子和女儿所在的圣王国的大地。

He tightened his grip on the bow in his hand.

紧握手持的弓。

If Jaldabaoth’s words were intended to intimidate them, then they had been a complete failure. Humans were not cowardly and weak creatures. They would let him taste the foolishness of underestimating humanity with their vicious counterattack.

亚达巴沃如果是打算要威胁的话是非常失败的，人类并不是如此怯懦的生物。以厉害的反击让他尝尝轻视人类的自身愚昧。

The people here possessed the iron will to defend the Holy Kingdom, and even if it had rusted a little in the past few years, they were still fiercely devoted to their home nation.

在这块土地上有着以钢铁意识守护圣王国的人们，就算在这几年显得有些生锈，但如今有着对祖国的热烈思绪。

“--Do you think we’d let you do something like that!? Listen now, Jaldabaoth the fool!”

「——你以为在这里的我们会允许那样的事吗！听吧！愚蠢的亚达巴沃啊！」

The general was roaring.

将军吼叫。

Indeed, it was a roar.

没错，正是吼叫。

“This is the first line of the Holy Kingdom’s defense! It is also the last line of its defense! Beyond us lies the peace of the Holy Kingdom’s people! Did you think we would let you trample it as you wish!”

「这里是圣王国最初的守护！且是最后的守护！在此之后是圣王国人民的安宁！怎能容你肆意践踏！」

The nearby soldier shouted, “Ohhh!” in response to the general’s bellowing. In that moment, their fighting spirit soared. Babel would have cried out as well if he were not hiding himself, and perhaps his faintly-trembling subordinates felt the same way.

将军的吼声诱发了附近的士兵们发出「喔噢！」的吶喊。在那瞬间涌起不止息的战意。帕贝尔如果不是正在隐藏着身躯的话也想要发出同样的声音，身体些许颤抖的自己的部下们也是同样的吧。

However, the entirely out-of-place applause threw a damper on that. After clapping for a whole, the demon spoke up.

但是，不合时宜的拍手声音将那泼了冷水。拍手声出处的恶魔在拍了一段时间后开口。

“Watchdogs which guard the cradle, hm? I cannot say I disapprove. It is very important to protect things. --Yes, I approve very much. That being the case, I shall give the people I capture here the finest possible reception.”

「守护摇篮的看门狗吗，我并不讨厌哦？保护着某样东西这件事是非常重要的。——我很中意。在这里捕获的人们就以最棒的欢迎进行响应吧」

The way he laughed as he spoke made him sound like he was enjoying himself.

那是掺杂着笑声真的是乐在其中的声音。

Jaldabaoth did not raise his voice to speak. Therefore, it would have been understandable if his voice did not carry over to where Babel was. Even so, the words reached him with a mysterious clarity, as though they were coming from behind himself.

亚达巴沃并没有特别大声地说话，因此从帕贝尔的位置来看就算话语传达不到的情况也是正常的，尽管如此，不知为何不可思议的声音清楚地传达，有如从自己的背后传来一般。

--Don’t worry about it, that might be the work of magic.

（——别在意，可能是魔法造成）

Spells and magic items which amplified sound existed, and it was very likely that Jaldabaoth was using those. However, he could not escape the displeasure which seemed to adhere to his back.

扩声效果的魔法或魔法道具是存在的，亚达巴沃使用那些的可能性十分高。但是，那宛如黏着在背上般不愉快的感觉却脱离不开，

“I will accept no surrenders. Therefore, do your best to entertain me. Now then -- let us begin.”

「我可不会认可投降之类的行为。就竭尽所能地取悦我吧。那么——就开始吧」

Babel gave the order to shoot.

帕贝尔对部下下达射杀命令。

There was no need to wait for the General’s commands. They were permitted a degree of independence, because chances to snipe the enemy commander were not readily available. Waiting for approval from their superior might result in them missing their opportunity.

不需等待从将军来的指令，他们被许可能采取根据独自裁量的行动，狙击敌方司令官的时机可不是随时都有，如果请求上面的许可的话会失去那个机会。

Babel rose.

帕贝尔站了起来。

The men around him imitated his movements.

周围的部下也接着那个动作。

It took only a moment to lock onto his target. A distance of fifty meters was essentially point blank range to Babel. He drew his bow, filled with the intent to kill -- and Babel felt Jaldabaoth’s eyes meet his through the mask.

锁定目标只在一瞬间。五十米左右、对于帕贝尔来说是极近中的极近。以在此确实杀死他的意志拉弓——帕贝尔直觉到亚达巴沃与他透过面具视线交会。

We won’t give you the time to flee or defend yourself. If you want to blame anything, blame your own arrogance for coming out onto the frontlines alone!

（逃跑的时间、防御的时间都不给你。要恨就恨自己一人出现在前线的那份傲慢！）

“--Loose!”

「——射！」

Fifty-one arrows flew out in time with Babel’s voice.

与帕贝尔的声音配合、飞出共51支的箭矢。

They were magical arrows launched from enchanted bows. The flaming arrows left red arcs hanging in the air, blue trails lingered behind the ice arrows, the lightning arrows’ path was marked in yellow, the green streaks followed in the wake of the acid arrows, and Babel’s own holy arrow traced a white trajectory as they all soared through the void.

是由魔法弓射出的魔法箭矢、炎之箭留下红色轨迹、冰之箭留下青色轨迹、雷之箭留下黄色轨迹、酸之箭留下绿色轨迹，帕贝尔的善之箭留下白色轨迹，在虚空中飞驰。

The arrows loosed from the fully-drawn bows travelled flat paths as they streaked through the air, each one striking Jaldabaoth’s body without deviating in the slightest.

从拉满弓至界限所放出的、一直线无弧度的飞驰箭矢，没有一支偏离目标，扎上了亚达巴沃的身体。

Babel’s shots were especially potent, and after being enhanced with his martial arts and his skills, each of them possessed power comparable to a mighty downward slash from a heavy trooper. If he were hit by this, even a man in full plate would be knocked back and sent rolling over the ground.

尤其是帕贝尔的射击非常强烈，使用了武技和特殊技术的一射有着能与重战士以大上段往下斩的一击相匹敌的破坏力，承受这一击的话就连全身铠甲的男人也会被吹飞翻滚在大地上。

However -- Jaldabaoth did not budge even after being hit by fifty-one arrows.

然而——承受了51支箭矢的亚达巴沃却纹丝未动。

And then, something happened which made him doubt his eyes.

然后，发生了让人不敢相信自己双眼的事情。

The arrows which should have punched through his body fell limply to the ground.

应该贯穿身体的箭矢扑簌扑簌地掉到了地面。

What!? Is he defended against projectiles!?

（什么！？——对飞行物体的防御能力吗！？）

Babel quickly nocked another arrow as he thought about how Jaldabaoth had defended against those arrow shots.

帕贝尔一边以最快的速度准备第二支箭，一边高速思考亚达巴沃怎么防住箭矢的一击。

Some monsters were able to nullify attacks through their special qualities. For instance, werebeasts and the like were nigh-invulnerable if one did not use silver weapons on them.

部分怪物会因应能力使攻击无效化。比如人兽之类不用银制武器的话几乎无法给予伤害。

Therefore, he felt that Jaldabaoth might have a similar ability. In that case, what sort of attack could breach Jaldabaoth’s defenses?

因此认为亚达巴沃也有着类似的能力。那么怎样的攻击才能贯穿亚达巴沃的防御？

The arrow he had launched just now was made of steel, enchanted with holy power which was especially effective against those of evil alignment. While it was said that demons could not defend against it, there was no denying that Jaldabaoth had proven immune to it. In that case, it would be best to use other arrows to learn more about the opposition, tearing down his veil of mystery to chart a course for victory.

刚才射过去的箭矢是铁制的，寄宿了对邪恶者发挥强力效果的善之力的箭矢。虽然据说恶魔不可能防御住它，但不管怎么说被无效化的事实是确实的。这样的话用其他种类的箭矢收集对手的情报，剥下它那隐匿的面纱才是通往胜利之道。

Babel readied a silver arrow next. It too was imbued with goodly power.

帕贝尔准备的下一支是银之矢。这其中也封入了善之力。

“...Now then, do permit me to make a move of my own. It is a trifling gift, but I would be delighted if you would accept it. This is a tenth-tier spell; 「Meteor Strike」”

「……那么请让这边也打出头一手吧。虽是微薄之礼，但若你们能收下的话我会很高兴的。第十阶位魔法。<陨石下坠>」

Babel sensed something from above him, approaching with unavoidable speed. Looking up, he saw a mass of light.

帕贝尔感觉到有物体从头上以无法回避的速度接近。往上看去，在那里的是光之块。

It was a heated rock -- no, it was something bigger than that.

被加热的巨大岩石——比那还要更大的某种物体。

Light gradually filled his vision, and for a moment he glimpsed the forms of his wife and daughter amidst the light.

视野渐渐被光包容的途中，他一瞬间在光辉中看到了妻子和女儿的身影。

He knew it was an illusion. His daughter was old enough that she could choose the way she wanted to live. Even so, the daughter he saw was still young, and his wife who held her still looked very young.

他知道这是幻影。现在的女儿已经长大到可以选择自己生活的方式了。尽管如此看到的女儿还小，把她抱起的妻子也很年轻。

No, if I don’t say she’s still young now, she’ll probably kill me--

（不，如果不说妻子现在也很年轻的话，怕是会被杀——）

·***

The falling meteor that ripped through the air and hit the wall burst into an explosion. A thunderous roar echoed all around. The massive explosion flattened everything it touched and pulverized the wall.

撕裂天空，到达城墙的陨石引起了大爆炸。轰鸣响彻全身。产生的大爆炸将在那里的一切全部夷平，然后粉碎了城墙。

As the sand and dirt thrown up by the shockwave of the explosion begin falling back to earth, the dust slowly began to settle.

在因为爆炸冲击波而炸飞的沙土纷纷落下之中，飞尘渐渐地下沉。

What it revealed was a scene of the shattered wall, blasted to smithereens and drifting smoke.

那里出现的是城墙被粉碎得灰飞烟灭的光景。

After looking at the devastated fortifications, there was no need to think about what had happened to the soldiers stationed there.

在那儿的士兵变成了什么样子，只要看到那被剜坏的城墙就不用再多想了。

Humans could not possibly survive such conditions.

人类那种东西不可能在那种情况活下来。

Of course, some humans could endure such things. Demiurge knew that very well. For instance, there were the XXX who had stepped into the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, the holy land created by the Supreme Beings. However, he had done thorough research beforehand, and he had verified that no such humans existed here.

当然，也有人类可以承受住它，迪米乌哥斯很清楚。就是那些曾经踏入至高存在制作的圣地纳萨里克地下大坟墓的**。不过事前已经进行了充分的情报收集，确认了并没有那样的人类。

“Now then, this ought to be enough for preparations.”

「那么，作为准备这种程度就足够了吧」

Demiurge smoothed out his suit with his hands. He had not been showered with sand or dirt, but the dust from the blast had reached him, so there was a slight earthy scent clinging to him. No -- he would have done so even if that had not been the case. After all, this was a valuable item from the great being who had made him.

迪米乌哥斯用手拂了拂西装。因为虽然没有被沙土淋到，但是可能是由于冲击而飞散的粉尘飞到了自己这里，所以稍微有点土腥味。不——就算并没有那种事也一样吧。毕竟这是从创造了自己的那位大人那儿收下的重要之物。

Of course, Demiurge had many other clothes beside this set, but that did not mean that he could treat it carelessly because of that.

当然，迪米乌哥斯除此之外也拥有很多的衣服，不过并不是说因此就能将其马虎对待。

As he thought of his mighty creator, he smiled behind his mask, and then looked out at the cowering humans.

想起了伟大的创造主，在面具的背面高兴地微笑了之后，它看向了一幅狼狈样的人类们。

If he followed up with an attack, the enemy’s confusion would become that much more apparent, and at that point, the demihuman assault would cause a complete rout. However, he had not used that spell just now for that purpose.

加以追击的话敌人的混乱会变得更为显著，那时亚人们攻进去的话也很容易造成完全的瓦解吧。不过，它不是为了那种事才使用刚才的魔法的。

Demiurge could only cast a very small number of spells; there was only one other tenth-tier spell available to him. His true power lay in his skills, and while he had used that spell just now to conserve his strength, the scene before his eyes was sufficiently tragic as it was.

迪米乌哥斯能使用的魔法非常少，除了这个只能使用另一个第十阶位魔法。他真正的价值在于其特殊技术，虽然使用魔法是为了保存力量，不过出现在眼前的光景足够凄惨了。

There was no sign of a counteroffensive. It would seem they were desperately trying to collect information and regroup.

没有打算进行反击的人，看来正在拼命地收集情报，重编组织。

Their commander is not dead… and their confusion doesn’t seem because they’re suspicious of us… is this really alright?

（明明没有杀死指挥官……也不像是察觉到这点很可疑而产生的混乱……没问题吧？）

Demiurge turned his back to the humans, walking back to the formation of his slaves.

迪米乌哥斯将后背朝向人类们，向自己的奴隶们造出的阵地走去。

He was not even on guard against the possibility of being attacked from behind.

连可能来自背后的攻击也不去警戒。

He could afford to be this lax because of all the information he had gathered.

因为已经收集到了充足的情报所以才有这种从容。

Demiurge was very strong.

迪米乌哥斯很强。

Indeed, he might be lowly-ranked among the Floor Guardians, but he was confident of victory in battle. That was because he knew that battles were fought because one was confident of winning them. That was to say, one should not choose to fight if one was unable to win, unless otherwise ordered.

确实，作为阶层守护者说不定处在下位的位置，不过在战斗时有必胜的自信。因为它知道所谓战斗的行为是因为会赢所以才进行之事。也就是说，如果不能赢的话除非命令否则不应该选择战斗。

There was only one person that Demiurge could not defeat -- in other words, there was only one opponent against whom Demiurge could not prepare enough to assure his own victory.

迪米乌哥斯赢不了的——换句话说就是无法准备名为必胜的基础的对手只有一个。

That person possessed intellect which surpassed his, schemes which beggared the imagination, a view of the world which seemed to extend out unto eternity, the absolute apex who held everything in the palm of his hand.

有着拥有超过自己的才智，布置超绝想象的策谋，看穿了几乎直到永远的未来的世界形势，以自己的手掌握着一切的究极顶点。

He was the supreme ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick -- Ainz Ooal Gown.

纳萨里克地下大坟墓最高的支配者、安兹·乌尔·恭。

That Supreme Being was the one to whom Demiurge owed his loyalty.

只有这位迪米乌哥斯奉上那忠义的至高存在而已。

Producing a great deal of undead was part of his plan. Once that scheme takes effect, nobody will be able to harm Ainz-sama. How fearsome he is. It seems the others do not yet realise how joyful it is to be ruled by such a Supreme Being--

（大量制作出不死者也是策谋的一环。中了那个策谋的话就任谁都无法伤及安兹大人了，真是何等可怕的尊上啊。能被那样的至尊所支配是多么的幸福，其他人究竟有没有清楚地认识到这一点——）

A don rang out. This was the first time something had happened which Demiurge had not expected. He turned to look at the source of the sound.

响起了咚的一声。迪米乌哥斯第一次因为发生了预料之外的事，而转头看向身后声音的发生源。

It would seem someone had jumped down from the wall. The man in question slowly rose to his feet.

恐怕是从城墙上跳下来的吧。男人正在慢慢站起来。

“The, the boss is dead. He, he was the man I wanted to defeat!”

「老、老大死了。那、那个我想要打倒的男人啊！」

The man drew his swords with both hands as he said so.

男人一边说一边双手拔剑出鞘。

Demiurge evaluated the man from his appearance. He received his answer immediately.

迪米乌哥斯从男人的外表搜索收集到的情报。马上得到了答案。

Threat Level -- E.

威胁度——E。

Error Rate -- E.

误算率——E。

Importance -- E.

重要度——E。

In other words, he was nothing but trash. Still, he was one of the Nine Colors -- while not all of them were impressive, he thought that it would be good to capture him and run all sorts of experiments on him.

换句话说就是垃圾。只是，既然是有着九色之名者之一——虽然并非全员都厉害，不过心想要是能捕获、进行各种各样实验的话倒也不错。

“Uoooooooh!”

「呜噢噢噢噢！！」

The screaming man ran over to him.

发出吼叫的男人奔跑过来。

Slow. So slow. If this is the extent of his speed, should he not have used his brain more? For instance using 「Silence」to approach quietly and close the gap between us...

（慢。实在是太慢了。只有这种程度的速度的话，不是应该再多动些脑子再行动吗？比如发动<静寂>悄悄地下来，即使一点也好把距离拉近之类……）

This was a distance his comrades would have been able to close in an instant. The man -- slowly -- ran over to him.

如果是同僚的话一瞬间就能拉近的距离，男人——慢悠悠的——跑了过来。

According to the information Demiurge had collected, this man of inferior ability could apparently use a special attack that was several times more powerful than normal in exchange for breaking his weapons. Therefore, he had a sword in each hand, and several more swords like it at his waist.

根据迪米乌哥斯收集的情报，这个能力低下的男子似乎有着能以使用的武器破坏作为代价，发出数倍于一击的特殊技术。所以双手都拿着剑，而且腰上也佩着好几把相同的剑。

How should I kill him? If I finish him off thoroughly, then when I take him back I can -- ah, he’s finally arrived.

（该怎么杀死他呢？尽量完整地干掉在带回去时也能——啊，总算到了吗）

After ensuring that he would not be splashed by the man’s spraying blood, Demiurge gave an order.

确保了即使男人喷出血来也不会溅到自己的距离的同时、迪米乌哥斯发出了命令。

“『...Stab yourself in the throat with your swords.』”

「……『用那剑刺穿自己的喉咙』」

There was a hoarse cry.

嗤、发出了这样的声音。

A look of bafflement appeared in the eyes of the man who had just cut his own throat with the blades he held. His eyes clouded over like marbles in the time it took him to collapse to the ground.

用持有的剑刺穿自己喉咙的男人的眼瞳中、浮现出无法理解的神色。其眼光变得有如玻璃球般浑浊、与其倒伏在地的时间、几乎是相同的。

Pained cries rose from the wall.

从城壁的方向传来了悲痛的喊叫声。

Demiurge turned, walked over to the man’s side, and picked him up by the collar with a single hooked index finger before returning to his formation.

迪米乌哥斯转过身、走近男人的身边、用一根食指勾住男人的后襟将他拎起，就这样走回了阵地。

After he turned to his lines, the representatives of the various tribes -- not all of whom held power -- gathered before him.

回到阵地后立刻、在他的面前各个种族的代表者——并非权力者——聚集在了一起。

In Demiurge’s mind, there were two kinds of demihumans.

在迪米乌哥斯的脑中亚人们被分成两种类。

One kind craved fresh blood and viewed humans as food. They would obey the strong, and they gladly obeyed Demiurge’s commands. The other kind were those who had been made to kneel before the terror of Demiurge, and they obeyed him out of fear.

一种是、渴求鲜血、将人类作为食物、会遵从于强者的、对迪米乌哥斯以正方向的感情服从的种族。另一种则是区服于对迪米乌哥斯的恐惧这样负方向的感情的种族。

Demiurge had selected a group of the latter kind.

迪米乌哥斯所选择的是后者的集团。

“You took your time in assembling.”

「集合得相当慢呐」

Saying so, he seized the shoulder of a random demihuman he had selected from the group. Its species was known as Blue Maggots. After doing so, he ripped the skin from its shoulder.

只说了这么一句话之后他抓住了从集团之中随便挑选出的亚人的肩膀。那是被称为蓝蛆的种族。并且就那样将肩膀的皮肤扯了下来。

While Demiurge was among the weaker Floor Guardians, he could still do that much.

虽然在阶层守护者中算是较无力的迪米乌哥斯、这样程度的事还是能做到的。

The demihuman whose skin -- and some of its flesh -- had been ripped off collapsed to the ground in intense agony, shrieking wordlessly.

伴随着无法成为语言的绝叫、肩膀的皮肤——甚至还有部分肉体——被扯掉的亚人伴随着激烈的痛楚倒在大地之上。

“Now then, begin the attack. Take care not to sustain too many losses. The main course begins after we get past this wall,” Demiurge said in a gentle tone.

「那么就开始攻击吧。注意不要让我方造成太大的损害。毕竟要等越过这座城墙后才是正餐呐」

迪米乌哥斯开始以温柔的语气说到。

His kindness was genuine when it was directed to his fellow denizens of Nazarick. He was a very gentle person when it came to his friends. However, to everyone else, his kindness was merely the care he gave to his tools.

对属于纳萨力克的同伴们所向的他的温柔是真正的。对于同伴他是非常温柔的。但、对除此之外的人所向的温柔仅仅是对工具的关照而已。

After receiving his orders, the demihumans ran back to their various tribes. The fallen demihuman was no exception.

接到命令的亚人们跑回各自的同族之中。倒在地上的亚人并非例外。

The message they bore was that those who obeyed Demiurge’s orders and achieved good results would meet a happy fate. Naturally, they also carried the message that achieving the opposite results meant that their future would be anything but happy.

遵从迪米乌哥斯的命令、只有得出优秀成果的人们才会有幸福的结束在等着、只因要传达这个信息。当然、也传达了若是得出完全相反的结果，自然也有与其相应的未来在等着他们这件事也是。

Demiurge smiled gently as he watched the receding backs of the beastmen.

迪米乌哥斯以温柔的笑容目送奔走的亚人们的背影。

“--Then, let us begin the next step of our plan. --Demons.”

「——那么、就进行下一步计划吧。——恶魔们」

Demiurge activated one of his skills and summoned a vast quantity of the demons he intended to use as sacrificial pawns.

迪米乌哥斯发动了自身的特殊技能、大量召唤出了作为弃子所使用的恶魔们。

While these demons were extremely weak compared to Demiurge, summoning stronger demons would mean he could not summon as many. The important thing in this operation was to spread the word that the Holy Kingdom’s army had been assaulted by demons, which meant that quantity was the priority here.

虽然对于迪米乌哥斯来说这些都是属于非常孱弱一类的恶魔、若是要召唤出较为强大的恶魔的话数量则会减少。在这次的行动中重要的是让圣王国的士兵将被恶魔袭击的事情宣扬出去、也就是说数量更为优先。

“Listen carefully now. Support the demihumans in their efforts. Also, limit your pursuit of the humans. Do not do something as foolish as not allowing a single one to flee the fortress.”

「仔细听好了哦？去支援亚人们的行动。还有就是将人类追赶到一定程度就好。别弄出没有一个人从要塞中逃回国家这样愚蠢的结果来」

The low-ranked demons nodded, and soared into the sky as one.

低位恶魔们点了点头、一齐飞上了空中。

While summoned monsters shared a certain degree of knowledge with their summoners, said information was quite random and disorganized. It would be best to regard it as the ability to tell friend from foe. Therefore, it was important to give verbal commands to summoned creatures.

虽然被召唤出来的怪物能够在一定程度上与召唤者共有情报、但那是相当杂乱无章的。还是将其看做只能把握谁是敌人、谁是同伴这样会比较好。为此，在召唤出来时以口头命令来进行传达是有必要的。

Now then… it would be good if the ball would land on target.

（那么……要是球能够准确的落在预定地点就好啦）

Demiurge’s perspicacious mind pondered all manner of situations, and after computing dozens of eventualities, he made the appropriate corrections to achieve his aim. Slight deviations were within his predictions. However, there were times when utter fools would lead to situations developing beyond his expectations.

迪米乌哥斯明晰的头脑考虑过各种各样的状况、计算过数十种后续发展、准备好为了达成目标的修正案。些许的计划偏离是在预想之内的。但有些时候，却会因为所谓极度的愚者而引发真正预想之外的情况。

Surely someone with Ainz-sama’s intellect could even predict the actions of fools… I’m still a long way off. Come to think of it, it would be good I could share this with Ainz-sama...

（若是安兹大人那样程度的智者，即使是愚者的行动也一定能够完全预测到的吧……我还差的远呢。话说回来倘若安兹大人能够充分享受于此中就好了……）

As he thought that, Demiurge’s heart raced unbidden. He had spent a great deal of time preparing this stage; if he could not even share it with his supreme master, what would Demiurge do?

想到这里迪米乌哥斯情不自禁的加快了心跳。若是连花费了足够时间所准备的舞台，都不能让至高的主人好好享受的话，迪米乌哥斯究竟该如何是好呢。

Ladies and gentlemen of the Holy Kingdom, I have a sincere wish. Please allow Ainz-sama to enjoy himself with your suffering forms. … Although, how will Ainz-sama adjust my plans for a better outcome?

（圣王国的各位。我由衷的期望。请让安兹大人好好享乐吧。用各位悲哀的身姿、呢。……可是，这次安兹大人又会怎样修正我的计划，展示出更好的结果呢）

Demiurge smiled, his heart filled with anticipation and excitement, like a student waiting for a respected teacher to dispense instruction.

仿佛像是等待着崇拜的老师对其进行指点的学生一般、胸怀期待与兴奋，迪米乌哥斯微笑了起来。

Oh, to learn from Ainz-sama’s actions, progress towards a better self, and further deepen my loyalty. How wonderful it is!

（学习安兹大人的所为、朝着更为出色的我前进、勉励自己更加的尽忠。这是多么的美妙啊！）

To Demiurge, who had been born to serve the Supreme Beings, nothing was more delightful than loyalty to his master.

对为了服侍至高的存在而诞生的迪米乌哥斯来说，没有比为主人尽忠更高的喜悦了。

“Ahhh, I do look forward to this…”

「啊啊、真的是太期待了…….」

The news of the demihuman coalition -- a massive army, at that -- crushing the central fortress and its vast quantities of soldiers and subsequently passing the wall, had already begun spreading throughout the Holy Kingdom.

亚人们的联合军——并且还是大军——、将最为坚牢的，拥有大量士兵的中央要塞攻破、越过城壁的相关情报、已经在圣王国全土扩散了开来。

The leader of the demihuman coalition was called the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth.