Epilogue

There was a desert slightly to the southwest of the continent’s center.

大陆中央稍微偏西南的地方有一片沙漠。

It was called the Dolor Desert, or perhaps the Di Gavorsa Desert, according to the great empire that had once stood here.

那是被称为多洛尔沙漠、或者以曾经存在于此处的大帝国之名由来的迪·格沃尔斯沙漠的地方。

While it was quite an expansive desert, certain reasons received rainfall, and so various races -- and monsters -- lived here. There was the Great Kingdom of the Pabilsag scorpionmen, the small Genie nation of Slutarn, and the religious group which venerated the Clear Light Dragon as their chief deity -- whose faith was widespread among nomads -- had its main shrine in this place.

虽然是相当广阔的沙漠，但因为部分地区维持着一定程度的降水量，所以更多的种族——包括魔物——栖居于此。基本以蝎人[Pa·Bil·Sag]构成的大王国、风之魔精人[genie]的斯路塔恩小国、已知在游牧民中广泛传播的以透光龙[Clear Light Dragon]为主神的宗教团体的本殿也在这里。

And at the edge of this desert was a gigantic tornado that came once every thirty years. It was thousands of meters across and immeasurably high.

在这样的沙漠的边缘。

那里因为会发生三十年一度的、直径数千米、高度难以计测的巨大龙卷而闻名。

While there was some difference in the exact time of its appearance, the tornado occurred in exactly the same place at almost exactly the same time.

这奇怪的龙卷以三十年为间隔——虽然会有若干误差、必定会在同一日期同一地点发生。

This was a remnant from a failed magical ritual by the great empire which had once existed here. The capital of this former empire protruded from beneath the sands. This phenomenon had been triggered by an incredibly powerful magic item known as the Scepter of the Sands. It had taken place after the Mushussu had been born and took to the skies. It was a gate leading to another world, and sucking everything out. There were many explanations along those lines, but everyone who had entered the tornado to try and unravel the mystery had never come back.

这是曾经存在的大帝国的魔法仪式失败的遗痕。曾经的大帝国的都市正从沙子下面露出其面貌。这个现象是被称为砂之权杖的超级魔法道具所引起的。这是穆修素[Mushussu]诞生后升空的景象。通往异界的大门被打开，一切都在被吸取出来。诸如此类的说法层出不穷、但试图解明这个谜题而前往龙卷之中的人一个都没有回来。

Many people had gone to explore the location before the tornado had come, but they had found a perfectly normal location, with no sign that anything existed there. Since one could predict the day of the tornado’s occurrence, many people planned to wait in the spot where the eye of the storm would be when it appeared. But as expected, they never came back. Others tried to enter it from the air, and they had disappeared too.

在龙卷发生前探访此地的人也很多，但那里只是一个毫无异样的地方、看起来不像存在着什么东西的样子。因为龙卷发生的日子可以提前预测，所以也有很多人想到从一开始就待在龙卷中心的位置，但是果然、他们也都没有回来。还有试图从空中侵入的人，结果也是一样。

Therefore, nobody had any idea why that tornado had appeared, or what was in its center.

因此、那龙卷为何会发生、它的中心是什么样子，没有一个人知道。

And then, at some point, watching that gigantic tornado from a distance had become an event that all the residents of the surrounding area participated in every 30 years.

然后不知从何时起，远远地观看那巨大的龙卷便成了住在周边地区的人们三十年一度的活动了。

The storm lashed at his body.

暴风击打着身体。

In places where walking was difficult like the desert, it was very difficult to resist strong winds, that threw one off balance. A person could easily fall down if they got careless.

在沙漠这种行走困难的地方，会破坏平衡的强风是相当难以抵挡的。大意的话就很可能摔倒。

If only I could use [The Creation]; who knows how much easier my path ahead could be?

（使用<天地改变>[The·Creation]再前往的话会多么轻松啊）

If he suppressed this desert tornado with [The Creation], and there was some reason that the origin of this tornado was doing it, it was possible that things might end without the mystery being solved. The reason why Suzuki Satoru had come up with a dumb idea like that -- which had been immediately rejected for the above reason -- was because his current conditions were really that taxing for him.

如果因为<天地改变>而使得这个沙漠的龙卷被抑制的话，万一这龙卷的发生本身就有某种理由的话，可能会在没有解开谜团的情况下就结束了。会像这样没出息地想起、因为以上理由而被立刻废弃的计划，是因为眼下的情况对铃木悟来说也是那么的为难。

Suzuki Satoru shouted so he could be heard over the gales.

铃木悟以不输给豪风的大音量向后方喊话。

He was joined to his two companions behind him by a mithril chain.

与后方的两名伙伴们间用秘银制的锁链连接着。

He started by shouting to the one that he was most concerned for.

首先向担心着的那一方喊话。

“Keno, are you alright!?”

「琪诺。没问题吗！？」

A voice that matched Suzuki Satoru’s in volume came back at him.

不输给铃木悟的大音量传了回来。

It belonged to the New Ainz Ooal Gown’s Second Seat, Keno Fasris Invern.

是新生安兹·乌尔·恭第二席的琪诺·法斯莉丝·茵蓓伦。

“I’m fine!”

「没问题！」

Although the girl’s voice was strong, he could not help but think there would be problems.

虽然是刚强的少女的声音，但怎么想都不会没问题。

Consider Keno and Satoru. Although Suzuki Satoru was nothing but bones, he was heavier when compared to her. Therefore, it was more likely that Keno would get blown away.

琪诺和铃木悟。要说谁的体重更重的话，虽然是只有骨头的身体、但还是铃木悟比较重。因此、被风吹飞的可能性还是琪诺更高。

Of course, he had had Keno carry various things, as though to weight her down. However, she would sink into the desert sands if she carried too much.

当然、就像增加负重一样让琪诺拿着各种各样的东西。但是、要是太重的话这回就轮到脚陷进沙漠的沙子里去了。

“Keno! You should have waited in the inn after all! I’ll send you back with a teleportation spell once we reach the objective!”

「琪诺！果然你还是在旅店等着比较好！只要到了目标地点就用传送魔法回去接你就好了！」

“Are you still saying that even after coming all this way, Satoru!?” Keno replied, as though she had nothing to say.

「都到这里了，还要那么说吗、悟！」

琪诺就像无语了似的回答道。

“You mean you want to complete the journey with your own two feet, right?”

「就是要靠自己的脚走完、对吧！」

Suzuki Satoru smiled bitterly.

铃木悟露出了苦笑。

This was an incident from when they were climbing a peak said to be one of the highest on this continent.

这是在攀登被称为这片大陆最高峰之一的山峰时的事。

While they had not managed to see the so-called “golden summit”, the memory of the conversation they had as they stood atop the apex of creation and looked down on everything was still clear in his mind.

虽然很可惜没能看到所谓金光闪耀的顶峰，但在可以俯瞰一切的绝顶上有过那样的对话，到现在也记得很清楚的样子。

“Yes. Back then, we exchanged words like that too! I still remember we were saying that while caught up in an avalanche!”

「是呢。那时候、也有过那样的对话呢。一边回忆起卷入大雪崩时的事情一边讲过那样的话呢！！」

“Yeah! Pretty amazing, right?”

「嗯！！很厉害对吧！！」

That incident had taken place halfway up the mountain.

那是在攀登山腰附近时的事。

While using [Fly] would have made things simple enough, it would have made things too boring, and so the two of them decided to use their superhuman strength to climb the rock face.

虽然使用<飞行>之类的就会很简单，但那样就太无趣了，所以两人就以远超常人的腕力攀爬岩壁时的事。

Then, an avalanche which blanked out their vision had occurred.

仿佛覆盖全部视野般的雪崩发生了。

While cold damage did not harm either of them, the bludgeoning damage from the avalanche was still effective. Of course, they had expected something like that and cast defensive spells on themselves, but it had still left a deep impression.

虽然冷气伤害对两人没有效果，但遭遇雪崩时的殴打伤害还是有效的。当然、有预测到这种情况所以施加了防御魔法，但那还是留下了深刻的印象。

Even after being buried by the avalanche, their immunity to movement impediments meant that they had pomfed out of the snow at the same time, whereupon they had a good laugh.

就算被雪崩掩埋掉，也因为拥有对行动阻碍的完全抗性、两人不约而同「嘭」地从雪上冒出半截身子，互相大笑起来。

Powerful emotions were immediately suppressed due to the special qualities of the undead. As it turned to gentle good humor, Suzuki Satoru made that suggestion, and Keno had refused in a similar way.

因为不死者的特性，强烈的感情立即遭到抑制、转为温和的笑意时，铃木悟也作出过这样的提案，琪诺也像这样提出了异议。

Just as he was narrowing his eyes in nostalgia a voice came from behind them.

因为怀念而眯起眼睛时，后方传来了声音。

“Ifsssh only thatssh weressh me. I’msssh envioussssh. I’dsssh likesssh to sssshe thatsssh too.”

「要咻我咻嗯的话呢咻。羡慕咻啊。我也想看咻景色咻嗯」

The androgynous and very distinctive voice -- though somewhat garbled -- came from further behind Keno.

性别不明的富有气质的声音、虽然混着点异音，从琪诺的更后方传来。

Although Suzuki Satoru could not see it through the severe sandstorm, there ought to be an heteromorph that looked like a lump of sand over there.

虽然铃木悟因为这厚重的沙尘暴而无法看到，但那里应该有一个看起来就像砂块一样的异型种在行走。

He was the Fourth Seat of the New Ainz Ooal Gown, Nurunuru.

新生安兹·乌尔·恭第四席、扭辘扭辘。

He was a mutant offshoot of the Roper race, a Herdroper. Herdropers had a hive mind, but some were occasionally born that were not part of it. And he was one of them. When Suzuki Satoru, Keno and Scraea had found the Herdroper, he had indicated his desire to travel with them.

在多触体[Roper]中被称为群种多触体的种族的进一步变异种。群种多触体是一个群体共有思考的，但其中偶尔会诞生不共有思考的个体。而他就是这样的，铃木悟、琪诺、斯库雷亚三人发现群种多触体的时候，他表现出了同行的意愿。

Incidentally, he had no personal name, so Suzuki Satoru had named him Nurunuru. It was supposed to be a temporary name at first, but he had decided to use it.

顺带一提、因为他们没有个人的名字，所以扭辘扭辘其实是铃木悟取的名。明明当初应该是暂称的，但现在就像决定用这个名字了一样。

His -- although he could have been a her -- voice was made by two tentacles that were open at the end, called voice strands. Therefore, a lot of excess noise got into his voice in places like this. However, he had the special ability of being able to cast spells without verbal or somatic components, and instantly casting them while standing stock still. It was truly mysterious.

他——虽然也可能是她——的声音是用名为声触的两条开着孔的触手挥舞发出来的声音。因此在这种地方就会混入很多无意义的杂音。但是、唯有魔法不需要声音和动作，拥有着可以从直立不动的姿势瞬间发动魔法的特异力量，十分不可思议。

“Haha! Nu, I have no idea what you’re saying!”

「哈哈！扭、你在说什么我完全不明白啊！！」

That voice had come from inside Suzuki Satoru’s cloak.

接在扭辘扭辘后面的声音是从铃木悟怀里发出来的。

“Me too -- gweh!”

「我也——咕诶！」

The voice cut off halfway, probably because it sand had gotten into its mouth.

大概是沙粒进到嘴里了吧，途中开始就不成声了。

This was the Fifth Seat of the New Ainz Ooal Gown, Crystal of the Gnator race.

新生安兹·乌尔·恭的第五席。羽虫人[gnator]的华结晶。

It was a race that was less than 20 centimeters long, with translucent wings that resembled those of Fairies, but they looked more like insects. Their similarity to fairies was used to deceive and prey on Fairies, because they were a carnivorous race.

这是体长不足20厘米，拥有半透明翅膀的与妖精相似的种族，但身体更像虫子。与妖精相似的外形是为了欺骗捕食对象的妖精，就是这样一种纯肉食种族。

Although he did not think they were relatives to fairy, spells which only affected humanoids and demihumans had no effect on them, and so he was considered a heteromorph and allowed to join. However, he was also immune to spells that should have been effective on heteromorphs, so Suzuki Satoru had always had his doubts about whether this was actually the case.

虽然觉得是不是妖精的近亲种，但只对人类种和亚人种有效的魔法对他们无效，所以就当作异型种同意了其加入。但是应该对异型种有效的魔法也会被无效化，所以实际上这是否正确一直令铃木悟感到怀疑。

Nurunuru was a psychic magic caster, while Crystal held a thief-type profession -- namely that of assassin. He and Crystal had once clashed during a certain incident, but they became friends after yet another incident.

扭辘扭辘是精神系魔法咏唱者，华结晶是盗贼系职业——暗杀者。与华结晶是在某一事件中相争，之后又经过一个事件才成为同伴的、有着这样的来历。

“Crystal, you’d be better off not talking. Still, has ti been so long that you’d feel nostalgic for it?”

「华结晶。你还是不要说话比较好哦。不过还没经过到让人觉得怀念那么久的时间吧！？」

“It was about 40 years ago, right!?”

「是差不多四十年前的事了吧！！」

“Has it? It’s been so long…”

「是吗。都那么久了吗……」

Suzuki Satoru muttered to himself, and looked ahead.

铃木悟轻喃道，看向前方。

The tornado lashed at the sands and completely obscured his vision, Suzuki Satoru’s undead body could see through the darkness, but not through sandstorms. Keno was the same in that respect. Nurunuru had no eyes, but he could obtain information about his surroundings through sensing the vibrations around him.

沙尘被肆虐的龙卷刮起，完全遮住了视野。铃木悟的不死者肉体虽然可以看穿黑暗，却不能看穿被沙尘遮蔽的视野。这一点琪诺也一样。扭辘扭辘虽然没有眼睛，但作为替代可以通过周围的振动之类的来获得广范围内的情报，不过在这种地方应该就跟在倾盆大雨中一样掌握不到周围的状况吧。

“--When you put it that way, we really have been to all kinds of places!”

「——这样一想的话还真是去过了各种各样的地方呢！！」

“Yes! We’ve been to--” Keno’s happy voice was suddenly cut off. “Bleh! The sand got into my mouth!”

「嗯！！去过了——」琪诺开心的声音突然中断了「呸呸！有点沙子进到嘴里了！！」

Of course, Keno had put a mask on before entering this sandstorm. It was Suzuki Satoru’s beloved Mask of Jealousy. Lending Keno a mask that she considered to be in bad taste was largely because he wanted to prank her.

当然、进入这龙卷前琪诺就戴好了面具。是铃木悟爱用的嫉妒面具。借出这个被琪诺说成相当恶趣味的面具，多少是出于恶作剧的心情。

The reason why sand had gotten into Keno’s mouth even with the mask on was probably because of the gap created when she spoke.

琪诺即使戴着这种面具还是有沙子进到嘴里，是因为说话的时候稍微产生了一点缝隙吧

Suzuki Satoru snickered to himself in a way that nobody could hear. However, she had still heard Suzuki Satoru laugh quietly amidst the savage sandstorm. Keno retorted in an unhappy tone.

铃木悟不让别人听到似的偷笑道。但是、即使在这样的狂风肆虐之中还是听到了铃木悟的小小笑声了吧。琪诺发出了不高兴的声音。

“It’s not fair, Satoru! It’s not like sand gets into your mouth!”

「悟太狡猾了！！嘴里都不会进沙子！！」

“Indeed -- gweh!”

「没错——咕诶！」

Crystal smiled bitterly to Keno as he answered her.

一边对华结晶浮现出苦笑，一边回答琪诺。

“No, there’s still a strange feeling of something getting in there. Still, I should say it’s hardly unpleasant, or should I say I don’t mind at all?”

「不、还是有东西进来的微妙的感觉的哦。不过该说那完全算不上难受呢，还是该说那完全不令人在意呢……」

“Ssshuushhhuushu.”

「咻咻嗯咻嗯」

“...Nu, I have no idea what you’re saying!”

「……扭。你在说什么我完全不懂啊！」

“It’s still unfair! If only I had a body like your, Satoru!”

「不管是哪个都很狡猾啊。如果我也是悟那样的身体就好了！！」

“Isn’t it fine like this? If you ask me, a body like yours is better, Keno. That way you don’t get caught up in annoying things!”

「这样好吗。我倒是觉得琪诺那样的身体才好啊。不会被卷进麻烦事！」

“That’s because a fight breaks out the moment you show your face, Satoru…”

「因为悟只要一露脸，就会马上变成战斗呢……」

That was how things went when the undead were hated everywhere.”

不死者不管去哪里都会被讨厌就是这么一回事。

“Still, you draw a lot of trouble on your own too, Keno!”

「不过就算琪诺自己一个人也会招来不少麻烦事！」

Sometimes, Keno got into sticky situations when collecting information. This tended to be especially true in unsafe areas. That said, while she was the weakest member of the New Ainz Ooal Gown, she was still much stronger than the average person, and she could easily take care of the average punk who thought he had some skills.

琪诺为了收集情报而一个人行动的话，有时候也会演变成麻烦的情况。特别是在治安不好的地方，这个倾向尤其强烈。虽说是新生安兹·乌尔·恭里最弱的她，但也比一般的普通人强太多了，一般的对自己的技术有点自信程度的家伙们很简单就能解决掉。

The problem came in places with good security, because of the people who tried to take her in out of kindness.

会成问题的是在治安不错的地方，因为亲切心而聚拢过来的人们。

If they had ill intentions she could have settled it with violence, but it was very hard to deal with their goodwill.

如果有恶意的话就能用暴力解决，但如果是出自善意就很难应付。

Heteromorphs who wanted to travel in peace occasionally faced such problems.

对于想要平静旅行的异型种们来说，偶尔就会有、这样的麻烦事。

“It seems humanoids are always troublesome… and if we hide our true forms, people look at us with curious eyes…”

「看起来像人类种的话不管怎样都有点麻烦呢……隐藏起真身的话因为隐藏起来了而被奇异的眼光看着……」

Humanoids’ position in the big scheme of things was very low. It was because they were weak that they caused problems easily.

人类种的地位非常低。因为是弱者、更容易惹上麻烦事。

As the two of them sighed, there was a dosu sound by his feet. Or rather, it was a zdun.

两人一起发出叹息的同时，咚嘶、的声音在脚边响起。不、还是该说是嗞嘣才对呢。

Suzuki Satoru bent down and investigated the vicinity of the sound. He fished a rock out of the sand. No, it was a tapered orestone that looked tougher than ordinary rock. It must have been blown here by the strong wind.

铃木悟弯下身，查看发出声音的附近。从沙中拖出来的是石头。不，是看起来比石头更加坚硬的尖细矿石。因为这强风而被吹来的吧。

Suzuki Satoru pricked up his ears.

铃木悟侧耳聆听起来。

“Shuuuuooohuuuushuuuunnnn!”

「咻哦嗯的咻唔哦诶噢嗯！！」

“What are you say -- koff koff!”

「在说什——咳咳！」

“Look out! It’s not just one or two of them! There’s a whole lot of stones headed our way!”

「快警戒！不止一块两块哦！无数的矿石块在飞过来！」

He could hear the sounds of countless objects cutting through the winds amidst the sound of the gale.

混杂在豪风里，可以听到无数破风而来的声音。

It was very difficult to avoid those stones flying at them in a place with poor visibility like this. Perhaps they might be safe if they were encased in extremely hard armor, but it was impossible to wear that sort of thing and walk around in the desert.

要在这难以视认的地方回避开以相当的速度飞来的矿石是很困难的。如果用高硬度的铠甲包裹住全身的话说不定是安全的，但在这种沙漠里穿着那种东西行走是不可能的。

This was definitely an attack which could annihilate any expedition.

这的确是足以歼灭调查队的攻击。

“Everyone! Defend yourselves as you advance! Keno, are you alright!?”

「各位、一边防御，一边前进！！琪诺没问题吗！？」

There was no telling how long it would be before they would be able to pass through this, but since this was flying debris thrown up by the tornado, stopping here or making a shelter would be meaningless.

不知道还要多久才能穿过去，但因为这是龙卷引发的飞砾，所以在这里暂停或者制作避难所都是没有意义的。

“I’m fine! Keep going!”

「没问题！！继续前进!」

“Shuuoonnn!”

「咻噢嗯！」

Keno replied in the affirmative. So did Nurunuru -- or at least, that was what he thought.

从琪诺那传来肯定的回答。从扭辘扭辘那也——大概、或者说一定是——传来同样意义的声音。

Nurunuru cast a defense spell on himself, while Keno used the power of the ultimate Vampire, The One.

扭辘扭辘使用了防御魔法，而琪诺使用的是究极的吸血鬼、吸血祖神[The One]的力量吧。

After plundering all the research of “Corpus of the Abyss”, she had researched it and gained this power. However, it was a realm that was only supposed to be reachable by more powerful entities. Since she had attained it with a weak body, its potency was greatly reduced. In that case, she ought to be called a Lesser One.

这是强夺了“深渊之躯”所有的研究资料，在此基础上进一步研究的她所获得的力量。但是、原本应该是更强大的存在才能到达的境地、以弱小的身躯就到达了的结果，其能力大幅劣化了。这样说的话应该是被称为劣化吸血祖神[Lesser One]的存在吧。

If there were any difficulties, he was planning to lend her a magic item which rendered her immune to normal missiles -- that is, ones that were not enchanted -- but it would seem that was not necessary.

如果有些困难的话就打算借出能获得对普通的——没有付与过魔法的飞行道具的完全抗性的魔法道具的，但似乎没有这个必要了。

Suzuki Satoru’s long robe protected Crystal’s body, and it kept him safe from everything except sand particles.

铃木悟的长袍完全守护住着华结晶的身体，除了沙粒之类的东西以外完全守护住了。

Suzuki Satoru himself was immune to all attacks below level 60.

铃木悟已经把60级以下的一切攻击都无效化了。

“-_Satoru!”

「——悟！！」

“What’s wrong, Keno!”

「怎么了、琪诺！！」

“It’s getting pretty interesting now!”

「变得有意思起来了呢！！」

She was not being ironic or making fun of her circumstances. She sounded like she was wholeheartedly enjoying this.

这绝不是挖苦或者玩笑。是从心底里享受着的声音。

“That’s right, Keno!”

「没错呢！！琪诺！！」

Suzuki Satoru felt the same way.

铃木悟也是同样的心情。

It was this difficulty which made the two of them -- no, the members of the New Ainz Ooal Gown -- happy.

正是这困难让两人，不、是让新生安兹·乌尔·恭的成员们感到开心。

Making friends and wandering the length and breadth of the world with them. Witnessing all manner of mysteries and going where no man had gone before. That was why they knew that overcoming these trials would only make their joy all the sweeter.

获得同伴，与他们一起浪迹天涯。在那之中目睹了各种神秘，到达了人迹未至的奇境。正因如此——才知道像这样的试炼会让成功克服时的喜悦更上一层楼。

“Hwre we go! Don’t get blown away!”

「要上咯！！不要被吹走哦！！」

“Yup!”

「嗯！！」

“Ssshuuuu!”

「咻！！」

“Yeah -- ggubfff!”

「唔——咕噗！」

The flying debris struck them over and over again, but none of them seemed to mind as they forged on ahead.

飞砾数次撞上身体，但全员都毫不介意地一直线前进着。

“Satoru! Hold on! The spell seems like it’s about to wear off!”

「悟！！等等！魔法好像要失效了！！」

“Keno! I’m counting on you!”

「那么、琪诺！！拜托啦！！」

“Okay!”

「嗯！！」

Keno took hold of a scroll in her bag and took it out, taking care not to let it get blown away.

琪诺从包里紧紧攥住羊皮纸，一边注意着不被风吹走一边取出来。

“[Mass Compass]!”

「<集团方位探知>[mass compass]！」

This second-tier spell was a multi-target version of the first-tier spell [Compass]. This was the reason why these people could unerringly hone in on their destination -- the eye of the tornado.

第一位阶魔法<方位探知>[compass]的复数版本、是第二位阶魔法。这正是这群人可以在这视野不清的地方毫无偏差地朝着目的地——龙卷中央部前进的理由。

“Thanks, Keno!”

「谢谢！！琪诺！！」

“Shuoooonnn!”

「咻哦嗯嗯！」

“Mm, you’re welcome, Satoru, Nu! From what I can tell, we’re not far from our destination!”

「嗯嗯，不用谢哦悟和扭！！从收集到的情报看的话终点已经不远了哦！！」

“Ahhh! Got it!”

「啊啊！知道了！！」

Each member of the New Ainz Ooal Gown had their own share of responsibility.

新生安兹·乌尔·恭的成员都有着各自的职责分担。

Among the, the Second Seat (Keno), the Sixth Seat (Brandona) and the Seventh Seat (Muki) were responsible for collecting information. Naturally, the others had their own responsibilities as well.

其中第二席[琪诺]、第六席[普兰托纳]、以及第七席[穆奇]负责情报收集等。当然其他人也有着各自的职责。

This had not been decided after discussion, and neither had they been forced into their role. Rather, they had ended up that way before they knew it. Also, the three of them further divided the work among themselves.

这绝不是商量之后决定的，也不是强加的。而是不知何时起就变成这样了。以及、那三人之中也有着各自的担当分野。

Incidentally, the First Seat, Suzuki Satoru, was responsible for coordinating them and combat.

顺带一提、身为第一位的铃木悟是统合役和战斗担当。

They ignored the steadily-increasing number of flying stones and their growing force, instead advancing without hesitation.

无视着数量逐渐增加、势头也愈发增强的飞砾，毫不犹豫地前进着。

“Just a little more!”

「还差一点！！」

“Got it!”

「哦哦！！」

“Shuuuunn”

「咻嗯！」

“Ohh- gueh!”

「唔——咕诶！」

And at last--

终于——

“Uwaaah!”

「呜哇—！！」

--Their vision cleared up.

——视野变得开阔。

Keeno cried out in joy.

琪诺发出欢喜的声音。

The wind suddenly vanished, When they looked behind them, what looked like black walls extended forever up and down, left and right.

风突然消失了、往后看的话黑黑的壁障仿佛无限般地向上下左右延伸着。

Looking around, it seemed as though they had entered a gigantic tube.

环视四周就仿佛进入了一个巨大的筒里面一样。

What they saw after that was a vast, yet silent expanse of pure white sand. While it was marred by the occasional ripple, it did not grow overly large, and all they could see everywhere was white.

“Hey! Look! The sky!”

As though drawn by Keno’s voice, Suzuki Satoru, Crystal -- who had poked his head out of Suzuki Satoru’s robe -- and probably Nurunuru as well, all looked up to the heavens.

The night sky came into view, but this was not like an ordinary night sky. The stars seemed very close to them.

It was just like in childrens’ fairytales -- the big, bright shining stars looked like they could just reach out and touch them.

It made him think of the past -- when they had stood on the summit of the highest mountain on the continent -- no, the distance to the sky made him feel like the peak he had ascended had been even higher.

“But why? Why do the stars look like they’re so close to us?”

“Perhaps it’s due to atmospheric diffraction?”

Nurunuru’s voice-strands vibrated as he explained. Suzuki Satoru simply nodded.

“Huh?”

“My guess is that the atmosphere has been warped, forming what seems to be a gigantic lens. Perhaps it was caused by the tornado? That might be the case.”

“Nu, what was all that just now?”

“In other words, there’s something like a telescope above our heads?”

“A… telescope? Is it one of those things invented by that weird technology called science?”

“Science is dumb, the stuff it makes can’t compare to magic items.”

Crystal was not the least bit shy about saying that. In truth, the fact that magic could create something out of nothing meant that there was nothing wrong with saying it was better than science.

This was just a hypothesis, but Suzuki Satoru felt that all the technology that he understood could be reproduced through magic. However, learning magic required talent and everybody’s aptitude was different. Some people could learn magic and others could not.

Crystal’s words indicated that he belonged to the former group.

Suzuki Satoru clapped his hands.

“Now then, let’s go investigate the source of this phenomenon before the tornado vanishes.”

“Alright, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything. The cause of this phenomenon is still a mystery.”

“Mhm, I can’t sense any turbulence in the elements around here either. Leader, what about the magical end of things?”

Suzuki Satoru cast a spell and looked out into the distance.

“Nothing either. It wasn’t caused by a spell, I think.”

Keno flew to a certain height, and then descended to the ground.

“I don’t see anything that looks like a building around here… what on earth is this?

“A natural phenomenon? That’s the only way we can explain it, right?”

After hearing Suzuki Satoru say that, the others responded in agreement. Much like how reverse waterfalls that flowed up existed, there were many bizarre sights in this world that were natural occurrences.

In any case, let’s go to the center of the tornado and take a look. After that, we’ll explore a little and if we don’t find anything -- we’ll go stargazing.”

Nobody objected to this, and the group flew towards the center of the tornado with Crystal leading the way. And then--

“There’s nothing here.”

“Nothing, huh?”

“There shouldn’t be anything, right?”

“What a shame.”

That was the result of a rough search.

“What should we do now, Leader? Keep looking?”

Suzuki Satoru shrugged at Nurunuru’s question.

“There’s no need, I guess. If we can’t find it, then we can’t find it. It doesn’t matter. Besides, our aim was to go where nobody else set foot before, and since we’ve done that -- everyone’s free to do whatever they want until the tornado vanishes.”

“Then I’ll go take a walk around the area with Nu.”

“Ah? Well, that’s fine too. I understand. Let’s go, then.”

“You’re really going? Then take care not to stray too far.”

The two of them voiced their acknowledgement as they left together.

Despite what Suzuki Satoru had said, he was not worried about their safety. In YGGDRASIL terms, they were easily above level 40. They were among the most powerful beings in the world, and the two of them had excellent sensory abilities. Even if ambushed, they were skilled enough to return alive.

“Satoru, then what should we do?”

“Want to go take a walk around here too?”

“Yup!”

Keno began to run.

Her footprints marked the pure white sand. Suzuki Satoru followed her footprints, his strides slightly larger than when he usually went walking with Keno. Still, this was just fine for Suzuki Satoru.

In the end, Keno sat on the sand and slowly lay down. Suzuki Satoru sat down beside her, and then lay with her.

“The stars are so big.”

“Yeah, they’re really big.”

If only his companions -- his friends from Ainz Ooal Gown could see this marvellous sight.

Those were memories from roughly 200 years ago, and after each adventure with Keno and the others, they had gradually faded away.

But as he remembered the faces of the only friends he had ever had, Suzuki Satoru looked on the mysterious vistas with nostalgia in his heart.

“Still, this really is amazing.”

“Yeah, seeing this means our trip wasn’t in vain.”

“Yeah…”

The two of them lay on the sand in silence,watching this wonder of the world, a marvel whose veil of mystery nobody else had managed to pull back until now.

And then -- the stars gradually shrank, or perhaps they were slowly returning to normal. Suzuki Satoru propped himself up, and saw the walls of the tornado that surrounding them were slowly receding.

“It’s over, huh.”

“Yeah, it’s going to end. It’ll be another 30 years before we can see something like this. Now then… want to tell the others about what we saw here?”

Suzuki Satoru asked Keno, who stood up and shook her head.

“How can you see the rainbow if you don’t go through the storm?”

“That makes sense, you’ve got that right. See, I managed to get the better of you just now.”

Suzuki Satoru smiled.

“Oh my, the two of you seem pretty happy! Did anything special happen?”

“Nothing special, no.”

The other two had probably seen the tornado start to fade, and so they had returned. They did not seem to be holding any finds. Perhaps they really had been strolling around for a while.

“Let’s head back to the inn, then.”

“Yup. Do the honors, Saoru. But before that, let’s shake off the sand on ourselves. It’s only a little, but I don’t want to bring it back to our room.”

Everyone patted down their clothes and shook off the sand. Nurunuru was wearing an item that Suzuki Satoru had lent him, and he helped the others pat their clothes clean.

After that, Suzuki Satoru cast [Gate], and the group returned to their room in the inn.

“We’ll be off, then.”

“Thanks, everyone.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Hope you all have a good night.”

Nurunuru and Crystal -- who was sitting on his head -- left the room.

“I’m soooo tired,” Keno said. That made no sense, however. Both of them were undead, and they would not accumulate exhausted. However, Suzuki Satoru understood her meaning. Her fatigue was not of the body, but of the mind.

“You’re tired too, huh, Keno?”

Suzuki Satoru shed the robe on his body and changed into something else in an instant. That was because the robe he had been wearing earlier had a quick-change effect on it. Keno changed in a similar manner.

Suzuki Satoru flopped down on the sofa in the room and took pen and paper out of his inventory.

This was his diary.

He did not write in it every day, but only when something special happened. Thus, he was only on his fourth book after 200 years.

He opened a new page, planning to write down what he had seen today, but then he felt a familiar weight pressing down on him.

打开新的一页，正打算把今天的见闻书写下去，突然感受到熟悉的重量压了上路。

“...Keno, why don’t you go take a bath? I was planning to make an entry in my diary…”

「……琪诺呀、你先去洗个澡怎么样？我正打算写日记……」

“Yeah, go ahead and write.”

「嗯，日记，你写你的」

“... That’s not what I mean. How am I supposed to write my diary with you lying on top of me?”

「……不是、你这么趴在我背上，让我怎么写日记嘛」

“Hm, then you can write it on the way back.”

「嗯、那就回头再写呗」

In his heart, Suzuki Satoru shook his head and sighed.

铃木悟在心里摇着头叹了口气。

“--Fine fine fine, as my Princess commands.”

「——好好好、谨遵我们任性公主大人的旨意」

“Mm, well done, my knight.”

「嗯，好好干，我的骑士」

I was her court wizard last time, Suzuki Satoru thought as he closed his diary. While he could have just ignored her and continued writing in his diary, it would cause problems in future. While the intense emotions of the undead would be quickly suppressed, letting subtle grudges build only made them stronger.

上一次的职业好像是宫廷魔术师来着，铃木悟一边这么想着一边合上了日记。虽然就这么无视她去写日记倒也不是不行，但事后可就麻烦了。虽然不死者的剧烈情绪会很快遭到抑制，但细水长流的怨气后劲更大。

“What do you plan to do next? Where shall we do?”

「接下来有什么打算？去哪儿好呢？」

“I was thinking… in the past, the big nations in the center were just places we passed through. Perhaps we ought to establish a base for ourselves so we can tour the surroundings. Maybe we could look in an abandoned city.”

「我想想……之前中央的各个大国对我们来说都只是途径之地，是不是找个地方作为据点，以其为中心游览周边各地会更好呢。去废墟都市瞧瞧好像也不错」

There were many nations in the center of the continent where the humanoid species were on the bottom of the totem pole. They were all troublesome countries for people like Keno with humanoid appearances. While they allowed travellers certain right, they were by no means safe places.

在位于大陆中央的数个大国之中，人类种族的地位极为低下。对琪诺这样有着人类外观的人来说，都是些麻烦不断的国家。虽然会给行旅之人保障一定的权利，但远远说不上是安全之所。

For instance, she had once been treated as an escaped meal in the market of an Orc nation.

比如说吧、在兽人掌管的国家的市场中，就曾经被当做过逃跑了的食物。

And in the land of the Minotaurs, someone had said “Let’s see who treats their slaves better”, and she had “experienced” the so-called slave life too. Troublesome things like that had happened to her roo.

而在牛头人[Minotaur]治下的国家，被人说着「奴隶待遇哪家强，比就比谁怕谁」，还“体验”所谓的奴隶生活，这种麻烦事也是遇到过的。

In the case of the former, she had covered it up by breaking a pair of arms and part of their ribs. As for the latter, she had let them experience the slave life themselves and then asked them how it felt.

前者呢、卸了双臂和肋骨的零件这事就算揭过去了。至于后者、则是让他们亲身体验了一下，然后让其再品评一下作何感受。

“An abandoned city… so you mean the one where they say a lot of people died because Soul Eaters showed up? It seems the entire city was preserved intact…”

「废墟都市……就是那个据说因为噬魂魔出没而死了很多居民的城市？好像整个城就那么原样保存下来了吧……」

“Exactly. Entry’s forbidden, but we can go if we want, right?”

「没错、虽然已经禁止入内了，不过我们倒是想去就去哦？」

“Yes, going there sounds pretty good.”

「是呀、去那儿也不错呢」

Suzuki Satoru laughed.

铃木悟笑了。

For many years, they had been to places where normal people could not set foot. Or rather, if they heard of some sanctuary or divine place, they would take it upon themselves to go there. As for why, well, it was because they had once found a World-Class Item there once.

多年以来，他们不知踏入了多少常人所无法到访的地方，或者说只要他们听说有什么神域啊圣域啊之类的地方，就一定要去闯一闯。至于原因嘛，是因为他们曾在其中发现过世界级道具。

That was how Keno had obtained her item -- the Two-Worlds Mandala.

现在琪诺所持有的道具——两界曼陀罗就是这么来的。

They had seen other World-Class Items during their journey.

在行旅途中，也见到过其他的世界级道具。

However, they had owners, so they did not seize them. Suzuki Satoru originally wanted to take them, but he did not, because he had Keno by his side. After all, he did not want to do anything awkward like mugging people in front of Keno.

不过都已经是有主之物了，也就没有强抢过来。铃木悟本人其实是想要抢过来的，不过因为琪诺就在身边，便没有这样做。毕竟他不想在琪诺面前做出强抢他人财物这般苟且之事。

The Two-World Mandala had once been a national treasure, but the country that had served as its sanctuary had been destroyed, and then a new country had sprung up in its place. Thus, they pretended that it was ownerless. In compensation, they left behind many items and huge gems and so on, and so the two of them managed to get around that particular pitfall.

两界曼陀罗在某种意义上来说也曾经是一国之宝，但圣域指定的国家灭亡了，之后诞生了新的国家，于是就假装它是没有主人的东西了。作为补偿，他们留下了数量众多的道具和巨大的宝石什么的，以此使得二人在心里能迈过去这个坎。

“But I want to head west.”

「可是我有点想去西边呢」

“The west? What’s over there?”

「西边？有什么东西吗？」

He looked through his memories, but he could not recall anything worth noting on the west.

在记忆中探寻了一下，并未想到西边有什么值得注意的东西。

“Well, it’s information from Mu-chan. He said that three countries had fallen in the north of the continent. Therefore, I wanted to head west and see what’s going on.”

「这个嘛、是小穆收集来的情报，说是在大陆最西北端有三个国家被毁灭了。所以我就想往西边走一走，打听下究竟出了什么事」

Since it was information from the Seventh Seat, it ought to be true.

既然是第七席的找来的情报，那多半是真实的。

He looked completely unlike what the cute nickname of Mu-chan would suggest, but perhaps it was different in the eyes of his mother -- or perhaps his sister. Suzuki Satoru discarded the question of his appearance for a moment and began recalling the world map.

他的外貌与小穆这么个可爱的称呼完全不搭边，不过大概在他母亲——也可能是姐姐——眼中，那就不一样了吧。把他的外貌问题暂且丢在脑内的角落里，铃木悟开始回想世界地图。

“The northwest…. borders…”

「西北方的……边境……」

He recalled that 200 years ago, there had been a few human nations up there, but since it was in the hinterlands, he had not thought much about it.

印象中两百年前那边似乎被群山包围着，有些人类的国家来着，由于是边境地带，一直没怎么放在心上。

“Well, it’s true that nations being destroyed isn’t exactly uncommon, but for three to go down at once…”

「确实、虽说国家遭到毁灭这种事算不上少见，但同时毁灭三个嘛……」

There were incredibly powerful monsters in the world, and sometimes they would show up, annihilate a nation or two, and then new countries would take their place. Granted, some large nations might not be destroyed so easily, but it was not rare for such things to serve as the spark for internal unrest or invasion, eventually leading to the nation’s destruction. But to his recollection, he had not heard of several countries being destroyed at the same time.

这个世界中存在着实力极为强横的怪物，这类家伙于世间现身，毁灭掉个把国家，随后又有新的国家取而代之——这种事时有发生。若是大国的话虽然不至于说没就没了，但以之作为开端，引发内乱或是侵略最终招致灭亡的事也不罕见。但在他的记忆之中，也从没出现过数个国家在同一时期毁灭的事。

“What on earth happened?”

「究竟发生了什么事呢？」

Just as Suzuki Satoru was about to turn around and look at Keno -- who was lying on his back, he heard her exclaim “Ack!” in a cute way before she fell off.

铃木悟刚要转过身来看向身后——趴在他背上的琪诺，就听到「哎呀」这么一声可爱的惊呼、然后琪诺从他背后掉了下来。

“Meanie! Don’t move around!”

「讨厌！你别动啊！」

“...After you, after you.”

「……您请……您请」

Suzuki flopped down on the table again and Keno mounted him once more.

铃木悟再度趴下来，琪诺重新骑了上去。

“Well, I think he said something about a nest of really powerful demons showing up.”

「这个嘛、我想想，好像说出现了一个很厉害的恶魔巢穴」

“A nest? Of powerful demons?”

「很厉害的恶魔？巢穴？」

“Mm. What was it called? -- The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick?”

「嗯。叫什么来着？——纳萨力克地下坟墓？」

“--Eh?”

「——诶？」

That name sounded somewhat familiar.

这个名字听上去似乎有点耳熟。