His gift to Cocytus was the lives of these Lizardmen, but it was probably time for some other reward.
“Perhaps you might say it is not needed, but it is only natural that rewards and punishment must be handed out as they are deemed necessary…Tell me, Cocytus, what do you want?”
“No. Ainz-sama. I. Desire. No. Reward. Other. Than. To. Serve. You. Loyally.”
While Solution’s request for “innocent humans” was quite disturbing, a request like Cocytus’ was also quite hard to grant.
One of his guild members had complained about a certain type of annoying woman, the kind who said, “Anywhere is fine” when you asked “Where do you want to go for lunch”, and then went on to say, “We should have gone to an Italian place after all”. Ainz felt the same way. It was a hundred times easier to get along with someone who plainly stated what they wanted.
“…Cocytus. A lack of desire can sometimes be more troubling than greed. I now command you — tell me what you want within a week’s time, limited to material objects. Do you understand?”
A distressed look appeared on Cocytus’ face. Ainz paid it no heed.
“Do you understand?” he repeated.
“If. That. Is. Your. Will. Ainz-sama.”
“Umu. That is my will. Alright, then. Cocytus, it is time to move onto my reason for coming to this village. I wish to speak to Zenberu.”
“Understood! I. Have. Already. Brought. Him. Here. Please. Come. This. Way. Ainz-sama.”
Cocytus moved behind and to the side of Ainz, and then addressed the kneeling Lizardmen.
“Zenberu. Answer. Ainz-sama’s. Questions. You. Are. Permitted. To. Directly. Address. Him.”
Zenberu raised his head with a “Yes”, but there was confusion in his voice.
“Then, I shall get to the point. I wish to visit the Dwarven Kingdom. Thus, I wish to employ you as a guide. Can you take me there?”
The Lizardman looked like he had narrowed his eyes.
He did not understand the expressions of Lizardmen, and he could not tell what kind of look he had on his face, but it did not seem like a good one.
“My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty, but may I ask your intentions for heading to the Dwarven Kingdom?”
As he finished speaking those words, a clacking of mandibles issued from behind Ainz.
“…Zenberu. Seeking. To. Know. The. Intention. Behind. Ainz-sama’s. Decisions. Is. The. Height. Of. Disrespect.. All. You. Need. To. Do. Is. Answer. The. Question. Truthfully.”
Cocytus was using the same tone he always did, but there was distinct displeasure in his words.
Ainz wanted to shrink away from the clearly unhappy voice coming from behind him.
Still, while Ainz was already like this despite not being the target of Cocytus’ aggression, Zenberu remained silent. He watched Ainz’s reaction, his gaze unwavering.
Tension filled the air amidst the fearsome silence, which was broken only by the threatening sounds from Cocytus. Not much time should have passed, Ainz thought. when he suddenly realised that Cocytus was about to make a move and stepped in to block him. Not doing so would be dangerous.
“It’s fine, Cocytus. Zenberu did not show me any disrespect.”
“But. Ainz-sama—”
“It is fine. Then, I shall take a small measure of pity on you, Zenberu. What gave rise to the misconception you now hold?”
Zenberu’s reaction was only natural considering what he had done to this village. Still, Ainz did not let those thoughts show on his face. If Ainz willed it, then no blame could be attached to the servants of Nazarick for their actions. Acting otherwise in front of his subordinates might make them doubt themselves and affect their future activities.
“Zenberu. I have no intention of harming the Dwarves. I have come in person because I wish to form a friendly relationship with the Dwarves.”
“Is that really true?”
“You—”
Ainz turned to Cocytus.
“Cocytus. Your loyalty pleases me. But I have already said that it is fine. Pay no heed to what Zenberu says here and forget it.”
“Understood!”
Was this what they meant by “speaking your mind frankly”? If the boss asked you to “speak your mind frankly”, it was clearly a trap.
Ainz turned back to Zenberu.
“Indeed, that is so, Zenberu. I will swear it on my name if need be. I wish to forge a friendly relationship with the Dwarves. However, it is also possible that the use of force may be required if it is warranted by their response. Can you understand that such a course of action might be unavoidable?”
“Naturally. It makes perfect sense. In this world, might makes right. Even so, how shall I say this… I do not wish to repay kindness with malice.”
Zenberu paused to take a quiet breath. Ainz was reminded of how warriors breathed when they were about to launch an attack.
“In addition, if you launch a surprise attack and begin their extermination after I lead you there, I pray you will forgive me for taking up arms against you.”
A quiet grinding came from behind him, and Ainz said, “It’s fine” to Cocytus.
Even without checking, he already knew it was the sound of Cocytus tightening his grip on his weapons.
What shall I do with you, Ainz thought as he looked haughtily upon Zenberu. It would seem his repeated practice had paid off, because Zenberu’s body froze in terror.
“Well, if that happens, I shall simply have to destroy you as well. Not that I mind… But that is quite a brave thing to say. Have you considered the fact that your betrayal might end up destroying all the Lizardmen in the village as well?”
“…I trust you would not really do that, Your Majesty?”
As Zenberu stared hard at him, Ainz cupped his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Then, he made an announcement.
“It seems you are mistaken. I consider matters in terms of benefits and liabilities. While I will probably not destroy the entire group for the treachery of one man, if it turns out that similar betrayals might occur in the future, and that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits of leaving them alive, do you not think I will exterminate them all without delay? Or do you think I am a brainless, all-loving being?”
Zenberu’s expression changed.
However, Ainz did not know what kind of expression it had changed to.
It seemed odd to be saying this as an undead being himself, but he felt that the Lizardmen were sly.
There was no need to understand the expressions of other races. After all, he was merely an undead being with the memories and experiences of the human being called Suzuki Satoru.
Since Zenberu did not look like he was going to continue speaking, Ainz carried on:
“Ah, don’t worry. I will not destroy this village even if you do betray me. After all, it would not be an organized uprising, and your reaction is quite understandable given your personality and history. They are your old friends — your benefactors? I understand why you would side with them. However, allow me to repeat myself: I will not destroy the Dwarven Kingdom for no reason.”
Whether players were present or not, Ainz did not want to launch straight into hostilities without a dialogue.
After all, things were not progressing very well with the neighboring countries.
Now that they had to vassalize the country which they appeared to have had the best relations with, their name would live in infamy if they ended up waging war on the Dwarves as well.
Therefore, they had to do their best to sign a treaty of friendship with the Dwarves. This way, they could show the nearby countries that the Sorcerous Kingdom was an entity which could abide by pacts and agreements. This would also give them the moral high ground and allow them to limit the actions which could be taken by any players hiding out there.
What would players do if they were wary of the Sorcerous Kingdom?