Gondo suddenly stopped and turned to face Aura.
“What did you say? Is this their nest now? It’s become just like that place!”
“That place… Well, it doesn’t feel like they’ve taken up residence here. I think they probably just came as scouts. Still, if you were going to abandon this place, why not destroy it?”
“That’s true, but we don’t intend to abandon this place forever. Once our armies are ready, we intend to take it back. As you can see, there’s a lot of ore here, like in the place where I was digging just now.”
“Hm~”
The two of them walked on in silence. Gaps in conversations were commonplace, and if they did not fill the space with a new topic quickly, their dialogue would end here. Ainz judged that they had asked everything that could be asked, and decided to show himself. It might be better to tell Gondo about himself before he left the tunnels and saw the undead.
“Then, it’s about time I introduced myself.”
Ainz said that, but thanks to the [Perfect Unknowable] spell which was still in effect, his voice did not reach the two of them.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Ainz dispelled the magic.
Perhaps Gondo sensed Ainz’s presence behind Aura, but he turned around, and his eyes widened into saucers. His expression underwent a surprising and complex series of changes. Bafflement, shock, terror, confusion, and then—
“—Geehhhhhh!”
Ainz wondered if he had made a sound which might have disturbed him, but Gondo gripped Aura’s hand tightly.
“Amon, a mon—! Ruh, run away! Quickly, run away!!”
However, Aura knew the person who had appeared, and had no reason to run.
“Come on, hurry up and run!!!”
Gondo could not move, as though he had been chained to a great boulder.
“It, it’s so heavy! What’s wrong! Did something happen to me?!”
“Fear not… Gondo.”
As Ainz spoke, Gondo’s frightened face twitched.
“How, how do you know my name! Did you see through me!!! Or was it magic!!!!!”
I should have worn the mask after all, Ainz thought. Then, he spoke calmly, so as not to agitate Gondo any further.
“Calm down. I merely overheard your conversation. I am the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, ruler of the Sorcerous Kingdom.”
Gondo’s face underwent another series of changes, and this time Gondo’s eyes flickered between Aura and Ainz.
“The, the Sorcerous Kingdom? Is the Sorcerous Kingdom not a nation of Dark Elves?”
“No. It is a country of various species which acknowledge me as their King.”
“…Eh? Seriously?”
There was only wariness and suspicion within the eyes of Gondo, while his tone was taut with apprehension.
“One of the undead, huh… So that’s not a mask? Eh? You mean those undead? Those beings who hate and slaughter the living?”
“Hey, it’s just as Ainz-sama said. He wasn’t lying at all. I’m a Dark Elf and the story about the Lizardman coming here was true too. Ainz-sama’s been with me ever since I met you, you know? Like I said, I didn’t come alone.”
“Eh? I thought my ears deceived me. But…”
Gondo mumbled to himself, and then took several deep breaths before putting a determined expression on his face and asking:
“Could it be that Your Majesty — may I use that term? Ah, was Your Majesty formerly a Dark Elf?”
That was an unexpected question. The correct answer was probably that he was an undead being of human origin. Ainz paused briefly to consider his answer, and then replied according to his predictions:
“No, I am a natural-born undead creature… although I don’t know if that’s the right term to use. — Well, there’s no need to be afraid. Human, Dwarves and Elves all have good and bad members of their species, right? Similarly, there are undead who hate the living, and those who seek friendly relations with them. Naturally, I belong to the latter group.”
“But, but friendly undead, that’s about as unthinkable as compassionate demons…”
That was pretty well said, Ainz thought as he shrugged.
“Really? I know of an angel who fell into the darkness and a demon who aspired to the light…”
The demon in question was an NPC in YGGDRASIL, called Mephistopheles. He was a character who was famous for spouting tsundere lines to good-aligned beings. He looked fearsome but was surprisingly friendly and logical, and he gave out missions that ranged from trivial to high-level, which made him almost as popular as the Dark Young.
“To think such things actually existed…”
Ainz shrugged at the shocked Gondo.
“I understand your caution. However, I only ask that you remember this. I have no intention of harming you. Let him go, Aura.”
“Yes, Ainz-sama.”
Halfway through, the person holding onto the other’s hand had changed from Gondo to Aura, and naturally, their intentions for doing so was exactly the opposite to each other.
Gondo stumbled back quite a distance once Aura let go of him, but he did not appear to be fleeing.
A very rational move, Ainz mused. A misstep could have led Gondo to make the emotional choice of fleeing. That would not have ended well for him. However, Gondo as he was now qualified as someone who could be negotiated with.
“Then, shall we start again? I understand your caution, but I — we have no intention of harming you. Rather, we would like to be friends with you.”
Gondo did not respond. As expected, he was still peeking at Ainz with doubt written all over his face.
“In particular, my nation would like to sign a treaty of friendship with the Dwarven Kingdom. Therefore, we have no intention of harming any Dwarven citizens.”
“And what do you mean by a treaty of friendship?”
“…Pardon me. It’s best not to mention national-level issues to an individual who cannot represent a nation, don’t you think?”
“Mm. That’s right, ah, no, I mean, it is as you say—”
“—Don’t worry. Both phrasings are fine. Dealing with someone who stumbles over their words is tiresome.”
Ainz’s relaxed answer drew the first bitter smile from Gondo ever since they had met.
“Thank you very much — Your Majesty. And if the words of this girl — this young lady are true, I take it you came to this city for that purpose?”
“Indeed, that is so. But Gondo, why don’t we leave the tunnel first? Talking to the Lizardman who came with us might be a good idea. You’ve heard of him before, haven’t you? Also, I’d like to discuss the matter of the Quagoa with you.”
“Hmm…”
Gondo narrowed his eyes at Aura.
Aura smiled, as though to say, “who, me?”
“Alright. It seems this little lady has a lot of trust in you. And it’s clear that that you’re no ordinary undead.”
Gondo walked before them, while Aura and Ainz followed him through the tunnel.
“That’s right, might I ask you a question?”
“What is it?” Gondo replied as he turned back to look at Ainz.
“I would like to know more about the runic characters and the craft related to them.”
Gondo’s brow bunched up, his eyebrows squishing up into steep slopes.
“What do you want to know about runes? What’s there to ask?”
The unhappiness was plainly audible in Gondo’s voice.
Until recently Ainz could sense confusion and fear while talking to him, but there was no anger. In other words, Gondo’s rancor was entirely due to that simple question. Did he recall a bad memory concerning runes, or was this some sort of secret that could not be revealed to non-Dwarves?
Ainz hesitated. Should I continue asking?
Gondo was the first Dwarf he had encountered. Upsetting him was not wise. However, if he could learn the source of the anger, it could prove beneficial when negotiating with the Dwarven Kingdom.