As Ainz logically considered the potential profit and loss of this endeavor, old memories sprang unbidden to mind in the gaps between numbers. He recalled the dangers he had encountered in unexplored regions, the joy of discovering new things, the sorrow of failing a quest, and the expressions and words of the comrades with whom he had shared these experiences. They were merely memories, but even his recollections of party wipes were transmuted into a brilliant radiance that lit Ainz’s empty skull.
After he slowly filed away these painful reminiscences away into his heart, Ainz’s thoughts finally took shape.
…I guess I’ll have to go in, even though I know there might be danger.
The guild called Ainz Ooal Gown was an organization which had been founded on those principles.
Naturally, some people might scoff at the idea of comparing games — which held no danger to their players — to reality. Still, hesitation could cost one the chance to gain new knowledge, and result in one losing the initiative. Who could say it was not possible?
After he decided to investigate the runes of the Dwarven Kingdom, a question appeared in Ainz’s mind.
That would be the choice of personnel.
Who would be the best candidate to send there?
Should I ask the opinion of Demiurge and Albedo? No, if I do that, I won’t be able to send out the most capable fighter of all.
That person was Ainz himself.
Ainz could say without any false pride that there was nobody in the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick who was better at him at adapting to unknown phenomena and magic. Simply put, the most efficient course of action was for Ainz to proceed by himself. However, if there really was an enemy player there, it would also be the most foolish move he could make.
…If there’s only a few of us, I can at least take them with me when I flee. That means I should pick people who can buy me time while I prepare to make our escape.
The first people to appear in his mind were the Floor Guardians.
As level 100 NPCs, they would be able to buy time for Ainz to escape, even against other players. That said, could he really use the NPCs, the beloved children of his former friends, in such a way?
What if I used high-level vassals led by an undead lieutenant? No, their flexibility is too low, compared to the NPCs who were built from scratch.
Vassals had the merit of being much more easily disposable, as opposed to the NPCs. But at the same time, their abilities lacked breadth and thus their lack of adaptability was a weakness.
When he excluded the emotional side of the issue from his considerations, the NPCs were the ideal choice. Ainz the player had not conducted experiments to that effect, and thus he could not be sure if he could be resurrected. However, there was no doubt that the NPCs could be resurrected, as he had done with Shalltear.
Ainz sat down in his chair once again.
“Hmm…”
Ainz steepled his fingers in front of his face, and mulled over the best choice to make.
But in the end, he still could not reach a conclusion.
Could it be that idiots can’t find the answer no matter how much they think?
With a self-deprecating smile, Ainz looked over to Decrement.
“Would you be willing to die for me?”
“Of course, Ainz-sama. You have but to give the order and I will throw my life away for you,” Decrement responded, without a moment’s hesitation.
“Do the others think the same way? Would they think I was a cruel master?”
“I believe everyone else would gladly accept death without a second thought. Nobody would even think of refusing. We were made by the Supreme Beings, and thus we exist only for the Supreme Beings. There is no greater joy for us than to carry out any command they give us.”
“Really now… Also, I was merely asking out of curiosity. There was no deeper meaning to my question. Put it out of mind.”
As Decrement bowed, Ainz made up his mind.
— He would use the NPCs.
Ainz pulled out a map of the surrounding area.
This map was compiled from the findings of Aura’s explorations. In particular, Ainz was sure that there was no other map which covered the interior of the Great Forest of Tob in more detail. Sadly, he could not be sure of the accuracy of the scale, and so he could not conclude that it was a perfect map. However, with this in hand, it was much less likely that he would get lost.
Ainz placed a finger on E-Rantel, and then slowly traced a line north, passing through the Great Forest. There was no problem up to this point. Most of the Forest was now under Nazarick’s control. After eliminating the monsters and beasts with low intelligence, they took control of several demihuman and heteromorph settlements and that was the end of it. There was a large cave underground, but he had no intention of messing with it for the time being. Of course, he could take control of it if doing so was profitable to him.
His finger reached the gourd-shaped lake at the northern tip of the forest.
Further north of there was the Azellisia Mountain Range. It was uncharted territory.
“An unknown region, huh…”
Hmph, Ainz smiled.
He had just impressed upon adventurers the importance of exploring the unknown. Practicing what he preached would make for good publicity.
“Come search for the Dwarven Kingdom of the Azellisia Mountain Range.”
It sounded like a slogan one would hear on television shows.
He waved away the smile that came naturally, and began his contemplation in earnest.
He considered the advantages that would come from personally going to a place where there might be other players.
Obviously, having the Sorcerer King show up in person was a clear sign of his sincerity.
It was like a company’s boss personally going to another firm to conduct negotiations. The effects of that were immediately evident, in Suzuki Satoru’s experience.
In addition, his perspective was unlike his subordinates, who tended to view those outside of Nazarick as inferior lifeforms. Ainz qualified as a moderate among the members of Nazarick. As a result, he felt that he was not a bad choice for negotiating with the Dwarven Kingdom — or a non-courageous choice, if he was being honest with himself.
In addition, he could always send Pandora’s Actor over.
He was the ideal choice, be it in terms of intelligence, adaptability or other areas.
However—
Who will administer this country in the meantime?
Somebody else had to answer that question.
That person was naturally Ainz Ooal Gown.
I can’t do it.
Ainz screamed internally, over and over again.
If he had to pick between the two, he would rather go to the Dwarven Kingdom.
More to the point, all he needed to do was to visit once and he would be able to teleport there in the future. If any problems came up, all he had to do was to play his trump card of “I shall consider this in greater detail back home”. Even if the other party countered with “We hope you will decide on the spot”, he could just throw another excuse together on the fly.
Ainz knew many techniques to escape a situation like that.
I had Ainzach around last time, but now I’ll be playing the role of the door-to-door salesman for my wares. It’s not like I need to clinch a sale either, so it should be easy.
Ainz smiled as he took on the expression of Suzuki Satoru the salesman. Then, the context of his smile changed.
Plus… as time goes by, I might be able to hand over the vassalization of the Empire to Demiurge and Albedo, and let them draw up the plans for it. Yes! It can’t be helped. It’s not like I want to flee from my work or anything!