“Alright!”
In the end, Ainz decided to cast these bothersome things aside.
“Let’s go!”
When the appointed time came, Ainz felt a magical portal — a [Gate] — open in the great hall.
While he had already dispelled the magical field surrounding this building, the person passing through the [Gate] did not appear right away, thanks to the [Delay Teleportation] spell he had cast. This was the same spell he had used during the battle with Shalltear.
[Delay Teleportation] briefly hindered teleportation effects that had their destination near the caster, buying them several seconds of time, which the caster would typically use to flee or prepare an attack. In addition, the spell also informed the caster of how many beings would be teleporting into their vicinity.
Thus, Ainz knew that only one person had teleported here.
Entoma might not have come here with Shalltear, but she would probably be arriving soon.
[Delay Teleportation] only delayed a teleport. It could not cancel it entirely. Thus, some time later, a black half-sphere appeared within the area of the [Delay Teleportation] spell.
Shortly after that, a Lizardman fearfully poked its head out from within.
As he — it should have been a he, right? — looked around, his line of sight met that of Ainz, who was seated upon the simple throne in the middle of the great hall.
“Your, Your Majesty, Ainz Ooal Gown. Forgive your servant’s rudeness before you.”
Ainz could not fully conceal his consternation at the Lizardman’s fluent speech. While Zaryusu was a cut above the rest of his tribe, this Lizardman’s diction sounded polished and natural.
Is this the result of Cocytus’ training?
The question percolated in his mind, but there was something to do before that.
Ainz’s [Delay Teleportation] spell had already told him that only one person would be coming. Once he was sure that nobody else was coming, he ordered a Death Knight standing by on the sidelines to reactivate its magic item. The Death Knight nodded in acknowledgment and strode forth, and then Ainz turned his gaze to the kneeling Lizardman.
At the same time, Decrement — who stood at Ainz’s side — chimed in with expert timing.
“Lizardman, you are granted an audience.”
This was completely different from how she had been when picking out clothes for Ainz.
She radiated the air of an icy princess.
Under normal circumstances, most people would be upset at a maid in a palace (or a similar location) taking this tone with them. The supplicant might well smirk as he noted that the ruler doing so was accompanied by just a single maid. Alternately, he might pity the Sorcerous Kingdom for having so little manpower that a maid had to perform such duties.
However, these Lizardmen were trained by Cocytus, and they fully understood that any of the NPCs was vastly superior to them. Therefore, they did not question Decrement’s attitude.
Ah, what a pain. Why can’t you dispense with this nonsense and speak plainly? Well, that’s what I think, but as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Ainz Ooal Gown was briefly troubled by the remnants of the spirit which belonged to Suzuki Satoru the salaryman, but that could not be helped.
The Lizardman rose to his feet, unaware of Ainz’s inner turmoil. In truth, Ainz could not tell the difference between one Lizardman and another. If their scales were a different color, or if they had obvious distinguishing features — brands or an abnormally large arm, for instance — it might have been possible, but he could not tell how the Lizardman before him differed from any other.
In any case, Ainz had Decrement command the Lizardman to identify himself.
“Ainz-sama graciously permits you to state your name.”
“Understood! I thank you for your magnanimity! Your servant is Kyuku Zuzu, former chieftain of the Razor Tail tribe!”
Ainz had never heard that name before.
Should he openly display his ignorance, or pretend that he knew? Ainz chose neither of these, but picked a third option — in other words, he nodded to continue the flow of the conversation. After all, Cocytus might have mentioned this during a previous report.
Following that, Ainz ordered Decrement to have the Lizardman tell him why he had come here.
What a pain!
This was basically how things went whenever he met with a subordinate— his servants.
If I wasn’t worried about people looking down on the Sorcerous Kingdom, I would have suggested doing away with this bothersome business…
Just as Ainz sighed internally, Decrement gave the Lizardman a command.
“In his mercy, Ainz-sama permits you to state the reason for seeking an audience with him.”
“Understood! Cocytus-sama, the ruler of our villages and the master of the lake, wishes to present something to His Majesty the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown, Supreme Overlord and ruler of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, as well as the liege of Cocytus-sama.”
Ainz was surprised by how many titles the Lizardman had managed to string together, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he inclined his head toward Decrement, who stepped forward and received a scroll from the Lizardman. Then, Ainz had to wait for Decrement to return and present it to him before he could finally read it.
It was covered in Cocytus’ script. There were so many numbers recorded within that it would take quite a while to read through it here.
Therefore, Ainz rolled the scroll back up and gave it to a Death Knight who was standing nearby. Only then could he finally address the Lizardman directly.
“Well done.”
“Thank you!”
While that was all Ainz could say, he did not intend to end the conversation there.
Ainz rose from his throne, and spoke to the Lizardman.
“Now then, I will ask you a question, not in my capacity as the Sorcerer King, but as the master of Cocytus. After all, they say speaking to one’s vassals directly will deepen their mutual understanding.”
The Lizardman looked vaguely confused. This was because he had no idea how to handle being directly questioned. At least, that was what he thought was going on, despite the difficulty of reading a Lizardman’s face.
“Be at ease. This is not a formal interview. Once you leave this place, no trace of the events here will linger in anyone’s thoughts or memories. Neither will I censure you for any lack of respect in your behavior.”
These words were addressed to Decrement and the surrounding Death Knights, as much as they were directed to the Lizardman before him.
“Now then, how is Zaryusu? I understand he has remained within the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick as of late?”
“Indeed! By Your Majesty’s grace, he is in good condition. He is the father of a healthy child, and his relationship with his wife is similarly excellent.”
“Oh, is that so! I permitted him to return because his child was about to be born, and now it has. I see, I see. Well, it is good that the happy couple is getting along.”
There were married people within the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. Ainz could not help but remember them. “My wife’s feeling kind of grouchy” became a magic word that allowed anyone to disconnect in the middle of a game, and no one would be able to find fault with them for that.
Smiling from the memories of the past — although his expression did not change — Ainz continued asking questions.
“Was the child white as well?”
Zaryusu’s wife was the white Lizardman. Being that she was a very rare breed of Lizardman, she aroused the collector’s spirit within Ainz, and left a deep impression on him.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It is as Your Majesty has surmised. While the child will assuredly be a superior individual regardless of whose bloodline it inherits, it would seem it has tended toward its mother’s ancestry, being that its scales are snow white.”