“I am Dyel of the Gan Zu tribe — Dyel Gan Zu.”
“Dyel, then. Here is my first question. Are there people here you do not know, or whose personalities have changed drastically?”
“No, no, there’s nobody like that.”
“Next, tell me why you were imprisoned here.”
“...You know that demon called Jaldabaoth, right?”
“Of course I do. He is my enemy. Rather, you could say I came here — to the Holy Kingdom — in order to kill him.”
Their faces still said No way, as expected. Indeed, Neia might have thought the same way before she had come to understand the Sorcerer King. However, Neia was different now.
Neia looked at the Sorcerer King’s profile, and then she spoke.
“It is as His Majesty says. I am a person of this country. In that case, you should be able to understand, right? Jaldabaoth led an allied army of demihumans to invade the Holy Kingdom.”
Dyel’s face changed slightly.
“Wait, a human — probably, a female.”
What did they mean by “probably?” she thought, but to Neia, judging the sex of an Orc would be very difficult. It would probably be the same way for them as well.
“We did not attack this country. Nobody from the Orc tribes should have helped Jaldabaoth. Because of that, he brought us — who defied him — along to this place as punishment.”
“Hm… and what did Jaldabaoth do after he brought you here?”
The Sorcerer King’s question seemed to given Dyel and the other Orcs a powerful shock. The Orcs who looked like mothers clutched their children tightly. After that, there were sounds of moaning and vomiting.
“...What happened here, seriously?” the Sorcerer King could not help but say.
“Ah, it seems I’ve asked a question I shouldn’t have asked. Shall I bring some water? Or do you want something else?”
The Sorcerer King’s attitude seemed to have changed. For some reason, he seemed very nervous. Perhaps he felt guilty about asking the Orcs about a question that had dredged up bad memories. While it might be somewhat rude to think of him that way, the Sorcerer King looked like a parent trying to comfort another child which their own offspring had driven to tears.
This is something only a king who counts both humans and demihumans as his subjects would do...
To the people of the Holy Kingdom, demihumans were the enemy. Therefore, under identical circumstances, they would not say anything kind or comforting.
“We do not want anything else. But we beg you not to ask us what happened. You would not enjoy hearing it, and it was a hellish experience for us. If you order us to speak of it we will do so, but I pray you will do it away from others. Please.”
After hearing the sobs and weeping of the female Orcs, Neia began to feel a little afraid of what had happened to them.
“...How vexing,” the Sorcerer King muttered to himself, but so much had happened that Neia did not know what he was referring to.
“Ah, erm, well. Since you seem to be enemies of Jaldabaoth, why not discuss the matter of joining forces with us, since we have a common foe?”
Dyel shifted his gaze downwards.
“We had thought of fighting once, but now we no longer think of such things. We`ve been broken by the fiendish things which happened here. We no longer have the courage to fight.”
“Then if I free you, what will you do?”
“If possible, we would like to return to our villages. If there are still people who are safe there, we would like to take them and run far, far away, until we find a place where Jaldabaoth cannot reach us.”
The Sorcerer King nodded.
“Then, come to the domain which I rule—”
“—Please allow us to refuse! I am keenly aware of the dangers of upsetting you, but even if we agree here, we will surely flee once we reach a place where we can escape. However, betrayal is the vilest act imaginable. Then, we should refuse here, since what awaits us is a death that will not be so agonizing.”
“What…”
The Sorcerer King was probably a little baffled by this staunch refusal. However, Neia keenly understood what Dyel was thinking. That was because until she had met the Sorcerer King, Neia had felt that the undead were the enemy of all that lived.
“...No, but my domain is not a fearsome place, you see? There’s many demihumans who live there, you know?”
“You’re lying! It sounds like a lie! We, we won’t be tricked! You’re talking about demihuman undead, aren’t you?”
Dyel seemed to have gone half-mad, but he was just like how she had been in the past. Then, as one who had some experience in these matters, she ought to tell him about the true face of the Sorcerous Kingdom.
“His Majesty is telling the truth. He is a great man who, while being undead, also possesses a heart filled with compassion for all living things. He loves children, he rules demihumans fairly, and he receives the respect of his subordinates. As proof of that, they have even built enormous statues of him which astound all who see them—”
“—Ms. Baraja! Really, that, that’s enough…”
“But, Your Majesty!”
“Please… say no more…”
Since he had said “please,” she had no choice but to keep quiet.
“Human, have you been brainwashed!?”
“I have not. I have seen His Majesty’s kingdom with my own eyes. The first demihuman I saw was a Naga.”
There was a commotion as the demihumans looked at each other. There were voices asking, “What’s a Naga?” but they were ignored.
“Also, I saw a rabbit-like demihuman. I am not a citizen of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Therefore, my time there was short. Even so, it was enough for me to understand what was going on. The people living there did not have pained and frightened looks on their faces like you do. And of course, none of them were covered in cuts and bruises like you.”
The demihumans looked down at their stick-thin bodies. Their muscles had shrivelled up, and they were little more than skin and bone.
“It is as she — as Ms. Baraja says. That said, you will probably not believe me. However, once you become my vassals, I will never allow you to suffer such cruelty again. I can swear that to you upon my name, Ainz Ooal Gown. The reason for that is because all that I rule belongs to me. Should it be damaged, it is the same as damaging my property. Therefore, you may be at ease. If you do not wish to accept my rule, I will not force you to do so. Live as you please. In any case, I shall prepare to send you back to your homes.”
“...Why are you being so kind to us?”
This was the first time Dyel had cast aside his preconceived notions. Neia could feel him looking at the Sorcerer King himself.
“Fufu… I wish to defeat Jaldabaoth. Therefore, the demihumans under him are quite troublesome. Having you go back to your villages is also a way of eroding his power.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unlike Jaldabaoth, I am a merciful king. If you spread the word for me, that will surely cause unrest throughout his forces, and there might even be those who decide to turn coat and support us, don’t you think?”
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
It was difficult for people to put their faith in benefits offered to them with no strings attached, but a mutually beneficial transaction was more trustworthy. It would seem the same logic applied to demihumans.
“However, don’t you think that’ll be difficult? Many of Jaldabaoth’s vassals are bloodthirsty maniacs. Even if we spread the word in our villages, it would not have much effect.”
“That’s fine too. I intend to use everything I can use. And if Jaldabaoth carries out a reign of terror, there might be demihumans who will betray him too. Mm, speaking of which, will you not help me fight Jaldabaoth?”