2
Suzuki Satoru and Keno rode their covered wagon onward.
This was not the covered wagon they had “bought” from Keno’s homeland of Inveria, but something that they had purchased around a year ago. Incidentally, this was the fourth such carriage; the first had been destroyed, the second had been burned in an attack, and the third had been abandoned.
The two people on the driver’s seat — Suzuki Satoru with reins in hand, and Keno beside him with a magical tome on her lap — chatted about nothing in particular as usual while they made their way over the quiet plains.
Keno’s hair, which descended to her slender, porcelain neck, swayed in the wind.
While she had asked Suzuki Satoru to cut it for her, he felt that it would be better for her to wear a hood. That was because he was unsure if the smell of dirt and dust in the air would infuse itself into her hair.
However, he would not actually say that out loud.
Keno was at a difficult age now.
If Suzuki Satoru had brought it up, she would go “Hmph~” and puff up her cheeks. Keno’s mood improved when he did not treat her like a child, so Satoru too had tried not to talk like that.
She had been alone for 40 years, and the two of them had been together for five more. Her mindset should have grown more during the latter part of that.
However, she did not seem to have grown at all.
He worked the reins, which slapped against the horse’s rump.
There was no meaning to that action. The horse pulling the wagon was the same Golem that had pulled their wagon back then. But it was all part of the act.
The two of them had done a lot of acting during their journey.
It was true that both of them were undead and they had a Golem Horse. None of them needed to sleep and they could all see in the dark. However, they still set up tents at night to avoid suspicion. Of course, they did not need to sleep, so the two of them typically talked in their tents until daybreak.
While Keno’s actual age exceeded Suzuki Satoru’s, she did not have much life experience since she had never left the city. She was a ten-year-old heiress who had never left her hometown. This meant that she rapidly ran out of things to talk about and could only fall back to her knowledge of what she had learned.
On the other hand, Suzuki Satoru’s stories were very well-received by Keno. Not his stories of the real world where Suzuki Satoru lived — a world shrouded in a thick layer of clouds — but tales of Yggdrasil.
To a girl who lived in a world of swords and sorcery, Suzuki Satoru’s adventures in Yggdrasil were what made her eyes glow in excitement.
At first, there were quite a few things which made Keno frown. They seemed too far-fetched and ridiculous for her. But Suzuki Satoru had proof. While it was not a complete record, Suzuki Satoru’s photo albums contained pictures of the things he spoke about.
Keno, who did not know what photos were, seemed to regard them as exquisite portraits. But after seeing a photo — of Satoru and herself — she accepted that they were faithful depictions of the landscape.
Things were simple after that.
They proved that the adventures which filled Keno with dread were events which Suzuki Satoru had experienced. In other words, the adventures of the great magic caster Suzuki Satoru were true.
The admiration in Keno’s eyes soon turned into shining respect, which Suzuki Satoru saw. It greatly improved his mood and he began to speak effusively. Before long, Keno knew the adventures of Ainz Ooal Gown like the back of her hand.
That was how they had spent their five years.
And today, the same story ended as the wagon swayed.
“And so everyone from Ainz Ooal Gown gave rise to another legend. You’re amazing, Satoru.”
“Fufu, it’s nothing that great, Keno. With members like that, accomplishing that much was child’s play. Here’s a photo of that time.”
Suzuki Satoru let go of the reins and gave verbal orders to the Golem Horse.
He used his empty hands to take out his photo album and flipped through it, muttering, “Where is it?” as he did. He found a picture of them after they had defeated the Fire Giant Lord Surtr and showed it to her.
“Wow!” Keno exclaimed in delight. “You’re amazing… I can’t believe you managed to defeat such a mighty giant… Mm, no. It was possible because of everyone in Ainz Ooal Gown. After all, who else could defeat a Giant Lord who wielded such a powerful flaming staff?”
“Yes… that might be true.”
After taking back and putting the picture away, he recalled the many times they had beaten Surtr.
It had not been terribly difficult because his elemental resistances were supremely monofocused, but Suzuki Satoru did not want to say so and shatter the girl’s dreams, thus disappointing her. Therefore, Suzuki Satoru simply smiled.
“Precisely! You and your friends were amazing, Satoru!” His spirits raised, Suzuki Satoru went along with Keno’s excitement.
“Really now! I guess so! The way everyone managed to avoid death and hang on after he threw away his sword and took out Lævateinn[1] was very well done.”
“Yup! Everyone was amazing! They won because of you, Satoru!”
“You think so? Hahaha!”
Suzuki Satoru laughed, in a very good mood.
“Did you and your friends really repeat all those amazing adventures, Satoru?”
“Indeed we did. And then we’re going on a great adventure on ourselves too, aren’t we?” Keno smiled bitterly.
“Really? But it doesn’t feel like a fancy adventure or anything.”
“Doesn’t it all depend on how you look at it? It’s been five years since we set out from your country. Haven’t we been to many countries and seen many mysteries? Fighting isn’t everything, you know.” Enjoying the unknown.
Heading out on a trip and using your own eyes to see the world — was that not the true adventure Yggdrasil sought? Now, he could kind of understand how the World Searchers felt.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with fighting beside your friends and playing the game. But Suzuki Satoru was confident in saying that his journey
1. A weapon crafted by Loki. According to different interpretations of Norse mythos, Lævateinn could be either a throwing spear, a sword, or a wand.
with Keno was the journey the two of them ought to have gone on.
“I — suppose. That Seven-Scorched Plain and Clear Lake were both pretty amazing.”
“Personally, the Seven-Scorched Plain was kind of gross for me, but the Clear
Lake was very beautiful. It looked just like glass.”
“Yup. It’s amazing!”
The two of them continued reminiscing about that beautiful sight as they continued onward.
“If only I could see those sights again.”
“We can go again if we’ve got nothing on. After all, our lifespans are unlimited.”
“That’s true,” Keno replied.
“And also… you’ve become stronger than before, Keno. Want to try taking on a powerful enemy?”
Travel and battle were inextricably linked. It was not a matter of security; when one went to less populated regions, monsters that regarded one as prey would show up, and there was the chance of meeting strong foes when visiting scenic spots. That said, Suzuki Satoru had only encountered one opponent that he would consider strong. However, there were countless foes who would have killed Keno instantly had she been alone.
Suzuki Satoru was in charge of violence while Keno would handle the brainwork, but it was still important for Keno to be tough enough to take a hit from a powerful being.
“Just, just count me out… ah! I know you’re thinking about me, Satoru, and I’m glad! And you’ve also lent me several amazing items! But what do you call it? Ah, grinding, that doesn’t seem to work, does it? I mean, I don’t really like taking a stick and beating a dying Dragon with all its limbs chopped off over and over again… I’m not talking about your plan, but more like how you kept ignoring its pleas for mercy, er, yeah, that’s kind of heart-wrenching — no, it’s not like that. Of course I know you don’t like that sort of thing either, and you’re only doing it because of me. And I don’t want to get the pretty clothes you lent me dirty.
I’m just thinking that maybe there could be another way next time.”
Keno managed to squeeze all those words out with unnecessary haste.
It would seem she did not like the incident where she was training on the Dragon. Well, having a girl do that sort of thing was a little inhumane, Suzuki Satoru regretted. Maybe I should find an opponent she won’t mind abusing next time.
Thieves and others who were unworthy of mercy should probably be left for a later date because they could speak. Maybe some creature who could not speak or an object might be better. Suzuki Satoru then began to consider various monsters. Personally speaking, giant insects and the like seemed like good candidates.
“I’ve got it, Keno. Next time I’ll plan it out better when we go grinding.”
He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Keno responded with an expression that was hard to describe in words. It was a precious look that he could only see once a year. No, when they had first set out, he felt like he had seen it more often than that, but he was not so sure about the events of five years ago.
“Umu. That said, I don’t know how your karma value has changed. However, since mine is negative, I’m hoping that yours will become positive to compensate. That being the case, it would be best to slaughter opponents with negative karma values.”
“Ah, eh? No, that, er… Satoru, let’s talk about that later. Look, you can see the city already. It really does stand out.”
“Ahhh, so it does.”
Suzuki Satoru could see a city ahead of him. He had heard about it through rumors, but it was quite a large walled city. “Large” in this case did not refer to its scale, but in a literal sense; the physical buildings and city walls were very large. Of particular note was the massive rocks to either side of the gates. They were roughly 150 meters tall or so. The rocks that were placed on either side of it had become part of the city wall.
The city walls had not been built because they had been located next to those rocks. Rather, the Giants who lived nearby had delivered them from their homes as a sign of friendship. After that, thanks to the friendly relations with those giants, every part of the city — like say, the buildings, the urban layout, and so on — were sized so that the giants would not have to undergo discomfort, or at least that was what Suzuki Satoru had heard.
How many Giants had it taken to ship it over, and how had they done it?
As Suzuki Satoru considered the matter with growing interest, he indicated to the hooded Keno that she should change the rings she was wearing.
As a Vampire, Keno suffered a penalty to all actions under sunlight. However, she had managed to negate that by wearing an anti-sunlight ring. The indication was for her to change it to something else. Even wearing a hood would not negate the penalty and she would still feel tired, but things would be troublesome if she could not endure just that tiny bit.
He had lent four rings to Keno: a “ring of reducing sunlight exposure penalties,” a “ring of proof against undead control and banishment” so even Suzuki Satoru could not dominate her, a “ring of proof against divination magic,” and a “ring of immunity to bindings and other movement impediments.” He would give her others depending on the circumstances.
This time around, she would be putting on the “ring of proof against undead control and banishment,” and the “ring of proof against divination magic,” both of which were very important when entering cities.
In contrast, Suzuki Satoru made no attempt to hide his bony visage. After all, one could say that he had been training to enter cities with his face exposed during his five years of travelling. Also, he had been told that it would be better to show his true face when trying to enter cities. If he was forthright and did not try to hide himself, it would be easier to bluff his way through.
He had tried using illusions to camouflage himself before, but after an unhappy accident he no longer relied on them.
“Speaking of which, Satoru.”
“Hm?”
“Why are we coming back this way?”
Keno’s homeland was only a little further beyond this place. Satoru had not brought her here during the past five years.
“Hm? We’ve been all over the world, but we haven’t come here, have we? Wouldn’t it be good to climb those mountains we can barely make out in the distance?”
“I see.”
It would seem that Keno did not quite believe that explanation, given her tone. Suzuki Satoru could tell given that they had spent five years travelling together. However, he had no intention of telling Keno the reason for coming to this city.
The Golem Horse-drawn wagon carried the two of them to the main gate without slowing down. Perhaps they had good timing, but there was nobody there except Suzuki Satoru and company.
The gate guards were assembled, and there was danger in the air. Everyone had their spears ready. He glanced to the walls and saw the archers assembled there. Needless to say, they were all wary of Suzuki Satoru.
“Halt!”
A stern voice called out to them. It seemed to belong to some sort of guard captain. Suzuki Satoru nonchalantly ignored it and replied in a bright, cheerful tone.
“Yo, nice weather we’re having.”
Confusion immediately spread throughout the guards, but they soon resumed their stern demeanor.
“What are you doing here, undead?!”
“The undead? Where?”
Suzuki Satoru looked around, as though on purpose.
“What nonsense are you—”
“—Could it be that you’ve mistaken me for one of the undead?!” He interrupted the soldiers’ cries and shouted back at them.
“I’m not undead! I’m Satoru the Oldbone!”
“Old… bone?”
The soldiers looked at each other and then they shook their heads. He could hear them asking each other, “Have you heard of them before?” “As if, this is the first time I’ve heard this.”
“Don’t you think it’s very rude to mistake one of the glorious Oldbones for an undead creature? It is a grave insult to our nation!”
The gate guards looked at each other again. The Captain — that would be his name for now — replied in a very confused tone. However, he showed no sign of lowering his weapon. Still, that was only to be expected.
“You mean, you’re not undead?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m Satoru, of the glorious Oldbones!”
“No, ah, my apologies. Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of the name Oldbone before.”
“What?! You don’t even know of the great and mighty Oldbones? What kind of hick town is this anyway…”
The proud gate guards naturally took offense to being dismissed as hicks. While they were unhappy with this, it would seem they had eased off greatly in their caution.
There were many races in this world. Humanoids aside, there were also many demi-humans and heteromorphs with bizarre appearances. Discriminating against members of those races might incur the ire of their nations. If that led to a war, it might result in the extinction of one party. In fact, several countries had been destroyed that way.
For that reason, gate guards had been asked to respond appropriately to the situation. The more species that a nation made contact with, the more intensively that nation’s guards would be trained.
In other words, they would not act rashly if they thought he was not undead but part of the Oldbone race.
After that, taking advantage of their confusion and seizing control of the situation would be key.
“It seems I need to let you ignorant hicks know of the greatness of us Oldbones. Like I said before, I am Satoru, hailing from Greatokyo, the great capital of the Oldbones. I have come here… to find something of value, although
I don’t think there’s anything great here which will catch my eye.”
“….Are you a trader?”
“Indeed I am. That said, I won’t buy anything if nothing catches my eye.”
“We need to check your luggage first, but before that, we really need to, uh… what’s that… ah… check you out. You understand, right? If you do, then… please wait there. I’ll go get the priest.”
The Captain’s tone gradually segued into one giving in to Suzuki Satoru.
“I understand. While I was wondering exactly what kind of primitives you were to mistake the Oldbones for the undead, we are very magnanimous.”
“And that girl over there is?”
“She is my companion, and also an Oldbone.”
“Hah?”
The Captain looked at Keno in shock, and then began comparing her to Satoru. He could be heard muttering questions like, “He says she’s an Oldbone?” and, “They’re completely different, right?”
“Very similar, no?”
“…Ah, um.”
The Captain was looking down in what seemed to be embarrassment.
Soon, Suzuki Satoru could see a soldier bringing a priest over. He was a fat man who looked like just running a little bit would put him out of breath.
After he arrived, the priest wiped his sweat away with a handkerchief and panted heavily, like he was struggling for breath.
The Captain said, “Excuse me,” and went over to the priest.
“Priest-dono, thank you for taking the trouble to come all the way out here.”
“What are you saying, Captain-dono? This is our duty. That said, I hope you won’t rush me so much next time. I don’t want to be dragged before the throne of the gods before I arrive here.”
The priest’s breaths were like sobs as he replied.
The two of them had done their best to quiet themselves, and they were some distance away, but Suzuki Satoru could still hear them.
“Still, aren’t there horses at the temple?”
“What are you saying Captain-dono? Wouldn’t you feel sorry for any horse I rode?”
“Priest-dono… it might be better for you to learn to ride.”
“It’ll hurt my butt and thighs, so I’ll pass, if you don’t mind!” the priest said as he ignored the Captain’s reply of, “But you have healing magic,” and stared at
Suzuki Satoru. “Very well, I shall do what I was called here to do. [Turn Unde—”
“No, those people claim to be Oldbones. They don’t seem to be undead.”
“Hah? Oldbones? …But they look like undead to me.”
“Are they? However, things will get really troublesome if they really aren’t undead…”
“Hm — alright. After all, it would be bad if I chased away people who might donate to our temple, and who knows how the higher-ups will censure me. If I ended up becoming a village priest then — ahem!”
“No, that’s not the problem, Priest-dono.”
“No, that is the problem, Captain-dono. This place lies within the Marquis’ domain. Even if he’s given us some degree of autonomy, we will still suffer if we act on our own, without regard for the nation’s interests. Moreover, the incident will blow up if we offend someone who happens to be a high-ranking member of another race. Captain-dono, I trust you don’t want your name to go down in history as the fool who started a war that led to the destruction of the nation, do you? I, of course, will pass on that. In addition, should such a thing come to pass, it would also cause all sorts of trouble for everyone else too!”
“…So you do get it. Therefore, could I trouble you to check whether or not they actually are undead?”
“It’s very troublesome, so can’t you just let them go? Have some soldier keep an eye on them while pretending to be an escort or something.”
The two of them exchanged looks, and in the end, the priest rounded his shoulders in defeat.
“Fine, fine, I get it.”
As the priest grumbled about having to cast a spell for free, he walked up to Suzuki Satoru and then greeted him with a cheery smile.
“Greetings, honored Oldbone guests. I am a servant of the temple in this city. While I believe your words, I need to cast a spell in order to allay the doubts of others. I pray you do not resist it.”
The fact that he had not even stated his name showed exactly how desperate he was to avoid trouble. One could say it was exactly as Suzuki Satoru had planned.
“I understand. Please proceed, priest-dono.”
“[Detect Undead] — I see. Indeed, he is not undead, Captain-dono, being that there was no reaction to it. Also — yeeart!”
The priest raised his hand. Suzuki felt a strange force pushing on him. It was probably some kind of undead-destroying ability. However, it was completely ineffective on Suzuki Satoru and Keno. While the difference in their levels was part of it, the main reason was thanks to their magic items.
“As I thought, there was no reaction. This man is not an undead creature.”
“Really?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I am Satoru of the Oldbones. Treating me as undead is quite frustrating.”
He saw the guards around him lower their spears. They still surrounded him, but there was no longer any tension in the air.
“This means I’ve discharged my duty, right? Ahh, where would you find such a calm and friendly undead being? I was already thinking that he couldn’t possibly be undead before coming here,” the priest said as he glanced at all the guards. “And yet you still called me here. I can only think of this as you trying to abuse me!”
The priest ended in a joking tone. The Captain looked at his men and replied in a similarly light-hearted fashion.
“Well done on making the Priest-dono run down here! I’ve always felt that there was a problem with his size. Continue taking the chance to make him run like this in the future!”
The Captain and the priest had a good laugh. It was the kind of laugh that sounded like they were grinding their teeth, like they were actually thinking of something else.
The two of them stopped, as though they had both had enough of laughing. The priest turned his back on Suzuki Satoru and headed to the town, while the Captain stood before Suzuki Satoru once more.
“Forgive me, Satoru-dono, Oldbone merchant. Now then — please allow us
to inspect your luggage.”
“By all means. However, I have almost none, as I came to make purchases.”
Suzuki Satoru and Keno dismounted, and in turn a group of people who looked slightly different from the gate guards but who were all business got onto the wagon. They were assessors, in charge of checking luggage and levying tolls.
90% of the wagon’s contents was grain — though it made up 90% by volume, it was only a tenth of the wagon’s loaded weight. Even if one went by volume, the tax on this quantity of grain would be very light.
Suzuki Satoru and Keno underwent a brief body search, to ensure they were not carrying contraband. Just then, the employees who were searching the wagon came back. One of them was holding a small chest.
“Could you open the lock on this treasure chest?”
“Certainly.”
Suzuki Satoru opened it and the gleaming of gold spilled forth. The box contained 500 pieces of gold trade currency. There was also a leather bag inside with quite a number of gemstones. This was a large sum of money, but it was an unremarkable amount for something in the possession of a trader from afar.
The employee rolled up his sleeve and reached his arm in to check the chest’s interior.
“—There’s nothing inside. And there are no hidden compartments in the wagon. The only thing is that the horse is not a living creature.”
“It is a Golem Horse.”
“…Can the Oldbones really control such things?”
“Of course. They are Golem Horses who do not need to eat, drink, or excrete. They do not quail before frightening monsters. Does that not make them perfect for transportation? …The fact that you don’t have these is why you’re hicks.”
Suzuki Satoru went on to make digs at them, as though he wanted people to tell him to give it a rest. This too was part of the act, and he internally apologized to them.
After the employees heard this, they gathered around for a discussion. They were probably talking about how much to tax the Golem Horse, since there was no precedent for it. After a brief talk, they decided to tax it the same as any other horse and discuss the rest with the Marquis later.
After paying the toll for Suzuki Satoru, Keno, a horse, and the grain, they received a permit to enter the city.
The Captain addressed Suzuki Satoru as he took up the reins and prepared to urge his horse on.
“Er, yes. I have to say this. Trader of the Oldbones… I’ll get to it. It would be better not to reveal your face in this town.”
“And why would that be… Ahh, is it because you think people will mistake me for the undead? That they will confuse me with the—”
“Ahhh, I get it, I get it.”
The Captain waved off Suzuki Satoru as the latter was raising his voice, in an extremely annoyed way.
“…A case of mistaken identity would be very bad. That said… while it’s very natural for us to hate the undead, it seems your reaction is a little excessive, did something happen?”
“Ahhh, indeed it did. However, that was over 20 years ago. A great deal of undead once invaded this nation, and it was known as the Undead Disaster. That incident caused a great deal of damage, and while this city was not directly affected by it, we still have people who lost family and friends here. — Do you understand?”
“The Undead Disaster, you say?”
It seemed to be related to the incident in Keno’s country that had turned its people into Zombies.
That incident had not just taken place in Keno’s country. The Zombification had affected everything within 250 kilometers. The conclusion that Suzuki Satoru had drawn over years of investigation was that it had led to the downfalls of four nations.
However, this country was far away from there, and there was another country in between them. Also, the Zombies of that city were simply wandering around. Why had they overflowed to this country?
Perhaps it was too early to jump to conclusions.
“And that’s not all. If you head northwest from here and to the next country over, you’ll be able to see the same or more undead. It seems there were too many of them to deal with.”
It was in the opposite direction where Suzuki Satoru and Keno had come from, in the direction of Keno’s country.
“Hm—” Suzuki Satoru asked a roundabout question. “I feel there must be some reason why all those undead beings appeared. Was there some kind of great war? It’s common for corpses left on the battlefield to start moving.” The Captain shook his head.
“I’m not sure about that. All I know is that the undead suddenly appeared. There are rumors saying that it was caused by some spell going out of control… although they’re just rumors. I hear the neighboring countries have deployed their troops along the border to defend against undead attacks.”
Suzuki Satoru did not think as he replied. This country’s leadership was still fairly intelligent, in that they had not taken this opportunity to invade their neighbors who were holding off the undead for them. No, the undead were their common enemy, so it was likely that they would have sent their own forces to back them up.
“In any case, that’s why we’re so cautious of the undead. So I hope you won’t do anything to make others misunderstand you.”
“Very well… ah, my apologies,” Suzuki Satoru coughed lightly. “I understand what you mean. Then, I shall cover up my face with a mask… but could you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“If there is a high-end inn that you would recommend, could I trouble you to send a man over to help me run an errand? Tell them that a trader of the Oldbones will be coming over to lodge with them. That will save a lot of problems. After all, most inns don’t take suspicious guests in masks.”
The Captain’s face knotted briefly. He probably did not want to have gate guards serve as runners for a mere merchant.
“If you help me out, it’ll improve the opinion of us Oldbones about this city, you know.”
“…Ah, very well then. It can’t be helped. I’ll give it as an apology for mistaking you for one of the undead. Oi!” he shouted to a nearby guard. “You, go over to the Canopy Inn.”
Upon receiving his orders, the soldier ran out.
After hearing the Captain tell him how to go to the inn, Suzuki Satoru produced a leather pouch and handed a gold coin to the Captain.
“I am very grateful. Go buy some drinks for your boys.”
“I see. You Oldbones sure are different from the undead. Take care, little mi
— I mean, Madame.”
“Thank you.”
Keno — who had been silent all this while — nodded to him, and the wagon passed through the city gates.
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