Chapter 14

Cocytus immediately brought the snow-white lizardman into the room. She kneeled and bowed her head before Ainz.

"Let's hear your name."

"Most supreme of the great, King of Death, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown, I am the representative of the lizardmen, Crusch Lulu."

What an exaggerated title. Who came up with that? Ainz wondered, acting the composed king.

"… Good of you to come."

"My lord. Please accept the lizardmen's absolute loyalty."

"Hmm." Ainz took a good look at Crusch. Her scales were beautiful, sparkling stunningly in the magic of [Continual light]. Ainz was seized by a bit of intellectual curiosity regarding how they'd feel if he touched them.

As he gazed at her, he noticed her shoulders were trembling slightly. He didn't think Cocytus's chill skill was activated, so there had to be some other reason. After mulling it over, he arrived at the obvious answer.

If Ainz said he didn't care for them, all the lizardmen would be killed, so she had to pay careful attention to her each and every word. Under that mental stress, his silence must have been terrifying for her.

Ainz wasn't the sort to derive pleasure from tormenting the weak. He could be incredibly brutal if it profited Nazarick, but his mind wasn't so twisted that he would act that way all the time. Unlike Demiurge and many others who'd gladly torture everyone outside of the Great Tomb.

"From now on, you lizardmen will be under my rule. That said, Cocytus will govern you as my proxy. Any objections?"

"No."

"Very well, then, that will be all. You may go home."

"What? Are you sure, lord?" Crusch exclaimed with her head still bowed. It was an appropriately stunned response considering what unreasonable, impossible demands she had expected him to make.

"For now. Crusch Lulu, you lizardmen are heading into a period of prosperity. Future lizardmen will surely be grateful to be under my rule."

"No, you've shown us such mercy despite our hostility toward your greatness, Lord Gown. We are already grateful."

Ainz slowly stood up from his throne. Then he went next to Crusch, bent down a little and put an arm around her shoulder. Crusch flinched, and her trembling passed into Ainz's arm.

"But there's also something I want to ask especially of you."

"What might that be? I, your devoted servant, will do anything in my power for you, Lord Gown…"

"I want to ask you a personal favor. In exchange, I'll resurrect the three lizardmen who performed the best against Cocytus. Zenbel, Shasuryu and… Zaryusu."

At the mention of the last name, her head shot up. Her expression was twisted in shock. Feeling triumphant, Ainz continued to observe her. She was probably trying to hide the flurry of changes whirling through her expression. He couldn't tell exactly what emotions they were, since the movements were so different from humans', but they probably ran the gamut.

"You can do that…?"

"Yes, I can manipulate even life and death. Death is just a status of matter for me," he responded to her faint query.

"…Then what do you wish of me as your faithful slave? …Perhaps my body?"

Ainz was speechless. "No, I…don't think that's…" He nearly broke character and blurted, I mean, c'mon, a lizard? but he desperately clung to his persona. He decided to overlook the noise of grinding teeth coming from somewhere nearby.

"Ahem. No, that's not it. It's simple: I want you to keep an eye out for any lizardmen who might betray me."

"No lizardman would do such a thing," she declared, but Ainz sneered at her.

"I'm not foolish enough to actually believe that. I'm not an expert in lizardman thoughts, but for example, in the race of humans, betrayal wouldn't be a rare occurrence. That's why I want to have someone secretly watching from the inside."

From her now blank expression, Ainz fretted internally that he'd gone about proposing it in the wrong way. He was already planning on bringing those three back to life, but his plot was to create a debt of gratitude on her side by manipulating her feelings. What will I do if she refuses? Maybe I shouldn't have been so greedyWell, no use crying over spilled milk.

"…Right now, there is a miracle right in front of you, but it won't be there forever. If you don't seize this moment, it'll all be over."

Crusch's face twitched.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do some creepy ritual. You probably have it in this world, too, right? Resurrection magic, that's what I'll be using."

"Isn't that a legend…?"

She swallowed her words, and Ainz spoke acting his arrogant part.

"Crusch Lulu. What is most important to you? I want you to think about that."

Her gaze started to waver, and he flashed back to his days as a salesman, envisioning a client who was about to bite. Next he had to get her to understand that this miracle wasn't free. People were wary of free things, but they would often consent if a reasonable price was charged.

"Look, if you're right about lizardmen's loyalty, nothing bad will happen. If you're wrong and there are some who'll betray me, you're going to tell me and secretly observe them from the inside. You may have to make some difficult choices at times in that case. But if I ever suspect that you have not been faithful, I'll cast a spell on the three I'll resurrect and turn them all into zombies who'll rip you apart. I'm sure this will all be agonizing for you, but won't having them back be worth that?"

He stood up slowly with the attitude that he'd said everything he had to say. Then he spread his arms. Crusch watched him with eyes full of anguish.

"Oh, yes, after I revive them, I'll say that I brought them back to life because I had a use for them. I promise not to bring your name into it. Okay, Crusch Lulu, make your choice now. This is your last chance to bring back your best warriors. What will you do? Will you shake my hand? Or not? Choose." He slowly extended his hand to her. At the same time, he gave a strong warning to the guardians. "Don't do anything even if she refuses!"

Turning back at her, he asked: "So, what'll it be, Crusch Lulu?"


His entire body felt like it was being gently stroked. Someone's hands were pulling him up from deep underwater.

After what could have been an eternity or an instant, he had the feeling another hand, this one very familiar, was reaching out to him. He could now hear a voice right next to him. The voice of the female he loved…

And all at once he was pulled up, leaping into a white world.

The overall weakness was awful. His body felt full of sludge. He was abnormally exhausted. No matter how hard he'd trained, he'd never felt as awful as this. He fought to open his heavy eyelids.

Brilliant light poured into his eyes. Lizardman eyes automatically compensated for the amount of light, but they were still dazzled by sudden brightness. He blinked once and…

"Zaryusu!"

Someone hugged him tightly.

"C-Crusch?"

He should have never heard her voice again, but there it was. He looked at her hugging him with eyes that had finally adjusted. It really was the female he loved, Crusch Lulu.

Why? How in the world? Zaryusu was assaulted by endless doubts and worries. The last thing he remembered was…the moment his own head fell into the marsh. Cocytus had definitely killed him. So why am I alive? Could it be that?

"Crusch, did he kill you, too?" he asked, with a numb mouth that didn't move quite right.

In response came Crusch's puzzled face. "Huh?"

He was slightly relieved to see that expression. She wasn't dead, then. So why am I alive?

A hint at the answer came in the form of a voice from somewhere to the side. "Hmm. So you too have revived, but confused. And it seems like you lost some levels as well… I guess it's not much different from Yggdrasil, the process is just the same for lizardmen and humans, all life forms can be revived like this then."

Realizing whose voice it was, Zaryusu looked over in surprise.

Standing there was Ainz Ooal Gown, the impossibly powerful caster. He was holdin long wand that looked so sacred as to be out of place in his hand. It was an extremely beautiful object, made of what appeared to be a tusk with runes carved in the handle, its tip dipped in gold.

Zaryusu had no idea, but it was a Wand of Resurrection, the item that had brought him back to life. Usually only someone who could use priest magic was able to wield priest-magic items, but this one was an exception.

Zaryusu examined his surroundings and confirmed that they were in the same lizardman village from before. On his right was his older brother Shasuryu and on his left Zenbel. Both seemed just as confused as he was.

But even more surprisingly, the group was in the village square, with lots of prostrate lizardmen surrounding them. None of them moved a muscle, their worshipfulness so strangely intense.

What in the world?

It was logical to prostrate oneself after being shown that much power, but that wasn't all he felt from the lizardmen here. There was something else, something stronger. Lizardmen had no deities as the targets of their faith were their ancestral spirits, but what he sensed from them now was the worship of a god.

"Hmm. Be gone, lizardmen. Don't enter the village until someone tells you to."

No one objected to the order. On the contrary, they consented without a word. The shuffling and splashing in the marsh as they walked away were all they left as they cleared the square.

The display of power must have completely broken their spirit. Of course, it was lizardman custom to bow to the strong. In other words, things had gone according to their opponent's wishes.

"Aura, are they gone?"

"Yes, they all left."

The one who answered was a dark-elf girl. It might have been partially because she was standing behind Ainz and Zaryusu couldn't see her, but he hadn't even been able to sense her presence, it was surprisingly slight.

"Okay. Then allow me to congratulate you on your resurrection, Zenbel Gugu, Shasuryu Shasha and Zaryusu Shasha." It was harder to remember your strange names that to revive you guys!

Resurrection.

It took Zaryusu a little while to understand what that word meant. When it dawned on him, he was hit with a shiver. Resurrectionso I, we came back to life? He couldn't speak, only gasp.

"What's the matter? It's not like lizardmen harbor some hatred for resurrection, right? Or did you three forget how to talk?"

"R-resurrection… You can bring the dead…back to life…?" Asked Shasuryu.

"That's what I just said. But, really? You thought I couldn't do something so simple as that?"

Zaryusu seemed more interested than confused now. "Did you…hold a big ritual…?"

"A big ritual? Why would I need that? I can do it fine by myself."

He had nothing else to say. Resurrection magic was a complicated miracle performed by the one legendary lizardman with dragonlord blood in him.

But here was a being who said he could do it by himself. A monster? No. A caster with immense power? No. Zaryusu had figured it out completely. Leading a mythical army, attended by demons.

In other words, the being before him could be nothing but a god. And if death was just nothing to him…

Zaryusu sat up, wobbling, and prostrated himself before Ainz. Crusch hurriedly bowed in the same way and the other two followed after.

"God of Death." The being looking down at him seemed confused for a moment, but Zaryusu judged that to be just his imagination. "I devote myself to you."

"Good. I'll make you a promise on my honor as Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Please allow the lizardmen to flourish."

"That's all what you want? I promise anyone under my rule will flourish."

"I thank you."

"Well, your mouth still isn't working quite right, is it? If you rest a bit, you'll get back up to speed. Rest for now. Later there are a lot of things we have to decide. First, we need to make sure this village, now under my rule, has proper security… Well, you three will discuss it all with Cocytus. See you soon."

Ainz walked off, robe flapping, as if to say the conversation was over. As the pair retreated, Zaryusu heard Aura's fading voice say, "That hydra's pretty cute, huh?"

Rororo, approaching and staring right at him, did not seem to notice the compliment.

He finally broke his submissive posture and relaxed while his hydra gently hugged him with its four heads.

"I survived… Or I guess I came back to life?"

He didn't know what kind of rule they were in for, but if they could prove themselves useful, he figured it couldn't be that bad.

Breaking free from the affectionate entanglement, he said: "Crusch, my love…"

"It's okay. Don't worry about a thing. Right now you need to rest and get back on your feet. Don't worry, I can carry you."

"Okay…thanks."

Zaryusu crumpled to one side and closed his eyes. The moment his lids fell, he was hit by a wave of sleep, like the deep sleep that awaited him after a day of straining his body beyond its limit.

Sensing the gentle arms around him, Zaryusu sank back into darkness.