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"Onii-sama, and Marquis Raeven,"
At Re
This was the second time Ainz had met these two men. The first time was not long ago, when they had entered the capital. They had changed the terms of the quest he had been hired for. Instead of the Eight Fingers, he would be fighting against Jaldabaoth, and he would be working together with the gathered adventurers of the capital.
After the simple greeting, Ainz and the others were about to step outside because the princess wanted to address the two nobles. Most of the details of the battle plan had already been decided. Searching for Sebas had been abandoned due to a lack of time and manpower. All that was left was to wait for on-site orders.
"Then, everyone, I beseech all the gods to allow everyone here to come back alive and victorious... our hopes rest on all of you, or rather, on Momon-san. May fortune favor you."
After listening to Re
The moment Climb left the room, Re
"We overheard the details in the secret room..."
That room was designed for eavesdropping, and the two of them had been listening from in there.
"There's one question you didn't answer. Why did you have to form the guards up into a battle line. Are they sacrifices?"
Guards were very weak. Even the lowliest of adventurers was more than a match for them. If they were attacked, the only reasonable response for them was to be massacred.
"Bait."
That word was what they had expected.
"The adventurers said so too; Jaldabaoth's army of low-ranked demons ca
It was almost impossible to settle things with fancy words and high-sounding ideals in this world. Everything one did had a price. Nobody understood that more clearly than the ones in power, whose responsibility was to limit the necessary sacrifices as much as possible.
From that point of view, Re
However, humans were creatures of emotion, and the emotion they would feel when hearing of this plan was revulsion.
"Surely there must be a better way? Some way that doesn't involve sacrificing all the guards?"
"If there were, surely Prince Zanack would have mentioned one by now, no?"
Zanack fell silent.
It was true, he did not have a better plan than Re
Raeven shifted his gaze from the prince when he quieted himself, and then he voiced his own objections.
"Then, permit me to seek clarification. Why give Climb such a dangerous task?"
"For the same reason why Onii-sama and Marquis Raeven's men are patrolling the city."
Zanack had been making his rounds in the capital, putting on the act of the prince who cared for his people. After that, he had also begun spreading the rumors that the crown prince had been hiding in the safety of the royal castle. This would make himself look good and diminish his brother— who was his rival.
Did that mean Re
But then, when one thought about how Re
Sensing his doubt, Re
"Of course, Climb has a chance of dying. In that event, Lakyus will use a resurrection spell on him. It won't be cheap, of course, but an expense like these won't be a problem. And after he's been resurrected, Climb will be weakened from a loss of life energy. During that time, I will take care of him. I'm sure nobody will object to me caring for a person who died and was resurrected for following my orders."
"I see. That is certainly reasonable. You plan to deepen his affection for you."
"—is there a chance Lakyus might die as well?"
"That is a valid concern," Re
"It seems everything is within your calculations, little sister."
Yes, his radiant, laughing sister. Zanack trembled in his boots.
Beside him, Raeven also fought to suppress the chill that ran down his spine.
Chapter 11. The Final Battle of the Disturbance
Translator: Nigel
Editors/Proofreaders: Ferro, TaintedDream, Namorax, Skythewood, SifaV6,
JcqC, ZackTan
Part 1
Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 5th Day, 02:30
The flickering flames of the barrier had no heat at all, making it seem like an illusion. The adventurers standing at the front exchanged glances with their parties, and then they gathered their courage and plunged boldly through the firewall.
Even though the supporting priests from the temples had already cast spells of fire protection on them, they still held their breath, for fear that their lungs would be burned
...even though they already said the flames wouldn't cause any physical harm.
That thought ran through Lakyus' head as she watched the wall of fire from the rear of the formation.
Still, it was too soon to celebrate the fact that the flames were harmless. If they were not meant to cause injury, then there must have been another reason for Jaldabaoth to conjure them. That was what she had to puzzle out.
If I can't figure it out, there's no point wasting energy on it. Who was it who said that I should be using my head for better things... Evileye, or Uncle?