Chapter 22: The Guardian of Humanity (13)
"If they turned into undead, then that's the end of it. I've never heard of an undead returning to being human, nor have I seen it."
[Is that so?]
Kaiser was certain that Ainz — Momon on the other end of the comms — wasn't asking about some rare case of an undead who somehow retained their humanity and died peacefully like a normal person. It sounded like a teammate from one of his old parties had been killed and turned into an undead. Whoever it was, Kaiser sighed. Not only had they died tragically, they were now restless undead — the cruellest fate, he thought.
A faint casualness crept into Ainz's voice. It felt, in a small way, like displeasure. Kaiser wondered whether that might be because Ainz had some attachment—he hoped so—but it could also be something else that just made Ainz annoyed. Still, that detail didn't matter much right now.
"Shall I help? I can be there immediately if you want."
[No, it's fine. These things are best learned by confronting them directly. Dealing with whoever caused this will also enhance my reputation.]
"Revenge, then?"
[Ainz: Kaiser, I am not pretending in front of you. Becoming undead didn't make me sentimental, as you might expect. So I have no intention of moralizing about their deaths. I may also commit similarly ruthless acts, depending on circumstances. Would you call that unjust?]
"Is that something I should take to heart? I might judge such an act as hostility."
Ainz made a soft hum and a slight mocking sound. Kaiser felt a little amused at his own words — if that level of hostility really existed, he wouldn't have bothered to reach out in the first place. Even when he first met the people of Carne Village, if the villagers had all died, Kaiser would have fought. Still, he chose not to fight Ainz because peaceful resolution, if possible, was best.
[Ainz: I, too, prefer to avoid conflict with you. Honestly, this may be the first time I take a life with my own hands since arriving. Whether you consider this betrayal depends on your stance — I wanted to test that line.]
"Though I am called the guardian of humanity, I am primarily the guardian of humanity as a species. In war and other conflicts, there have been times I had to kill humans — as the worst-case necessity."
He could say now that such things pained him, but back then Kaiser would have had no hesitation. He had simply done what the guardian must do. From the perspective of someone who experienced war, wars are foolish things — yet people living now don't see it that way. Desires are too strong; even legends can't restrain them. He couldn't police every human urge.
"Your opponent is clearly an evil person, and you go on a mission under the name of revenge. As a human being rather than merely the guardian of humanity, I support you."
[Ainz: Is that so? Then it's settled. But as I said before, I'm not going purely for revenge. As I said, I act on my whims.]
Kaiser smiled inwardly.
If Ainz were fully human, things wouldn't need to be so formal. Kaiser felt the two of them were temperamentally compatible — sadly, they were forced into mutual caution that prevented a more normal relationship.
[Ainz: By the way, you're quite famous. No one doesn't know the name Kaiser.]
"That may be. I suppose what I did to protect was regarded by them as heroic. I did what I believed necessary."
[Ainz: Those are worthy deeds. Sacrificing everything to protect others is admirable. Even if you weren't so powerful, I like you as a person. I truly prefer not to be your enemy. But you must understand my top priority is Nazarick.]
"Please understand mine as well. Just as you invested time and affection into Nazarick, my highest priority is protecting humanity. Let's be clear on that."
[Ainz: Agreed. But you seem to permit killings that inevitably happen — have I misunderstood?]
"No, that's not wrong. I can't forbid someone from killing to survive, and if someone presents a clear evil threat or if it's a commissioned job, I can't stop it. Unfortunately, what I guard is not the individual but the human race."
That was not to say he would tolerate indiscriminate slaughter.
"Ainz, you know as well as I do that most Nazarick members hold humans in low regard. They think of them as subhuman — trash, insects. Even viewing them as animals would be kinder."
[Ainz: ...…I won't deny that. I'll see to it that they take more care.]
"While I cannot dictate someone's personal inclinations, you… forgive me, but if you let Nazarick's members kill in the name of survival, then—"
Kaiser's voice dropped, growing cold.
"—then there must be those who may, for survival's sake, kill Nazarick members."
[···]
Thus was the agreement between Kaiser and Ainz.
If a Nazarick member ever appears and becomes a legitimate hunting target — e.g., a bounty or sanctioned extermination — Kaiser would not interfere, and he expected others likewise to accept it. Conversely, if an adventurer takes a job and kills a Nazarick NPC in the course of it, Kaiser would not protest their death. That is simply the price of misjudging a mission's difficulty; being an adventurer is a profession that risks life and limb.
Of course, if the commission itself were falsified to exploit a loophole, that would be a different story.
"You're not answering. I understand—you're surprised at your own inability to respond. The faint remnants of your human emotions are colliding with your undead reason. Let's continue this another time. Talking when you don't even trust yourself and are on guard won't be productive."
[…I see. You're right. No… my apologies. You're correct. If I permit my side to kill in self-defense to protect what is precious to us, then I must permit the same for your side as well.]
Suddenly, the emotion in his voice thinned.
It must have been that peculiar mental composure possessed by the undead activating. For a normal undead it might be a fine skill, but for Ainz—a human who became undead—it only ate away at his humanity, erasing what's called benevolence and love. It made vanish all sympathy, all pity that sighs, grieves, or sheds tears. If at least that had remained intact, things wouldn't be this troublesome.
Well, he won't run wild. I doubt he'll commit a massacre or invade a nation outright. If they're absolutely loyal to Ainz, they'll act as he wills. Since he seems most concerned with stabilizing Nazarick, I'll have to move somehow on this point. First the Kingdom and the Theocracy near Nazarick… ugh, I really hate getting involved in politics.
There was nothing good to be gained from the figure known as Kaiser being revealed and drawn into political games. It had happened before: they argued over whose side Kaiser was on until an entire village was obliterated without any conclusion, and Kaiser had ended it by driving his sword into that place and confronting the real enemy himself.
[Forgive me for not being able to say, "I'll do so right now." Even if I say that now, I don't know how my feelings will respond when the time comes. The others in Nazarick are the same.]
Truly selfish, Kaiser thought, but then closed his eyes and decided that feeling was misplaced. These were heteromorphic beings, and Ainz was a special case—a human turned undead. He had to keep that in mind. Letting relations with Nazarick sour would bring far too many downsides. If all of Nazarick's Guardians went into full hostility right now, he could see nothing but a future where humanity was annihilated. And could anyone guarantee there weren't NPCs even stronger than the Guardians?
"It's fine. Until the next time I come to visit Nazarick… please think it over calmly, Ainz."
[Very well. I'll contact you again later.]
With a click, the light of the communication stone died.
Kaiser ran a hand through his hair, feeling a nameless fatigue. Ugh, I hate this. He had a throbbing headache from an affair far too bothersome. To be honest, Kaiser wasn't the scheming type; he simply had more knowledge and experience than most. He was managing with those for now, but perhaps someday it would be better to put someone with a sharper mind out front to negotiate with Nazarick. But was there anyone whose brain could match those heteromorphs? And even if there were, could they be trusted?
Many questions remained.
"Lightning!!"
A shout rang from inside the barrier.
When Kaiser finished the call and looked over, Arche was fleeing and striking back amid a swarm of shadows. Since the shadows split every thirty minutes, quite some time had passed; there were now too many to count, all attacking Arche. Lightning bolts, fireballs, shockwaves—everything flew at once, leaving Arche no choice but to be bewildered.
She's holding out better than I thought.
He had expected her to collapse within five hours; it had already been thirteen, and she was enduring as if conducting a siege. A siege is fine, but a siege without reinforcements is meaningless. Worse, the enemy only increased as time went on. She didn't feel fatigue, but that didn't mean stamina wasn't dropping, and her mana had limits. The mental stress alone had to be considerable.
Yet the eyes that looked like a clear blue sky still hadn't lost their calm. Even drenched in sweat, she was figuring out how to win.
"Lightning!!"
Another bolt streaked out. Watching the fast-flying lightning, Kaiser suddenly realized the truth. Boom!—it didn't strike Arche's shadow but a tree. He'd told her to use the terrain. With a crackle, the tree toppled to the side, and the one next to it went down in a chain reaction. She had been deliberately blasting trees while retreating, priming them to fall at the right moment.
With a thunderous crash, the trees fell, crushing the shadows beneath and breaking their forms. Split shadows had little vitality. Only the very first shadow he'd summoned would likely have stamina equal to Arche's—perhaps even more, given the Ring of Growth suppressing Arche.
"Power of the Sage, lend me strength."
Seeing only a handful of shadows left after the crush, Arche smiled and activated the Sage's Rosario. The shadows moved to activate as well, but Arche unleashed a shockwave first and darted aside, lining them up in a straight path.
"Lightning."
The bolt shot forward again, piercing through the shadows. All of them lost shape, save for a single one that staggered, still moving. Recognizing that as the very first shadow he'd summoned, Arche, panting, pointed her staff and spoke:
"Fireball."
Thud. The last shadow burned away, and Arche scanned her surroundings. No one else remained; she understood she had defeated the shadows. Checking the time, it had been thirteen hours and twenty-four minutes. She dropped back onto her rear, then looked toward Kaiser with a smile that said, I won, after over thirteen hours of fighting. The sense of accomplishment probably flooded her body.
This… might finish sooner than I thought.
He'd estimated three days, and she'd broken through in less than one. Pleased that she'd exceeded expectations, Kaiser dissolved the barrier and walked to Arche, who was now lying on her back, gazing blankly up at the sky. The Ring of Growth kept her from feeling exhausted, but it only prevented fatigue from accumulating, not from existing. That ring was meant for staying up to work or read—it wasn't meant to erase the cumulative toll of training, and once the accumulation exceeded its curb, you felt it.
"Good work. Faster than I expected."
"R-Really? Haha… phew…"
"Well then…"
Smiling leisurely, Kaiser looked down at the prone Arche.
"Shall we begin Lesson Two?"
"…S-Sorry?"
"You're at the best point to grow stronger. It's getting dark—how about a bit of survival training?"
Under normal circumstances, this plain should have been teeming with monsters. The reason it wasn't was Kaiser: his fighting aura made anything below a certain level unable even to approach. Even high-level monsters wouldn't come near just to pick a fight with Kaiser—unless they were battle fanatics or fools.
Kaiser dispelled his fighting aura.
"Did you know? They say this area is crawling with undead."
Arche's face began to stiffen. She accepted that he wasn't joking. Kaiser kept smiling easily.
"They're weak, but apparently there are even elder liches around. I was thinking of drawing them here. How about it?"
…
Arche's past flashed through her mind. And then she realized—that was what people meant by seeing one's life like a revolving lantern before death.
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