Overlord (LN)

The highest-ranked Dragons were some of the strongest opponents in YGGDRASIL. It was very dangerous to move separately from the Guardians while they did not know the enemy’s strength. However, Ainz possessed a World-Class Item. It possessed many powers, and one of them was very effective against Dragons. Therefore, even in the worst-case scenario, he ought to be able to escape it.

In contrast, if he brought the Guardians with him and the enemy was more powerful than expected, then he would have to work harder in order to make his escape.

With Gondo around, the worst that could happen was that Ainz would have to abandon him. He could not abandon the lives of his friends’ children. Therefore, the best solution was to not have them with him in the first place.

Dragons, huh... I’m looking forward to this.

In YGGDRASIL, Dragons were mighty foes and also a bounty of riches.

They dropped good data crystals, and they had a higher chance of dropping artifacts than normal monsters. One could harvest their skin, meat, blood, fangs, claws, eyeballs, scales and other body parts for various uses.

One could say they were delicious enemies.

Knowing that he would soon encounter his first Dragon in this world filled his heart with a blend of unease, anticipation and desire. Ainz was so delighted that he was barely able to contain himself.

According to the Dwarves, the mighty Frost Dragon which had laid waste to the Western city might be there. If things went poorly, he might face another battle with questionable odds of victory, much like the one with Shalltear.

Could the Dragon have defeated the Death Knights? I can still manage if it was the same entity, but it’ll be troublesome if there was another one. Should I remain hidden and bring up everyone except the Hanzos — no, this ought to be the right choice.

“—Ainz-sama?”

“Hm? Ahh, Shalltear. Forgive me, I was lost in thought. Then, I shall give you two your orders as well. Aura and Shalltear, you are to face the Quagoa and have them submit to my rule. If they dare to refuse, then show them the power of Nazarick!”

The two Guardians replied with forceful affirmatives.

Ainz’s gaze shifted to Gondo. He did not look like he had anything to say. That attitude seemed to imply that he would go along with any decision Ainz made.

While Ainz had agreed to clear out the Quagoa, Ainz did not intend to completely exterminate them. He simply felt that the genocide of a race which did not exist in YGGDRASIL was a bit of a waste. Indeed, killing them all might eliminate this race from the world. No, even if that were not the case, they might end up being beneficial to Nazarick in the future.

Of course, they might also be harmful to Nazarick. However, extirpating them before verifying that was something of a waste.

Extermination is easy, but revival is difficult. Thus, there’s only one path I can take. And besides—

“If they are fools who will not swear their loyalty to me, then reduce their numbers to around 10’000 or so. Try and keep the strong ones alive. However, after considering future issues, do not select them purely based on strength. You must make sure an equal number of them are female. In addition, you must not let any of them escape, do you understand? Especially the one that is the equivalent to their king.”

“But... Ainz-sama...”

Ainz urged Aura — who looked depressed — to continue speaking.

“We don’t know exactly how large the Dwarven capital is, but it seems like quite a large area. It’ll be difficult for just the two of us to ensure that none of the Quagoa escape from such a broad space. What should we do?”.

“Hm. A reasonable question. Because of that — Aura, it’s time for you to shine. Use the World-Class item I gave you earlier.”

“Is, is that really alright?”

“Umu. This is when it should be put to use.”

“I, I understand!”

Tension was written all over their faces.

“While that there are no use limits on that World-Class item, if the enemy fulfils certain conditions and escapes, ownership of the Item will automatically shift to them. That is the worst-case scenario and must be avoided at all costs.”

Ainz recalled the incident where Ainz Ooal Gown had seized possession of it.

How many mails had the enemy sent, begging them to “give it back”?

Ainz snorted.