Magic Caster of Destroy

So he wanted to see how I'd react to the demand of "now", then. Well well, Ainz Ooal Gown, you'rea tricky negotiator. You must be quite the sage to have foreseen the path this conversation wouldtake.

“I said something, aren't you going to reply?”

Aura's cold voice made Jircniv feel like he was drowning in a swamp.

“Ah— ah, forgive me. I was merely contemplating what to prepare if I didn't have enough time.”

“Huh~ well, it doesn't matter. Then... can you give me an answer? How long before we can expect you to come over to Nazarick?”

“Just so,” Jircniv ignored Aura's provocation. “All preparations considered, I think I will be able to pay you a visit in five days' time.”

“Got it. Then, we'll let Lord Ainz know. Ah, that reminds me, should we help you dig out the guys buried alive out there? Though…”

Aura clapped her hands together, and her smile was far too malicious to be childlike.

“...They may have gotten just a teeny bit squashed. That might be a bit hard to fix.”

Jircniv continued smiling, because the opposition's aim right now was far too transparent.

People revealed their true nature during times of great emotion. So fear was their way of probing him. Jircniv had used this technique during negotiations himself, but times like these were also a chance to thwart one's opponent's aims.

“Then, I am grateful for your assistance. I shall leave the rest to you.”

Seeing the plain emotion on Aura's face, Jircniv allowed himself to smile honestly for the first time.

Overlord Volume 9 Chapter 1

A War of Words

Translator: Nigel

Editors/Proofreaders: M, Skythewood, Namo, JcqC, TaintedDreams, Ferro

Special thanks to Anon

Part 1

Six luxurious carriages raced over the plains.

Their motion was surprisingly stable despite the fact that they were galloping over rough ground.

To start, the wheels of each carriage were magic items called ‘Comfortable Wheels’. In addition, the chassis of the carriages had also been treated by a magic item called ‘Lightweight Cargo’.

These unbelievably magnificent carriages commanded an eye-popping price, but just as astonishing were the creatures which pulled them. The eight-legged magical beasts looked like horses and were known as ‘Sleipnirs’.

Calculating the precise cost of fielding six of these vehicles was an exercise in foolishness.

These vehicles ―far out of reach of the merely wealthy― were escorted by a group of riders mounted on powerful horses.

There were over twenty of these riders, each clad in chainmail armor, armed with longswords on their belts and crossbows on their backs.

Yet, a woman rode at the head of all these men.

Alone among all these warriors, she wore a suit of heavy full plate armor. In addition to her full plate, she carried a cavalry lance in the same way foot soldiers might hold a spear. Her helmet’s visor was raised, but the right side of her face was covered by some kind of golden cloth, which made her look quite unique.

Although this band of horsemen were the very picture of mercenary warriors, but their practiced movements and their clipped, precise words were nothing like that of a common sellsword. Their eyes were keen, and their level of alertness was high.

Some might have taken their unceasing vigilance to be a form of paranoia or cowardice, but in a world where magic was real and monsters flew through the air and ran wild over the land, even being on guard against everything they could see was not enough to guarantee their safety.

There were giant spiders which could survive for months without drinking while lying in wait for their prey, formless shapeshifters that resembled banks of fog, unclean monsters that slid through the air, venomous lizards with petrifying gazes that could only be avoided if they were encountered on open ground…

They were all on edge because they were wary of monsters with such deadly powers. However, normal mercenaries did not go to such lengths for alertness.

The thing that set them apart from mere mercenaries were the invisible people in the air. They were a band of riders who were keeping pace with the riders on the ground while under the effects of invisibility magic.

There were creatures called hippogriffs in this world. They were born of the mating of a male griffin and a mare, and these magical beasts had the front half of a griffin and the hind quarters of a horse.

Perhaps it was because of their mixed blood, but hippogriffs were easier to rear and train than griffins, and they were very popular as flying mounts.

And then, there were the riders of these beasts to consider.