Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

Chapter 89 Slaughtering the Lizardmen

Before the morning light had completely dispelled the mist over the wetlands, Nazarick's legions had already begun their advance toward their fourth objective.

The undead column carved a wide, muddy path through the wetlands, the bones of the skeleton soldiers grinding together with the heavy footsteps of the zombies, creating an unsettling rhythm.

The waterbirds in the swamp had already taken flight in fright, and even the chirping of insects had fallen silent.

Aura rode on the back of her Fenrir wolf, swinging her legs listlessly.

Fenrir the Divine Hunter, a giant wolf with an all-black coat, is the leader of the Aura Beast Legion, and his level is approximately 80.

The dark elf girl's ears twitched slightly, picking up information from her companions in the surrounding forest. For the time being, there was nothing unusual, no enemies to be noticed.

"Demeurgess," she suddenly spoke, her voice ringing out clearly in the silent marching column.

"Hmm?" The demon walking beside the dire wolf pushed up his glasses and turned his head to the side.

"I'm thinking about it," Aura said, tilting her head, her heterochromatic eyes revealing genuine confusion.

"If Lord Ainz intends to lure that dragon into attacking, why not give it enough time to know? For example, declare war in advance and give them time to prepare."

Demiurge's cunning face revealed a wicked smile.

"This is the wisdom of Lord Ainz, Aura."

His voice was calm, as if he had expected this question all along.

"If war is declared in advance, these weak lizardmen will definitely unite. While the Great Tomb could certainly crush them in one blow, the battle would end in a very short time."

Demiurge gently pushed up his glasses.

"And the dragon that was lurking in the shadows would give up its operation because there was too little time to react."

Aura's ears perked up, and the confusion on her face was gradually replaced by sudden realization.

"But if we slowly wipe them out, tribe by tribe—" Demiurge's voice held a hint of knowing amusement.

"The destruction of each tribe is a signal of despair. And the dragon has enough time to receive the message and make a decision."

Demiurge concluded, "If it weren't for the threat of this dragon, declaring war beforehand would indeed be the best option. But under the current circumstances, slowly eliminating the lizardmen is more in the Great Tomb of Nazarick's interest."

Aura's eyes lit up, and a look of genuine admiration appeared on her face.

"Wow, Lord Ainz has thought about all this!"

Her voice was full of admiration, but then a hint of sadness, which didn't quite match her youthful appearance, appeared in her heterochromatic eyes.

Her ears drooped slightly, and her voice became softer.

"If Shalltear were here—she would surely be astonished by Lord Ainz's wisdom as well."

Demiurge's gaze fell on Aura's face, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Isn't your relationship with Shalltear bad?" His tone carried a scholarly curiosity.

"I remember you two used to argue a lot. It's a bit surprising that you miss her so much now."

Aura pouted, her expression swaying for a moment between "unhappy" and "I've been right".

Then she sighed and explained in a tone of "I can't do anything with you," "Oh dear, this is the character design of Lord Bubble Teapot and Lord Peroroncino."

She looked up, the sunlight falling on the edge of the misty forest in the distance, her voice softening slightly.

"Lord Bubble Teapot and Lord Peroroncino are siblings. They often bicker and argue, but they actually have a very good relationship."

She paused, her drooping ears twitching slightly.

"So—although Shalltear is always annoying, she is, after all, a continuation of the Supreme Beings' will. It's really not used to her making a fuss around."

Demiurge was silent for a moment.

"I see. It is my honor to know the relationship between the Supreme Beings."

His voice was filled with sincere gratitude.

The march continued.

As the morning mist dissipated in the rising sunlight, the moisture on the wetlands transformed into a thin white veil, enveloping the silent, advancing legion of the undead.

Ainz unfolded a map drawn by Aura's scroll in his hand.

The parchment is marked with fine lines depicting the five lizardman tribes in this wetland, with detailed information about each settlement recorded.

His finger bones moved slowly across the map.

The Green Claws—annihilated. All their corpses have been transformed into undead and incorporated into the Legion.

The Sharptail Clan has been wiped out. They too have been transformed into undead, becoming a supplementary force to the Legion.

The Little Tooth Clan—extinct. Those lizardmen skilled at throwing stones are now nothing more than skeletons that obey orders.

A faint, dark red light flickered in Ainz's eye sockets.

"Yoshi."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of satisfaction that the plan was progressing smoothly. He tapped the remaining two marks on the map with his finger bone.

"That leaves two tribes that haven't been cleared yet."

His gaze fell on the next target on the map, the red light in his eye sockets burning steadily.

Then he raised his head and looked ahead at the marching column, his voice resolute.

"Then the next target is—the Red-Eyed Clan."

Ainz has his own plans.

Based on the available intelligence, it is unlikely that the dragon controlling Shalltear is related to the lizardmen.

These subhuman beings have a very low level of civilization.

But what if that dragon really is hiding in this wetland?

Ainz's gaze involuntarily drifted to the last marker on the map—the Dragon Fang Clan.

That name.

"Dragon Fang".

Ainz touched his jawbone, assuming a thoughtful posture.

Since the name contains the character for "dragon," it must be the most likely candidate, right?

If that dragon is indeed related to the lizardmen, then the probability that it exists in some form within the Dragontooth Clan is obviously much higher than that of other tribes.

Perhaps it's their guardian spirit? Or maybe it's disguised as a lizardman, infiltrating the tribe? Or perhaps—

Ainz's thoughts raced.

Saving the most difficult boss for last is a basic player strategy.

First, clear out those small tribes to build up the numerical advantage of the undead army, and at the same time, test the dragon's reaction.

Ainz couldn't help but feel a surge of genuine joy at his own extraordinary wisdom.

"Suzuki Satoru, you're actually quite smart." He silently praised himself in his heart, then felt a little guilty.

However, I absolutely cannot say such things. If Demiurge hears me, he might interpret some "deeper meaning" that I never even considered—the three-tiered purpose from last time was already enough of a headache for me.

As he was thinking, a signal suddenly came from his family members ahead.

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