That said, there were countless such links stretching back towards E-Rantel. Over there, he was not confident of being able to give a clear order without speaking it. That much was true. However, Ainz had made very few undead in this place, so issuing a clear-cut command would be simple enough.
―Disappear. Now then, to return to Nazarick for a while…
After this would come a very frightening task ― a task of deception that had to be completed. He would have liked someone else to handle it if he could, but that was impossible, Besides, who could he hand it to?
He touched the magic items from the three demihumans on the table in the hopes of clearing away his unease.
Fufu. They’re weak, they’re cheap, but still, obtaining magic items in this world makes me happy… well, maybe I’m not as happy as Pandora’s Actor would be, but it does feel like I enjoy magic items too, huh?
The first thing he did was appraise the magic items belonging to the four-armed demihuman. Among them, was the armband that had protected against Ainz’s instant death spell, and its name was the Deathguard Armband. It could grant immunity to death magic once a day.
Ainz picked it up and twirled it in his hand several times, then put it back on the table.
Boring. If only there were better items. Now then―
Just as he was about to set out, he heard the sound of knocking on the door. A voice from the outside said, “Your Majesty, this is Neia Baraja.”
Ainz immediately inspected himself. Then he looked around the room to ensure that his bearing was that of the absolute sovereign that was the Sorcerer King. After that, he slowly settled himself into a chair and the pose he adopted was King Ainz No. 24.
“―Enter.”
He did his best to speak in a low, weighty voice. This change in pitch was also the result of repeated practice.
The door opened, and Neia ― her injuries now recovered ― entered the room and bowed to him.
“I am deeply grateful to be granted permission to enter, Your Highness. I have come here in order to discharge my duties as a squire.”
“Umu. I am glad you came, Miss Baraja. But there is no need to fulfill your squire’s obligations today. While your wounds might have healed, the fatigue of the battle must―”
Ah, it’s been taken care of, Ainz thought. The potion he had used back then was one which removed both fatigue and exhaustion. It was a potion that Nfirea ― his skin dry and rough ― had praised to the heavens.
“I am able to fulfil my obligations as a squire thanks to Your Majesty’s power. Also ― I am very happy to be allowed to stay by Your Majesty’s side.”
Neia smiled ― or was it a smirk? One’s body would naturally go on the defensive in the face of a hostile or evil smile, but Ainz’s kingly poise was unbreakable.
“…Is that so? However, I must return to the Sorcerous Kingdom for a while to handle some critical tasks. I apologize for wasting your trip.”
“I see…”
She looked very sad, but she did not look cute at all. All he could think was that she was glaring at him. However, Ainz had already thought of a way to deal with Neia.
All he had to do was close his eyes. That way, her eyes would not frighten him any more.
“Speaking of which, I am glad that you are well ― that you are alive, Miss Baraja.”
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty! All this is thanks to your power. In particular, without this suit of armor I might not have been able to hold out until Your Majesty arrived.”
But you didn’t hold out, you died… well, all’s well that ends well. Come to think of it, I heard she was fighting on the city walls, so giving her that armor which could defend against ranged attacks was the right choice!
“Fufu. Well, that is good to hear. How about the bow? Did you show off its power to the masses?”
“Yes… many people saw the the amazing power of this bow… although, they’re all dead now.”
“What!? ―I see, so that’s what happened. What a shame.”
He had failed again. Ainz was filled with a profound sense of regret. If everyone who saw it was dead, it was no different from nobody seeing it at all. Maybe I should give up on trying to promote rune weapons, Ainz thought. Still ― I think there ought to be more chances for it. Even if this plan fails, it doesn’t mean I’ve lost anything, and there’ll be great benefits if it succeeds.
“I am sure that without the gear which Your Majesty lent me, I would be in Heaven with the others… thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
Ainz sensed that her words came from the heart, and so Ainz thought, Well done. Of course, he could not express that emotion. He had to keep showing her a ruler’s poise, after all.
“Pay it no heed. All you need to know is that a master’s duty is to protect his followers.”
Ainz cracked his eyes open a fraction to study her reaction. Neia’s face had twisted slightly when she had heard the word “follower.” It was probably not anger, but it felt like some kind of unhappiness. If her present attitude and the flow of the conversation were to be trusted, that was not the case.
In other words, opening his eyes had been a mistake. Ainz closed his eyes again.
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Also, the people whom Your Majesty saved also wish me to express their gratitude to you.”
“Ho…” All right! Ainz struggled to hide the way he felt. “You need not worry about it. I simply happened to save them because they were there. However, I hope they will not expect this good fortune to repeat itself, I used quite a lot of mana in this battle, so I might not be able to help next time, you know?”
“Understood, I will convey your message to them.”
“Ahh. However… that’s right. Please inform these people that I am glad to receive their gratitude… and now, Miss Baraja, I apologize but I really must be going. After this ― yes, can you come back in four hours’ time?”
“Yes! No problem at all! Then, please excuse me, Your Majesty!”
Neia left the room, and Ainz opened his eyes.
Hm. Her gratitude does seem quite genuine. Looks like I’ve got one person at last. No, as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Should I give out free healing potions as advertisement? That ought to win me more gratitude… but can it make up for the mistake with the rune weapons?
Ainz took out the purple potion.
This was Nfirea’s potion. Its quality was slightly inferior to that of YGGDRASIL-made potions, and it was still in the development phase. However, its effects might catch up in the future, or he might end up being able to make YGGDRASIL’s red potions.
It would have been too wasteful to spread the news of YGGDRASIL’s red potions for nothing, so I didn’t use them… still, I don’t know whether people who are used to blue potions can accept purple potions. Using them here and collecting the results sounds like a good plan.
Right now, he intended to have Nazarick conceal the potions which Nfirea and his grandmother had made. He did not plan to distribute the technology. However, that plan might change in the future, and the time might come when he could sell that potion. It would be good to prime the pump for such a situation.
This is complicated. There’s merits and demerits on both sides…
Frankly speaking, the fact that he’s discussing his sex life with me is causing me a lot of problems. I mean, at least they’re not doing it in front of me, but wouldn’t it be bad if word got out that he was talking about his wife?
In the first place, why is Nfirea even discussing this with me? Is it because he has no male relatives and is far away from the city he had lived in until now, so he thought that he had nobody to talk to? For all I know, he might be thinking that Narberal and I have that sort of relationship.