“Aura, lower your voice.”
『I, I’m very sorry, Ainz-sama!』
Like I said, lower your voice… Ainz thought that, but did not say it.
『Ah, are we going to destroy the Dwarven Kingdom?』
“No. How did you reach that dangerous misunderstanding? I just want to conduct some friendly negotiations.”
『Ah, I see! So you’ve already foreseen that peaceful negotiations will break down, then?』
“Aura, your—”
『Ainz-sama, I’m here!』
“What? You mean you’ve already arrived at my room?”
『Yes, exactly!』
A knock came from the door just as she said this.
Ainz smiled bitterly as he watched Decrement go to answer it.
“Ainz-sama, Aura-sama requests your permission to enter.”
Ainz gestured his approval, and Decrement took one step away from the door.
『”Sorry to disturb you, Ainz-sama!”』
Aura’s voice overlapped with that of the [Message] spell as the Dark Elf girl greeted him.
“All right, then. Have a seat and we’ll talk.”
Ainz indicated a pair of sofas which faced each other, and then turned to Decrement.
“Prepare refreshments for Aura.”
“Yes, Ainz-sama. We have apple juice, orange juice, lemon squash, tea and coffee on hand at the moment.”
Decrement placed the apple juice which Aura requested on the small table between the two sofas. As Aura began sipping at it, Ainz began his explanation.
“First, let me explain myself about your question concerning the destruction of the Dwarven Kingdom. Bringing Shalltear along does fulfil a requirement for combat power, but there is another reason for that.”
“Eh?!”
Aura’s eyes went wide. Given her attitude, it was clear that she considered Shalltear to have very limited uses. Still — Ainz found it hard to hold back the warmth surging within his chest.
It reminded him of Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino’s relationship.
Every now and then, Bukubukuchagama would ask, “Has my stupid little brother given you any trouble?”
When people replied with an, “Uh, I don’t think so?” she would immediately respond like Aura had, with a “Seriously?!”
It was hard for Ainz to contain himself as he realized that Aura and Shalltear were carrying on that same relationship. The memories fell like powdery snow, filling his heart with bliss. His joy welled up, and just as he was about to laugh — the emotion was suppressed.
“…Shit.”
Ainz quietly cursed as his moment of happiness was ruined by his emotional suppression. It had helped him out many times in the past, but he found it tiresome when it got in his way. Ainz knew he was being selfish and hypocritical, but he still found it hard to accept this interruption of the memories of his former friends.
“Ah, er… Ainz-sama? What’s wrong?”
However, his displeasure vanished like smoke in the wind as he heard the girl’s tremulous voice. He could not allow himself to express these negative emotions in a way which even a child could see. Ainz took a deep breath, and smiled to Aura.
“No, my apologies. It’s nothing. As I was saying earlier, I’m bringing Shalltear along this time around to investigate her adaptability. She was created to be the strongest Guardian. At that time, if she had fought properly, even I might not have been able to beat her.”
“Well, if it’s for something like that—”
“—No, it’s not like that. If I were Shalltear, I would have summoned my Einherjar right away and then prepared for battle while it engaged my enemy, then attacked with magic as my MP permitted, followed by the use of my skills. Then, I would have triggered my Blood Frenzy in some way and then charged into melee with the Spuit Lance while my attack power was increased.”
Ainz smiled, a little uncomfortable.
“If that had happened, I would have run away without a second thought.”
His skill as a player aside, Ainz’s character could only be considered to be in the upper portion of the middle tier of all players. Shalltear’s character build and equipment placed her in the lower portion of the top tier. If she was fully equipped — with divine-class items — she would be in the middle portion of the top tier. If she could change her gear to match her opponent, she might well be able to fight on even terms with the upper echelons of the top tier.
“However, her reputation as the strongest Guardian has instead hampered Shalltear’s growth.”
“Eh?”
“The most effective use for Shalltear is to deplete the enemy’s resources, so she has to be launched out like an arrow. Once she is deployed, she has to be left to run amok through the enemy lines. However — is that really the right thing to do? It might be the best way to fully utilize Shalltear’s strength, but can we really say that it’s the most suitable method to use?”
“I don’t quite understand… but if you feel that it’s right, then it should be correct, Ainz-sama.”
That sort of answer really makes it hard to keep the conversation going. What Ainz truly wanted to hear right now was a carefully reasoned reply about the pros and cons of Ainz’s statement, which was what a proper adult would have said. Still, children were expected to be frank, after all.
“Is, is that so. However, I don’t think that is the case. When I said that it was the best way, it was only in terms of fully utilizing her strengths. However, it might not be the best way once Shalltear starts accumulating experience.”
Ainz was making progress as a warrior. No, it would be best to say that he had learned to make full use of all his abilities. While his physical abilities might not have improved, other parts of him were still growing.
Unlike how they had been when they were merely data, the NPCs now had minds and the capacity for independent thought. The same applied to Shalltear. The Shalltear of tomorrow would be different from the Shalltear of today.
“Having her do different things instead of repeating the same old tasks might help her grow… Of course, she might fail, although I do not wish for that. Still, even if she does mess up, all we need to do is to have someone beside her to pick up the slack. That is precisely why I asked for you, Aura.”
Aura had a better relationship with Shalltear than Mare. Ainz had selected the elder sister of the twins because she could keep Shalltear in line.
Having listened attentively to all of this, Aura forcefully nodded in acknowledgment.
“…Still, while I said that I want her to accumulate various experiences, that might violate the social contract, and it would cause problems for the company — for the group.”
“Eh? What does that mean?”
“…Think of it this way. It would not be good to force Shalltear to do things she does not want to do.”
“Obeying you is what we should do, Ainz-sama!”
“…Don’t you think it would be wrong to make her do something that goes against Peroroncino-san’s wishes? If my orders conflicted with Bukubukuchagama’s desires, how would you feel about obeying them, Aura?”
“Ng! Well, I, ah, I would…”
Aura nervously lowered her head, and muttered something along the lines of, “It’s hard to say.”
“All right, don’t worry about it. It was just a comparison. My reason for picking Shalltear this time around was to challenge her and see if she has grown.”
“I see! That’s Ainz-sama for you, your complex insights run so deep!”
A superior had to let his subordinates experience challenges in order for them to grow.
This was one of the secrets he had gleaned from a book he had read not long after coming to this world.
The reason why he had not given Shalltear an opportunity like this until now was because the situation had been very dangerous, and also because there was no time for such things. Now, however… no, there would be no better chance than this..