Of course. Ainz retorted in his mind as he nodded, wondering whether the Virtuous King of the Forest was activating its bewitching passive skill.
"Unbelievable, as expected of Momon-san. What do you think after looking at its eyes, Ninya?"
"… I think these eyes are full of wisdom and I could feel how powerful this monster is. No matter how lightly I could take it, I won't think of it as cute."
"…?"
Ainz looked at everyone speechlessly. After understanding how everybody thought, he felt dizzy.
"What about Nabel?"
"It's power aside, its eyes looked strong."
"… No… Way…"
Everyone was praising Ainz with shining eyes. This meant everyone felt respect towards Ainz who described the eyes of such a monster as cute.
Ainz looked at the eyes of the Virtuous King of the Forest and couldn't see any ‘Wisdom’.
Did my ability to discern beauty change after turning into an undead?
Since everyone except him thought so, there was a possibility that his judgement had changed. But he still needed a final confirmation:
"By the way, does anybody think a rat is powerful?"
"Rat.. Gigantic rats? Those monsters are nothing special."
"You can find them in the sewers of Re-Lantier."
"Giant rats can spread horrible plague. And also Ratmen… Ratmen are resistant to any weapon that is not made of silver, so they can be quite a handful."
Aren't hamsters and rats similar? And since the Virtuous King of the Forest has a long tail, it is closer to a rat than a hamster…
The baffled Ainz came to the conclusion that 'this world is a bit weird'.
While Ainz was troubled over the petty stuff about this world, Nfirea asked a bit worryingly:
"But if you take this monster away, the other monsters would have nothing to fear with the Virtuous King of the Forest's absence and attack En… Carne Village?"
Ainz gestured at the Virtuous King of the Forest with his chin. The Virtuous King of the Forest understood this and said:
"Art thou referring to the village over there? Hmmm… the power balance in the forest has been overturned, even this king couldn't ensure its safety by staying here."
"How could this be…
Ainz didn't console the dejected Nfirea and just smiled in his heart.
The Virtuous King of the Forest isn't worthy of his title, but I can get something out of this.
As Ainz pondered how to guide the topic, he noticed Nfirea's gaze. Nfirea was opening his mouth, hesitant to speak up.
It was obvious to Ainz that Nfirea’s heart was conflicted.. Nfirea wanted Ainz to save the village once again, but was hesitant about leaving everything to Ainz.
As the Sword of Darkness members discussed how to save the village, Nfirea made up his mind and spoke with a serious expression:
"— Momon-san."
"What is it?"
Ainz gleefully awaited Nfirea's words.
Ainz had planned from the very beginning to protect Carne Village, which was a rich source of information, but it was important to receive a request. Ainz could do a favor for Nfirea and get a reward, killing two birds with one stone. This was Ainz's plan, with this he wanted to make up for the mistake of miscalculating the Virtuous King of the Forest's worth.
But Nfirea's words were beyond Ainz's imagination.
"Momon-san! Please allow me to join your party!"
"What?"
“I want to protect Enri… Carne Village. But I don't have the power to defend it. So I want to become stronger! Even the basics would be fine, I hope Ainz-san could impart some of your powers to me! But my wealth couldn't employ an elite adventurer like Ainz-san in the long run! So please let me join your party! I am confident in pharmacy and I am willing to carry the luggage or any chores! Please accept my request!"
As Ainz blinked his nonexistent eyes in hesitation, Nfirea continued:
"I have always been researching pharmaceutical studies. My grandmother and father were pharmacists, so I entered this career without much thought… But I found the path I want to take, something different from being a pharmacist."
"You want to become a powerful Magic Caster and protect Carne Village?"
"Yes."
Nfirea looked at Ainz with sincere manly eyes, shaking off his childishness.
During his time in YGGDRASIL, there were plenty of people who wanted to join Ainz Ooal Gown. Most of them did this for their personal gain, wanting to get something out of joining a high-tier guild. They didn't think about what they could do for the guild, but what the guild could do for them.
Not only that, there were also treacherous people planning to infiltrate the guild to steal information and rare items.
Because of this, the members of Ainz Ooal Gown maintained its core members and didn't grow much. They were guarded, careful to not let their efforts go to waste.
But Nfirea didn’t know about the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, he only had simple thoughts── This thought that seemed right, but was off the mark, gave Ainz a pleasant feeling.
“… Ha, hahaha!”
Ainz laughed heartily. He didn’t hold anything back. Ainz then stopped his laughter, took off his helmet and bowed deeply with a sincere and serious attitude.
He could hear Narberal gasping.
This attitude might not be appropriate for Narberal’s master, the overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, but Ainz felt he should bow and did so without hesitation. He didn’t think that bowing to a youth half his age was shameful.
He didn’t mean any harm with his laugher, and Ainz knew he shouldn’t be laughing. He raised his head and told the shocked Nfirea:
“… I apologize for losing my composure, but I hope you understand that I am not making fun of your resolve. You need to fulfill two criteria to join my team, but you only fulfilled one. It’s regrettable, but I can’t let you join.”
The hidden criteria was the consensus of half the members, so even though Ainz agreed, he couldn’t recruit any members on his own. But since coming to this world, Ainz was filled with the joy of being treated with loyalty by the guardians of Nazarick and continued:
“I understand what you are thinking and will remember that you wanted to join my team. As for the protection of this village, I will do what I can to aid you. But I probably will need your help as well—”
“Yes! Please let me help!”
“I see, I see.”
As Ainz nodded, his eyes met with Ninya’s for a moment. Ninya looked as if he was seeing something interesting, which made Ainz feel awkward.
“Let’s talk about this later. Before that, I have to tell everyone about something interesting. Which is the taming of the Virtuous King of the Forest.”
Chapter 4 — The Twin Swords of Death
Part 1
Taking one night to travel to Carne Village, staying in Carne Village for one night, then leaving for Re-Lantier. The planned three day two night journey was finally coming to its end, arriving back at Re-Lantier, they were welcomed by the evening scene of the city.
The road was illuminated by the white glow from the 「Continual Lights」, the people travelling on the road also changed. Gone were the young women and children, most of them now were working men travelling home. Shop houses were lined side by side along the street, cheerful sounds and lights came from them.