The Dark Warrior

Part 1

Clementine returned to Kajit’s secret shrine base situated under Re-Lantier’s cemetery. She was practically burning with anger.

Her steps were rushed, her eyebrows were frowning and her mouth was crooked. Her fine features were twisted into an ugly mess.

Her personality was probably uglier than that.

Kajit mumbled in his heart, commanding his newly created zombies to the undead holding area.

“Oh~? New zombies? That’s over 150, the Pearl of Death is exceptional indeed~”

Using the 3rd tier undead creation spell 「Create Undead」, the number of undead that can be controlled was dependent on the Magic Caster’s ability. The stronger the undead, the smaller the number that can be controlled. But for low-class undead like zombies, Kajit who was unbelievably skilled in undead control could command more than one hundred of them. As for why Kajit was able to do this, it was all thanks to the item he owned — the Pearl of Death.

“The problem is that you like to play so much.”

“Sorry~”

The bowing Clementine had no hint of regret on her face.

“But~ Those fellows who die so easily are at fault~ They can’t even take that much~”

“… The way you beat them up, anyone would die easily…”

“Adventurers don’t die so easily~”

“They are just normal people… They will die since they are not adventurers… Clementine, is saying obvious things to pass the time one of your hobbies?”

“Alright, alright~ Sorry~ I won’t do it again, please forgive me!”

Kajit clicked his tongue:

“I don’t believe you, just stop kidnapping people for now.”

“Yes~”

Her casual response made Kajit frown. But since saying anything more was useless, he stopped lecturing her. He showed his strong displeasure with a frown, which was ignored as usual.

“But~ I am so bored~ By the way, where did he go?”

“He is not back?”

“Not yet, I came back empty handed again~ Now’s a good chance, how about nabbing the granny~?”

“Don’t be rash. Don’t underestimate the granny, she can use 3rd tier spells and is famous in this city. It will be trouble if we make a move on her lightly.”

“Eh~ But~”

Kajit reached into his robes and grab a black jewel:

“… Clementine, in order to turn this city into the realm of the dead, I had spent years making preparations. I don’t want your silly games throwing my plans into disarray. If you keep stirring up trouble… I will kill you, understood?”

“…It’s called the Spiral of Death, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, the ritual our master is executing.”

In places where undead gathered, it was possible to create stronger undead. If strong undead were gathered, it became possible to create even stronger undead. The magic ritual exploiting this spiral-like property, which endlessly allows to create even stronger undead and was able to destroy a whole city, was known as the 「Spiral of Death」.

In the past, this evil ritual turned a city into the realm where the undead roams.

Kajit’s goal was to turn Re-Lantier into the 2nd undead city, harnessing the power of death in the city to turn himself into an undead.

He had put in a lot of effort and preparation to reach this goal; he wouldn’t allow the woman who appeared a few days ago to derail this plan.

“You understand?”

Kajit saw right through Clementine’s cute puffed up cheeks and sensed her cruel expression. In that instant, Clementine’s killing intent burst out like a gust of wind.

She closed the distance, striking with amazing speed. The sharp shortsword shone as it stabbed towards Kajit’s throat—

The weapon Clementine used was a piercing weapon known as a stiletto.

Piercing weapons were limited in their ways of attacking and hard to wield. But Clementine liked this type of weapon, so she trained her muscles, picked her equipment and learnt the techniques. All this was in preparation to kill with one hit.

After developing this skill, Clementine survived countless battles against men and monsters, and reached a state where it was impossible for normal people to dodge her.

Clementine had innate talent and incredible potential, so it was natural for her to reach such a state after spending most of her life learning this skill.

But her target was no pushover either.

The pride of Zuranon, Kajit of the twelve disciples wouldn’t die just like that.

───The unavoidable tip of the sharp blade was blocked by a white wall that erupted from the ground. It was a claw made from countless human bones, the claw of a lizard.

The claw moved and cracked the ground around it. This huge object appeared to be controlled by Kajit’s will.

He felt the presence of a powerful undead by his feet. Feeling quite satisfied, Kajit glared at Clementine:

“What a meaningless attack. The only harm you’ve done was to distract me enough to lose control over the undead for a moment.”

“Eh~ Sorry about that~ but I didn’t even use my full power. You had to use all your strength to block that blow, right?”

“Don’t talk nonsense Clementine. You are not someone who will hold back.”

“Wah~ you saw right through me? Yeah, if you didn’t block it, your shoulder would had been stabbed. But I wasn’t planning to kill you~ Honestly.”

Seeing the woman before him smiling, Kajit frowned.

“And I can still defeat that thing~ It might have a chance against Magic Casters, but as a warrior I should be more than enough, right? It’s just that I’m no good with blunt weapons~”

“… You might be strong against living beings with your one hit kill technique, but how would you fare against undead that don’t have vitals? Do you really think this is my final trump card?”

“Hmmm~… You are right~”

Clementine gazed towards the passageway, apparently sensing the undead controlled by Kajit who were waiting inside.

“I should be able to deal with a few of them… But under these circumstances it will turn into a war of attrition and I’ll probably lose~ Sorry Kaji-chan.”

Clementine moved the weapon she was holding in her hand back under her cloak and the earth stopped trembling.

“But~ As expected of enhanced undead control~ that was impressive!”

Clementine turned and walked away after saying that:

“Oh yah. I won’t touch the granny until the very end. I won’t nab anymore people, that should do, right?”

“… Yes.”

Kajit would never relax the power in his hands before Clementine was gone. Even when her figure disappeared down the exit of the underground shrine.

“Madwoman.”

With these words, Kajit finished their conversation.

He was flawed as well, but not to Clementine’s extent.

“What an incredible strength… no, it’s because of her incredible strength that her personality became so twisted”

Clementine was strong, even among the twelve highest-ranking members of their secret organization, only three were able to defeat her. Regrettably, Kajit wasn’t counted among them. Even if he used his special item, he would only have a 30 % chance of winning.

“The former ninth seat of the Black Scripture, huh… A psychopath with the strength of a hero is not to be trifled with.”

“So something like that happened.”

Nfirea sighed deeply and muttered.

Nfirea knew Enri’s parents well. They were ideal parents. He envied the two daughters they doted on.

Nfirea was orphaned from a young age and only had vague memories of his parents. Whenever wonderful parents were mentioned, Nfirea would think of Enri’s parents.

He felt anger against the ‘imperial knight imposters’ who took the lives of Enri’s parents. He thought they deserved it when he heard they were killed. He was angry at the higher ups of Re-Lantier for their unwillingness to dispatch soldiers.

But the one who should be the most angry and sad, Enri, put her own feelings aside, which felt a bit strange.

He watched as Enri recalled the past, uncertain if he should console her or not, she wiped away the tears in her eyes and smiled:

“I still have my little sister, so I can’t stay depressed like this.”

Nfirea, who had been about to get up, sat down again. He thought it was regrettable having lost his chance to console her, but he also thought himself to be really useless.

But— His feelings of wanting to protect her remained the same. After hesitating, Nfirea made up his mind. Other than himself, he wouldn’t let anyone else sit beside Enri. Even if that person was strong enough to protect Enri.

It was a bit rash, but Nfirea didn’t want to lose Enri, so he decided to express the feelings he had harboured since the first time he ever came to the village as a child.

“Well then—”

He couldn’t speak, his throat seemed to be glued shut. Say it, say it. He wanted to say it, but the words seemed to be jammed in his throat and wouldn’t come out.

Both Enri and Nfirea were at a marriageable age, and the money Nfirea made as a pharmacist was enough to take care of Enri and her sister.

It would be fine even if they had a child…

The scenery of building his own family appeared in his mind— but he stopped his imagination that was going out of control. Noticing that Enri was looking at him with a puzzled expression, Nfirea became even more anxious.

His mouth opened and shut.

I like you.

I love you.

But he couldn’t say these two sentences. Because he was scared of hearing her rejection.

He should say something that will shorten the distance between them.

The city is safer, want to live together? I will take care of your sister too. If you want to work, you can help out in grandma’s shop.

If you feel uneasy in the city, I will do all I can do to help you.

Just saying these would be enough. The chance of being rejected would be lower than expressing his love.

“Enri!”

“Wha-what is it? Nfirea.”

Enri was surprised by his sudden shout and Nfirea started his confession:

“—If… if you have any troubles please tell me. I will do all I can to help you!”

“Thank you!.. Nfirea is a great friend, better than what I deserved!”

“Ah, ah, ermm… No, don’t mention it, we’ve known each other for so long.”

Unable to say anything else to the smiling Enri, Nfirea lamented his own uselessness. At the same time, he felt that Enri was really cute and chatted about their childhood for a moment.

When the topic reached its end, Nfirea asked:

“By the way, what’s with those Goblins?”

Those goblins addressed Enri as ‘anego’. And unlike the normal goblins he saw on the road, each of them looked like a veteran warrior. Not only that, seeing the traces of a Magic Caster in the village was even more shocking. He wondered how Enri, who was just a village girl, got to know that group of goblins and what the nature of their relationship was.

Enri answered simply:

“I used the item left by the saviour of the village, Ainz Ooal Gown, and they appeared. They will obey my command.”

“I see…”

Enri’s eyes sparkled like the stars, which made Nfirea miserable as he replied casually.

Ainz Ooal Gown.

Enri had mentioned this names several times already.

When Carne village was attacked by people disguised as Knights of the Empire, a mysterious Magic Caster who happened to pass by, saved the village with his amazing powers and brought peace to the village. He was a hero who saved Enri, someone Nfirea should give thanks to.

But Enri’s expression made it hard for him to express his gratitude.

This was the natural reaction when Enri mentioned her saviour, but the feelings of jealousy still sprang from his heart. The nature of a man is competitive, so he felt jealous because Enri didn’t show that for himself. He was caught in these murky feelings and ugly thoughts.

As he was feeling miserable, Nfirea tried to push these emotions out of his mind and thought about the item Enri mentioned.

It was used to summon goblins, known as [Horn of the Goblin General].

The great Magic Caster who saved the village obviously told Enri something about this horn, but since her mind was confused back then, she wasn’t able to remember everything clearly.

Nfirea thought it was strange.

She might not know what kind of item it was, but she shouldn’t have forgotten about it. Since it was an item with special effects, you wouldn’t forget about it after hearing it only once.

There were many items that could be used for summoning, and there were summoning spells too. But the summoned beings will disappear after a fixed amount of time has passed.

‘Summoned monsters’ were not monsters that could be controlled over a long time.

If that item could accomplish this, the history of magic up to this point might be overturned.

How valuable would an item like that be? Enri appeared to be unaware if the item’s value, but if she were to sell it she would be set for life.

Enri used this rare item because she don’t want the village to get hurt again.

Nfirea thought this way of thinking was just like Enri, which was why the summoned goblins protected the village, addressed Enri as anego, followed her commands and even helped in the fields. Not only that, but he heard they were even teaching the villagers how to use a bow, teaching them ways of protecting themselves. That’s how the village got their strange new residents.

Part of the reason why the village accepted the goblins was that they were attacked by knights, who were fellow humans. They were no longer able to trust other humans as before, and at the same time it became easier for them to accept the goblins’ help.

The main reason was because the item was a gift from the Magic Caster who saved the village.

“That person called himself Ainz Ooal Gown, right? What kind of person was he? I want to express my thanks.”

Nfirea had no idea who Ainz Ooal Gown was. Enri said she didn’t know how he looked like under the mask, so even if he were someone Nfirea knew, they wouldn’t be able to tell. But anyone who gave away such a valuable item must be a great person. Nfirea would never forget if he had seen him before. After telling Enri what he thought, Enri looked disappointed.

“I see. I thought Nfirea would know who he was…”

Enri’s reaction made Nfirea heart race and his back started to sweat. “Appearance aside, considering his strength, the possibility of him being popular is high.” The words he heard last night surfaced in his mind and his breathing turned ragged.

Calming his uneasiness for the moment, Nfirea asked:

“En, Enri, what’s the matter? Why do you want to see that Ainz person?”

“Huh? Well, I want to thank him properly. The villagers proposed building a small bronze statue in remembrance of him saving our lives, I need to thank him too…:”

Sensing that the feelings of love, which Nfirea feared, were absent, Nfirea sighed in relief, relaxing his tensed shoulders:

“Oh I see, erm… phew. That’s right, we need to thank him. If there was something special about him, we can narrow the search fields… Oh right, do you know what magic he used?”

“Ah, magic. It was amazing. With a loud bang of lightning, the knight fell.”

“Lightning… Did you hear him say the word lightning?”

Enri gazed to the sky and nodded heavily.

“Yes!.. I heard him say that.”

But it was longer… Listening to Enri’s mumbled language, Nfirea judged that her mumblings were things said before activating a spell.

“That… is a 3rd tier spell.”

“… 3rd tier spell… is that amazing?”

“That is definitely amazing! I can only use 2nd tier magic, 3rd tier is the highest normal people can achieve. For higher tiers, that would be in the realm of those with innate talent.”

“Sir Gown is amazing!”

Enri was impressed and nodded, but Nfirea didn’t think this Magic Caster was limited to 3rd tier spells. He could give away that item casually, so he might be able to use 5th tier magic that goes into the realm of heroes.

Why did such a great person come to this village?

The puzzled Nfirea couldn’t help tilting his head, but the doubt in his mind disappeared when he heard Enri’s next words.

“Not just that, he also gave me some red potion—”

The story he heard was bits and pieces of the whole incident, which reminded Nfirea of a conversation he heard some time ago.

“I will you pay you for your trouble, could you describe in detail the person who gave you the potion?”

The warrior named Verita was displeased by Lizzie’s request:

“What are you planning by asking this?”

“Obviously, it would be a clue for me to find him. Find the mysterious man in full body armor. If I get close to him, he might tell me where he got that potion from, right? He might even spill it accidentally. If he is an adventurer, I plan to hire him. What do you think, Nfirea?”

This was the reason Nfirea asked for Momon by name.

He wanted to find out information about the potion by deepening their friendship. Aside from this, during the process of heading to the forest to harvest herbs, Momon might unknowingly leak some other information.

Nfirea worked hard to hide his excitement, asking Enri carefully with a calm voice like before.

“Oh, what kind of potion was it?”

“Eh?”

“You know that I am a pharmacist, I am interested in potions.”

“Ah, that’s right! These kind of things are your job.”

Enri told Nfirea everything about how the Magic Caster gave her the potion. Enri mentioned the amazing feats of Ainz Ooal Gown while doing so, which would had made Nfirea from just now jealous. But right now, his mind was full of something else.

After consolidating all the information and unveiling several layers of mask, the hidden identity was finally revealed.

The potion in Re-Lantier and the potion Enri drank might be the same thing. And the people who appeared in both of these places were duo travelers of Magic Caster and warrior in black armour.

There was only one answer, but there were two candidates for the one claiming to be Ainz Ooal Gown. He seemed to be a man from Enri’s description, but to be safe, Nfirea asked to confirm:

“… The person named Ainz Ooal Gown, could she be… a woman?”

“Hmmm? No? I didn’t see his face, but the voice belonged to a man.”

This evidence wasn’t enough to prove that the other party was definitely a man, there could be spells and items to change one’s voice. But it felt wrong equating Nabel with Ainz Ooal Gown. The cool and bumbling Nabel compared to the intelligent, collected and helpful Ainz, they were too different. It was too far of a stretch to link them together—

“The one in black armor seemed to be called Albedo.”

“I, I see…”

He remembered that Nabel mentioned that name.

The cat is out of the bag.

Ainz Ooal Gown is — Momon.

This showed an amazing fact.

The Magic Caster who saved the village was also an accomplished warrior. There were warriors who were trained in magic, but the balance will trend towards one of the skills. It was the same for Magic Casters. If mana based Magic Caster wore heavy armor, they wouldn’t be able to chant spells.

A 3rd tier Magic Caster and an adamantite class swordsman adventurer.

What an absurd existence. If there really was someone like that, he would definitely be a hero among heroes.

But if that were the case, why was he asking so many questions during their travels?

The most logical explanation would be that he was a Magic Caster who learned unknown techniques in a foreign nation, so he didn’t know these things. If that were the case, it would be natural for him to possess foreign potions which Nfirea knew nothing about.

Nfirea got this valuable information and his breathing turned ragged; he couldn’t stop it even though he knew Enri was looking at him strangely.

Complicated feelings emerged in his heart at the same time.

Compared to Ainz, who saved Enri and gave her a potion, he was despicable and detestable for getting close to him in order to learn the secrets of making that potion.

Enri should prefer such a man.

He can’t help sighing when he thought of that.

“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“Erm, yes. I’m fine, just thinking of something…”

If he found out how to create the potion, he could save many people and cleanse his sense of guilt. But the chance of that happening was slim. He just want to obtain new methods of making potions as a pharmacist.

He wasn’t just a powerful warrior, but an excellent Magic Caster too. A beauty accompanied him, he possessed unknown potions and he had a strong sense of justice to save the village that was in danger. Nfirea compared such a man with himself.

Nfirea felt a depressingly wide chasm between himself and Momon— no, Ainz Ooal Gown.

“What’s the matter? You look weird?”

“Ah, yeah. It’s nothing.”

Nfirea held back his sigh and smiled, but he wasn’t confident that he could smile naturally. Enri made an expression that showed she had seen through Nfirea’s fake smile.

“… What should I do? Enri hates people who hide their shameful affairs right?”

“… Before we are called forth by God, everyone has things that he or she keeps in their heart. Especially things that cause misfortune when said. But if keeping these secrets cause misfortune to others, that would be another matter… I won’t detest you for this, so no matter what crimes you committed, it would be better to surrender yourself to the authorities!”

“…No, I didn’t commit any crimes.”

“Eh… Yes! That’s right! There was no way Nfirea would commit crimes! I trust you deeply!”

Looking at Enri who was laughing forcefully, Nfirea relaxed the strength in his shoulders.

“Yes, but I still have to thank you. You made things easier in some ways. I will work hard to be as good as he is.”

In order to lift my face high and say to you that I like you, I love you.

Part 2

“Oh───”

Ainz sighed and looked towards the village in admiration.

There were many different villagers all standing in a line. Men and women, old and young, they were all there. There were forty year old plump women who looked like mothers, there were also youths whose age looked around ten years old. All of them were serious to an extent that they appeared hostile. No one was fooling around.

A goblin holding a bow was speaking to them.

Even with Ainz’s sensitive hearing, he couldn’t hear what they were saying from this distance.

A few moments later, the lined-up villagers slowly picked up their bows. They were simple shortbows and judging by their shape, they were probably self-made.

After fully drawing the bow, they aimed at the scarecrows some distance away.

The goblin probably issued a command and the villagers fired in unison.

The bows might look simple, but the arc of the arrows was beautiful. Everyone hit the scarecrow, no one missed.

“Not bad.”

Ainz praised.

“Is that so?”

Narberal asked doubtfully, standing behind him.

From her perspective, she probably wouldn’t understand why a technique of this level was worthy of praise. Compared to the archers in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this was child’s play.

Ainz understood how Narberal felt and smiled bitterly under his helmet.

“You’re right Narberal, their skill with the bow may not be that amazing. But just ten days ago, they couldn’t even use a bow. They aren’t passively hoping their spouses, children and parents won't die in another tragedy, instead they’re actively taking up arms to defend themselves whenever necessary. Isn’t the technique they learned with this courage worthy of praise?”

What was praiseworthy, was the hate that pushed the villagers to this extent.

“My apologies. I hadn’t thought about it so deeply…”

“It’s fine, no need to think too much, Narberal. Their technique isn’t worthy of praise anyway.”

Ainz watched the arrows fly through the sky and pierce the scarecrow, and a thought surfaced in his mind.

How strong would they become? How strong could I get?

In YGGDRASIL, Ainz had already reached the level cap of 100. His experience points were at 90 % of the limit when he came to this world. This was just a hypothesis, but since his other abilities were still intact, the level system in this world should be the same. The problem was whether he could obtain the remaining 10 % of experience points and reach level 101.

Considering this question, Ainz could guess the answer.

He couldn’t get stronger. He had already reached the peak of power.

Ainz was strong, but he won’t get stronger. But the villagers were weak and might become unexpectedly strong.

If the people in this world didn’t have any limit to their growth, they could exceed the level 100 peak in YGGDRASIL. If that happened, Ainz and his underlings in the Great Tomb of Nazarick wouldn’t be able to match them.

But this will absolutely—

“It might happen though…”

Ainz thought it could be possible that the Six Gods of the Slane Theocracy were players. He didn’t know why the time of their appearance was so far apart from his, but if the Six Gods were from heteromorphic races without limited lifespan, or if they had lifespan-specific class, there was a high probability that they were still alive.

If the Six Gods were still hiding in the Slane Theocracy, then during the last 600 years there might’ve been those who used the strength of the Six Gods to power level — gaining experience faster than normal through the help of powerful players— It wouldn’t be surprising if someone over level 100 showed up.

Then the reason Slane Theocracy didn’t rule this world would be due to an existence with a similar level. Or maybe level 100 was nothing impressive here.

When he thought about that, Ainz’s non-existent stomach started to cramp.

If the Six Gods were players, he had to try his best to get on their good side, even if the information gathering wasn’t complete. But according to the survivors of the Sunlight Scripture, the Knights of the Empire who attacked the village were actually imposters from the Theocracy, which would mean that saving this village was the same as opposing the Theocracy.

“Maybe it was a mistake to help them…”

He needed to gather more information after all.

While Ainz was preoccupied with such thoughts, he noticed a young man running towards him. The eyes, which were normally covered by hair, were visible as his hair swayed in the wind. He was staring straight at Ainz.

Seeing Nfirea’s behavior, Ainz got a bad feeling. It was the same look of panic he had seen in the village chief.

“What’s the hurry? Is there another emergency? This village is really…”

Nfirea reached Ainz, who was rambling on.

Nfirea was panting, and his forehead was drenched in sweat, causing his hair to part. It revealed his serious expression, looking at Ainz and Narberal.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, not sure how to speak. He finally made up his mind and asked Ainz:

“Momon-san, are you Sir Ainz Ooal Gown?”

This sudden question dumbfounded Ainz. The correct answer should be no.

But could he say that? That was the name he and his friends created. Even though it was his name right now, could he really deny it?

This period of hesitation was the best proof, and Nfirea went on.

“So it is you, Sir Gown. Thank you for saving this village and Enri.”

Ainz answered the bowing Nfirea, ”No… I…”

Hearing the words Ainz managed to squeeze out, Nfirea nodded understandingly:

"I understand you’re hiding your identity for some reason, but I still wanted to thank you for saving this village— no, for saving Enri. Thank you for saving the girl I like.”

He felt like an old uncle, thinking that ‘like’ was a word only used by youths. For a moment he allowed himself to reminisce about the past, while thinking about other, more important things.

“Ah… enough… lift your head.”

This meant admitting that he was Ainz Ooal Gown, which meant he had no possible explanation to refute Nfirea’s idea. It was Ainz’s loss.

“Yes, Sir Gown. Also, actually… I’ve been hiding something from you.”

“… Follow me. Nabel, stand by here.”

After issuing the order to Narberal, Ainz brought Nfirea to some place further away. This was to prevent Narberal from hearing anything strange and getting agitated.

After getting some distance away from Narberal, Ainz turned around to face the youth.

“Actually…”

Nfirea gulped nervously, then made a determined face.

“Sir Gown, the potion you gave to the woman at the tavern is impossible to create using normal methods and is very rare. I wanted to know what kind of person owned such a potion and it’s brewing method, that’s why I requested you for this job. I am very sorry.”

“Oh, so that’s it.”

That was the mistake.

Ainz gave a potion to Enri in this village, and he gave a similar potion to someone in Re-Lantier. That was how his identity got exposed. Not only that—

… I should had gotten that potion back. If only I had asked for the name of that female adventurer… But there’s no point crying over spilled milk.

Ainz thought that giving her the potion was the best way back in Re-Lantier.

She said ‘With such a flashy armor, you must have some potions, right?’ She probably didn’t mean to, but that greatly limited the actions Ainz could take.

For example, if someone got out of a classy car, wearing expensive clothes and dressed extravagantly, you would think that the car fit the man. However, what if he dressed poorly? You would think that man spent all his money on the car and mock him.

Ainz wanted to avoid that.

If he rejected her back then, the beauty of his companion Narberal and his flashy armor would be the subject of envy and unfavourable rumors would be spread. Things like rumors would stick with you for life and people would pick on that wound endlessly.

Ainz came to this place in order to raise his fame as an adventurer, so he needed to avoid doing things that might damage his reputation.

After considering all this, he gave the potion away.

It was a gamble, but it wasn’t regrettable even though he lost. It wasn’t a total loss yet, there were still a chance to patch things up. Ainz wasn’t perfect and will continue making mistakes.

But he didn’t understand why Nfirea was apologizing.

“There is no reason to apologize, right?”

“Eh?”

“… It is uncomfortable to hide things and asking to shake your hand with a smile. But the request this time was made in order to build a relationship right? So what is the problem?”

Ainz asked in sincere bafflement.

“Sir Gown is really forgiving…”

Ainz didn’t understand why Nfirea was impressed. Human relations were the basic requirement in society; there was no problem in wanting to establish relationships. It might be vague, but Ainz had understood something. Maybe Nfirea viewed himself as an industrial spy who was getting close to him in order to his steal secrets.

“If I tell you how to make the potion, what would you do with this information?”

Nfirea yelled in surprised and answered after pondering shortly:

“I didn’t think that far. I’m driven by curiosity… My grandmother is probably the same.”

“I see. That isn’t a problem. It would be different if you were planning to commit some felonies, but it’s fine if you don’t plan to do that.”

“How amazing. No wonder… she idolizes you…”

The mumbling youth’s hair had dried in the wind and covered his eyes once more. But Ainz could see his envious eyes. They were the eyes of a youth, who likes baseball, seeing a pro.

The young man’s expression was similar to the one made by Ainz and his comrades who were rescued after being PKed repeatedly: being in awe by the strength of a savior.

The feelings of embarrassment surfaced and were suppressed.

Nfirea’s attitude affected his heart, surprising Ainz, but he recovered immediately and took action. He had to find out something first.

“By the way, are you the only one who knows I am Ainz?”

“Yes, I didn’t tell anyone.”

“I see, that’s great.”

Ainz thought about how to ask Nfirea as he said that. He had no clue how to go about it, so he requested directly.

“… Right now I am an ordinary adventurer called Momon. I would be grateful if you could remember that.”

“Yes, I thought you would say that. I know it would cause Momon-san a lot of trouble, but I can’t help wanting to express my thanks to you. Thank you very much for saving Enri and this village.”

With serious eyes, Nfirea sincerely expressed his thanks to Ainz.

“There’s no need to be so formal. I simply happened to be passing by.”

“But even so, there was no need to give that horn as a present.”

The horn wasn’t given for any special reason, but it’s good that Nfirea thought of it as kindness. Ainz didn’t say anything, just nodded generously.

As the client, Nfirea said that they would head into the forest in an hour. He expressed his thanks for saving the village again and left.

As he watched Nfirea’s figure move away, Narberal came before Ainz and bowed.

“Ainz-sama, I am very sorry!”

“People are watching, raise your head.” When Narberal lift her head, Ainz spoke thornily: “Yes, you should be sorry; it’s because you mentioned Albedo’s name.”

Being exposed had nothing to do with her mentioning Albedo, but that was a huge blunder. I will use this chance to correct her and warn her to never do it again. First would be banning her from addressing me as Ainz… But… No one seemed to have heard…

“Allow me to atone for my crime with death!”

She didn’t sound like she was kidding.

Everyone in the Grand Tomb of Nazarick was like that, treating the 41 members of Ainz Ooal Gown as the Supreme beings, the absolute authority and took glory in serving them.

It was a bit heavy for Ainz, but it wasn’t bad if the NPC he created served him happily. That was the fate of all creators.

Narberal was an NPC like that. If she were jokingly ordered to commit suicide, she would oblige immediately. She was seeking permission because of her sense of absolute duty to her master, since she saw her life as the property of her master.

“… Enough. No matter who, everyone makes mistakes. Just work hard and avoid failing again. Work hard step-by-step and don’t make the same mistake. I won’t pursue this failure further, Narberal Gamma.”

Her feelings of wanting to die to atone for her failure and Ainz’s refusal for her to do that. Narberal was trapped between these two emotions. Shortly after, Ainz felt the scale of her emotions fall towards one end.

Narberal lowered her head slowly:

“I am very grateful! I will take care and not make the same mistake next time!”

“… Yes, don’t take it too hard. Because the adventurer known as Momon— this disguised identity isn’t a complete failure yet, just be careful next time. But… depending on how things pans out, we might need to dispose of Nfirea…”

“Right now?”

“Don’t joke with me. It would be more troublesome to mess up the assigned job.”

Nfirea’s grandmother is a famous pharmacist in Re-Lantier. Angering her would make achieving Ainz’s goal even harder.

“Anyway… let’s see how things turns out.”

Right now, that was the best he could do.

Part 3

A few hundred meters away, there was a large clearing in the direction of the forest.. The goblins felled the trees there to construct the palisade, but the opening looked like the maw of a giant monster.

Ainz's group did their final check here. The young man who made the job request was the first to speak up:

"We will be entering the forest now, I will be relying on everyone to act as escorts. The territory of the Virtuous King of the Forest isn’t far from here, if everything goes well the chance of encountering other monsters will be low. The only problem is that the place where we encountered the ogres yesterday is also inside the Virtuous King of the Forest's area of influence, so something might be happening in the forest. This is a somewhat trivial matter, but nevertheless I hope everybody will keep their guard up."

Nfirea's gaze stopped on Ainz's face momentarily.

The members of the ‘Sword of Darkness’ also looked at Ainz.

"With Momon-san here, it shouldn't be a problem."

"If the Virtuous King of the Forest shows up, we will keep it busy. Please escape in the meanwhile."

Ainz's confident words made everyone swoon. After the battle with the Ogres yesterday, he became the center of attention.

Ainz felt uncomfortable with everyone praising him.. His embarrassment was the result of not having been praised much in his past life. Ainz envied Narberal who accepted all this proudly.

"If there’s a need to run, could I trouble you all to clear the area? The stronger the Virtuous King of the Forest is, the more power I need to use and I don’t want everyone getting caught in the crossfire."

"Understood. We will protect Nfirea-san and escape out of the forest. Please don't push yourself too much either, Momon-san."

"Thank you. I will run if I think it is too dangerous."

"Erm… Momon-san."

Nfirea who was hesitant about speaking up finally made up his mind:

"Could you spare the Virtuous King of the Forest and just chase him away?"

"… Why?"

"Well… Because of the influence of the Virtuous King of the Forest, Carne is able to avoid the attacks of monsters. If you defeat the Virtuous King of the Forest…"

"I see…"

"This is rather tough. Momon-san might be very strong, but the opponent is a legendary monster. If he doesn't use his full power, Momon-san might not be able to protect himself. How could he spare the effort—"

"I understand."

"Huh?!"

Lukeluther yelled in surprise. The other members of the Sword of Darkness didn’t speak up, but they still had a surprised expression on their faces.

"It might be difficult, but I will do my best to hold back and endeavor to drive it away."

Listening to Ainz’s confident words, the group of adventurers felt shivers running down their spines.

"Even though the opponent… is the legendary monster that lived for centuries…"

"This is the attitude of a powerful man…"

"Considering Momon-san's personality, he shouldn’t be boasting…"

Unlike the members of the Sword of Darkness, Nfirea had a rough idea of Ainz’s strength and was showing a relieved expression. Ainz smiled in his heart as he watched this young man.

The young man hoped that no monsters would attack Carne village. If Ainz replaced the Virtuous King of the Forest with another monster to maintain the sphere of influence, Ainz could still grant the young man's wish.

Even if Ainz killed the Virtuous King of the Forest, he could resolve the issue by sending an underling from Nazarick to take over.

"Alright! Let's make haste, the herb I want to harvest looks like this. Please inform me if anyone finds these."

Nfirea took out a dried plant from the pouch on his waist.

"Oh, its Arnica grass!"

To Ainz, this plant was no different from the weed growing nearby, but the druid Dyne could tell the difference and identify it by name.

Reacting to this name, Lukeluther and Ninya nodded in agreement. They probably had some knowledge about plants and found the name familiar.

As Ainz was hesitating if he should pretend to know about it, everyone was looking at him.

"Would you have any problem, Momon-san?"

"Hmmm? Ah, that plant? I got it."

Ainz nodded calmly.

If not for the mental tenacity of the undead, his voice would’ve wavered or changed in pitch. But Ainz's expression was covered by his helmet, so no one would know what he was thinking. Ainz who was covered in layers of metal looked impressive, but he was wavering on the inside.

"Yes, this is the herb that is normally used in the process of making healing potions."

"And it grows near the adventurers guild!"

"Oh, is that so. Then the mystery of why we made the trip to the forest in order to harvest the herb is solved— I heard that wild herbs are more potent than farmed ones?"

That's correct. All the potions from my place uses natural herbs, that is a selling point to be proud of! But the potency only increases about 10 percent."

"For people with their life on the line, these 10 percent are very important. Selling better potions for the same retail price as others… As expected of the famous Bareare pharmacy."

Listening to the members of the Sword of Darkness discussing potions with Nfirea, Ainz fell into deep thought.

YGGDRASIL's potion were made using skills that were available to specific job classes and enchanting ingredients with spells. Ainz had knowledge about this, but he heard it was created from a specific material and alchemic liquid. He had never heard about using herbs…

This meant that potion creation in this world was different from YGGDRASIL. When Nfirea said 'it couldn't be made through normal means', this was probably the reason.

Ainz believed that if he could harness skills techniques related to the potions of this world, it would strengthen Nazarick. The only question was how.

As he was deep in thought, the topic once again returned to the job at hand and Ainz listened carefully.

"There is an large, open clearing in the forest; I plan to set that area as our target. I already told Lukeluther-san about that place, so please lead the way."

After hearing Lukeluther reply 'Leave it to me', Nfirea returned his gaze to everyone.

"Let's start the harvesting—"

"— I’d like to make a suggestion."

"Please enlighten us, Momon-san."

"Since Narberal can use a spell similar to the 「Alarm」 spell used back in the camp, could we split up temporarily after reaching the destination?"

Everyone including Nfirea frowned. They felt uneasy about the strongest combatant leaving in the middle of the most dangerous area.. Nfirea composed himself and replied:

"That's fine, but please don't take too long."

"Of course. To avoid getting lost in the forest, I will leave a trail of rope. Just pull it if anything happens."

"Should I come along? I need to watch out to make sure you don’t do anything weird with Nabel-chan."

"Die you lower life form (Aphid). Is there only lust in your brain? Can you even move if that is gone?"

"… Enough Nabel. Lukeluther-san, that won't be necessary. Ninya-san, is there any magic that allows us to locate each other if we get separated in the forest? It would be convenient if there is."

"I have never heard of such a spell. Such a spell would indeed be convenient."

After hearing Ninya's negative reply, Ainz nodded.

Among the magic of the 6th tier, there is a spell that allows you to locate specific objects. Does he lack the knowledge, or does YGGDRASIL have spells that do not exist in this world?

Leaving this question aside, Ainz gestured at Nabel with his chin, signaling her to get ready. Nabel received the order and watched the Sword of Darkness members closely:

"Momon-san and Nabel-san are leaving for a moment; they will start harvesting when they return."

Since the client decided this, no one protested. All the members of the Sword of Darkness agreed and nodded.

After concluding the final check, Nfirea gave the cue to set off in a loud voice.

The ground where the trees were cut down by the villagers had dried up. The woodland was easy to traverse, but the scenery in front of them gradually changed into a green maze.

The forest didn’t have any landmarks, to the point where one was unable to tell which direction they were heading. It created a feeling of helpless anxiety, an uneasiness that stemmed from having nothing to rely on. The trees covering the sky reinforced that effect and normal people would be afraid. But due to the mental strength of an undead, Ainz wouldn't feel any fear apart from his own lingering human emotions, calmly watching the grandiose scene of nature in awe.

In YGGDRASIL, Forests and other natural zones were nothing but the game world's sceneries — this kind of thought appeared in his heart.

Ainz, who was proud of the Great Tomb of Nazarick’s design felt conflicted; he didn't realise that a natural forest could be so amazing.

I understand why Blue Planet-san likes nature so much…

As he watched the surroundings of the forest for signs of monsters, he noted that it was really quiet. Apart from the cawing of far-away birds, Ainz couldn't sense any living creatures.

He could see the back of the ranger Lukeluther, who used all his senses as he cautiously advanced. Lukeluther seemed to think there weren't any living beings hiding out there.

Actually, someone is hiding behind us.

Ainz was proud of the person approaching them unnoticed from the back.

The group — except for Ainz and Narberal — were quietly moving in the sunlight while feeling extremely tense. The forest was surprisingly cool, but due to the uneven ground and the psychological pressure, the group was sweating buckets.

They finally reached an open space with a width of fifty meters.

"This will be our base. Let's pick the plants with here as the center."

Upon hearing Nfirea's words and seeing him put down his bags, everyone else followed suit but didn't let down their guard, prepared for any emergency as they watched their surroundings.

This was no longer the world of men.

"Let's move as we planned."

After acknowledging Nfirea, Ainz tied a rope on a nearby tree and entered the forest as he left the trail of rope behind him.

The rope was thin and strong, it wouldn't break easily because of friction against the ground. Ainz and Nabel did their best to move in a straight line into the forest.

Normally, it was impossible to move in a straight line through the forest as your path would be blocked by trees. But with the rope as a guide, the two who were inexperienced in forest navigation were able to advance in a straight line.

Their backs were covered by trees, so there was no danger of being spied on. Someone who could detect anyone who was following them was nearby, so there was no need to worry.

"This place should do."

"Yes."

"Let us discuss how to raise my fame."

"… May I ask what your plans are? Find plenty of the herbs they are after?"

Ainz silently looked at Narberal and shook his head:

"I intend to fight the Virtuous King of the Forest."

Ainz continued to explain to the baffled Narberal:

"Our goal is to display our strength in a clear and simple way."

"… Didn't we showed them plenty during the fight against the ogres?"

"… You are right, but monsters like goblins and ogres aren't enough. If they tell about my exploits back in the city, saying that I defeated the Virtuous King of the Forest is on a whole different level than cleaving an ogre in half in terms of fame. That's why we need to put on a good performance."

"I see! As expected of Ainz-sama! A flawless plan! But how would we find that Virtuous King of the Forest?"

"I already planned for that."

Narberal was about to enquire further, but was interrupted by the voice of a third party:

"Yes— That's why I’m here."

The sudden sound made Narberal turn and look with sharp eyes. She extended her right hand and prepared to fire her spell at the target, but after recognising the owner of the voice, she regained her composed expression:

"Aura-sama! Please don't scare me like that."

"Sorry."

Appearing from behind the trees was a smiling dark elf girl.

One of the sixth floor twin guardians of the Grand Tomb of Nazarick, Aura Bella Fiora.

"When did you arrive?"

"Hmmm? I was following you since you and Ainz-sama entered the forest.”

Aura was a beast tamer cum ranger, tracking in the forest was a piece of cake for her. Lukeluther might be a ranger as well, but the difference in their skills were too vast for him to detect Aura.

"I was summoned here to find the monster known as the Virtuous King of the Forest and make it attack Ainz-sama."

"That's right, according to the intelligence I got, the Virtuous King of the Forest has white fur, a snake-like tail, and is a four legged beast… Does this ring any bells?"

"Yes, no problem. It's probably that fellow."

Aura looked upwards and replied confidently:

"If that’s the case, want me to tame it directly?"

"… That's a plan too, but there is no need."

If it was the tamer Aura, she would be able to tame the Virtuous King of the Forest easily. But it would be bad if others found out it was just a show. Removing all these issues from the very beginning would be the best way.

"By the way Aura, how is the other task I ordered you to carry out going?"

"Yes!"

Aura knelt immediately to pay her respect to her master.

It doesn't feel like Aura's style, but Ainz accommodated her actions and listened with the attitude of a master.

"Ainz-sama ordered me to 'explore and understand the forest and find any living beings willing to join Nazarick, and set up a warehouse to store resources. Everything is proceeding smoothly."

“I see.” Ainz replied curtly.

Before heading to Re-Lantier, he issued different orders to each of the guardians. Aura and Mare were dispatched to the forest to ensure the safety of Nazarick and collect intelligence.

As for the warehouse, terming it as an emergency shelter would be more adequate. Aura was ordered to set such a place up so that in the event of an emergency preventing a return to Nazarick, it could serve as a hiding place. Also, having another base would help in preventing Nazarick from being exposed.

And of course, it serves as a warehouse to keep all sort of materials.

Tasking her to find creatures willing to work for Nazarick was to confirm the possibility of power leveling, and what the ways of leveling up in this world were.

Because they were tasked with various missions, powerful beings like Aura, Mare and their underlings came to the forest to establish a base, upsetting the power balance in the forest. This forced monsters such as ogres to enter the Virtuous King of the Forest's territory in order to escape the forest.

"But the construction of the warehouse will take a very long time."

"That is unavoidable. It hadn't been long since I issued the order."

Even though they brought golems and undead helpers that could work without rest, it was still a huge amount of work to be done.

"You can take your time, but do it right. And beef up the defenses so it won't fall easily when attacked."

"Yes! By your command!"

"Excellent. Well then, I leave the task regarding the Virtuous King of the Forest to you."

"Yes!"

Aura replied energetically and stood up.

After Ainz left, a giant black wolf with bright fur seemed to be waiting for this moment and sauntered slowly out of the trees. It's crimson eyes seemed to be burning and were full of intelligence, proving that it wasn't a simple beast.

That wasn’t all.

On top of the other trees, a 6 legged monster that seemed to be a cross of chameleon and iguana was changing its skin color rapidly. It was as large as the wolf.

"Fenny, Crackerlacile, what’s wrong? Were you guys worried about me?"

The giant wolf named Fenny whined and butted Aura with its head. Crackerlacile stuck out its tongue and patted Aura's head.

"Hey, we still have the work Ainz-sama ordered us to carry out."

Among the guardians, Aura was second worst in strength, even some area guardians were stronger than her. But that was in terms of single combat power.

Aura’s strength wasn’t single combat, but group fights. Among the hundreds of monsters tamed by Aura, the strongest was level 80. With the special support skills of Aura, it was equivalent to level 90. With her monsters, Aura's fighting prowess could overwhelm the single combat power of the other guardians.

Among Aura's tamed beasts, these two were Aura's favorite high-level monsters — the holy beast Fenrir, Fenny, and the similarly powerful Itzamna, Crackerlacile.

Fenny and Crackerlacile stopped playing around after hearing Aura's words.

"Good, let's go!"

Aura brought the two beast along and ran through the forest. Her speed wasn't affected even though she was in the forest, moving as fast as the wind.

After running for about 30 minutes, Aura reached her destination.

Aura had a cold smile that didn't match her young age. It felt innocent and cruel at the same time. "I wanted to claim this for myself, but since this is Ainz-sama's order, it couldn't be helped."

Aura didn't seem to be talking to her pet. She was mumbling as if she was talking about some accessories.

She knew about the Virtuous King of the Forest's nest because Aura wanted to tame it before. The Virtuous King of the Forest was weak when compared to Aura's monsters, so it wasn't worth much. But it was an unknown monster to Aura, so it spurred her collector’s spirit. It was a pity to not add it to her collection, but she had no complaints if it was for the supreme master she was willing to offer everything to.

"Okay."

Aura changed the composition of the air in her lungs. The unnatural air composition was breathed out of her slightly opened, pink lips. It was a breathing technique to control emotions.

It radiates around herself normally and had a short range, so it was a special passive ability. But if Aura desired it, it could be combined with her ranged attack and hit a single target 2km away. Even if it was in such a dense forest.

But there was no need to do so this time. Her aim was to erase her presence and approach the target undetected. Wild animals aside, even monsters which had better senses couldn't notice Aura's approach.

Aura boldly walked to the side of the Virtuous King of the Forest with her presence erased and took a light breath. Her breath was composed of elements that incited fear, suddenly awakening the Virtuous King of the Forest that was in deep slumber.

All the fur on the Virtuous King of the Forest stood on end and it ran off in a panic. A frightened four legged beast was surprisingly fast. But Aura, who was chasing it, was faster.

With breaths from time to time to guide the Virtuous King of the Forest to Ainz, Aura was chasing it just like 'death'.

The forest turned noisy.

Perking up his ears, Lukeluther was wary because of the change in the air of the forest and observed the surroundings with a serious face.

"Something is coming."

Hearing this, the members of the ‘Sword of Darkness’ who were picking herbs drew their weapons and prepared for battle. Ainz also held his giant sword tightly.

"Is it the Virtuous King of the Forest?"

No one answered Nfirea, who put the herbs into his pack. Everyone looked into the depth of the forest in silence.

"This is bad."

The carefree Lukeluther shouted in a stern voice:

"Something big is heading this way. I don't know why it is moving in a meandering path, but judging from the sound of it trampling the grass, it should be here soon. But… It's uncertain whether this is the Virtuous King of the Forest or not."

"Retreat, it's dangerous to stay here even if it’s not the Virtuous King of the Forest. We are in its territory, so even if it's not the Virtuous King of the Forest, the chances of it attacking us is high."

Peter said as he looked towards Ainz:

"Momon-san, could you act as the rear guard?"

"No problem, leave it to me… I will take care of the rest."

The members of the ‘Sword of Darkness’ offered words of encouragement as they retreated out of the forest with Nfirea in toll.

"Momon-san, please don't push yourself too hard."

Nfirea's voice had absolute confidence in Ainz, his eyes covered under his bangs were full of adoration. Ainz felt uneasy and urged them to leave faster.

After seeing the group disappear at the other side of the forest, Ainz momentarily feared that he couldn't navigate out of the forest by himself. But he immediately remembered that he could let Aura guide him.

The task at hand───

"Oh no… It might not be recognized as the Virtuous King of the Forest… Even if I want to take the Virtuous King of the Forest back to Nazarick, I have to obtain proof that I defeated it… How about slashing off one of its legs?"

"───Ainz-sama."

In the direction Narberal was looking, there was a large shadow some distance behind the forest. Ainz couldn't see it because it was hidden behind the forest. The sunlight didn't reach it, so he couldn't confirm if its body was silvery white.

"Is the guest here?"

Maybe I am the guest- Ainz thought about random things as he stood in front of Narberal. He couldn't convert its power to levels, so Ainz wasn't sure of the Virtuous King of the Forest's power. So Ainz naturally stood before the Magic Caster Narberal, who wasn't proficient in melee combat, to protect her.

Standing before Narberal, Ainz felt a flow in the air and used his giant sword to shield himself.

The sound of metal clashing reverberated and Ainz felt a heavy pressure in his arms. Something heavy hit Ainz's giant sword at a very high speed.

He could see a long tail with scales like a snake sliding back behind the trees.

The tail attacked like a whip. Judging from the sound and sensation of the impact, that tail is as tough as steel… It's range of more than 20m is troubling, but how does it live its normal life with such a tail?

Ainz lacked the special skills of a vanguard and couldn't think of any way to deal with it. The best he could do was melee combat.

Ainz sighed. He didn't have lungs, so he was just going through the motion. He lowered his shoulders and adopted a stance. Seeing that Ainz was prepared to fight, a deep and calm voice came from the forest:

"To completely block the first attack of this king, impressive… To meet such an opponent… This is the first for this king."

"This king…"

Ainz's illusionary face stiffens, then he remembered that these words were translated. According to the judgement of Ainz's mind, these were the words closest to what it said.

"Well then, intruder to the territory of this king. If thou is thinking of fleeing, I will let the matter rest since you displayed such excellent defense… How about it?"

"… What a foolish question. Of course I will defeat you and reap the rewards… Anyway, are you hiding because you lack confidence in your appearance or are you shy by nature?"

"… What imposturous words, intruder! Behold this king's majestic figure and tremble in fear!"

The Virtuous King of the Forest emerged from the forest slowly, showing itself to Ainz.

After seeing it, Ainz's illusionary face stared with eyes wide open.

"Hahaha, this king could feel the terror and shock from beneath thy helmet."

The monster's face wrinkled in a smile and its long tail coiled up. Strange markings that resemble words appeared on its silvery white body. It was about the size of a horse but was very short, a stout body that developed horizontally.

The Virtuous King of the Forest closed the distance slowly.

"What is this feeling…"

Emotions that were hard to describe washed over Ainz. After becoming an undead, every strong emotion would be suppressed. Considering this, this wasn’t a strong emotion. Even so, including the time when YGGDRASIL was a game, he had never felt this way after seeing a monster.

"…I want to ask one thing, what is your race known as?"

"This king is the Virtuous King of the Forest thou speak of. There are no other names."

"Could your race’s name be… Djungarian hamsters?"

Virtuous King of the Forest.

From what Ainz knew, its appearance was similar to an animal known as Djungarian hamster. It had silvery or white fur, black round eyes and a body shaped like a Mochi.

Of course, hamsters didn’t have such a long tail and they wouldn't grow larger than a man. Other than that, Ainz couldn't think of any other creature to describe it. If you asked a hundred people, the answer you would get a hundred times would be hamster. A gigantic Djungarian hamster, or a mutant Djungarian hamster.

It tilted it's cute head───it didn't look like it had a neck───and kept sniffing the air while it spoke:

"Hmm… This king has always lived a solitary life. I don't know about others of my race, so I can't answer you… Might thou know what race this king belongs to?"

"Eh… Yeah… You could say that… A past comrade of mine raised an animal similar to you…"

Ainz recalled how said companion didn’t log into YGGDRASIL for an entire week after his pet Djungarian hamster died of old age.

Behind his back, Narberal muttered a silent “Oh…”, probably because she learned something new about the 41 supreme masters.

"What! To keep a being similar to this king as a pet!"

The Virtuous King of the Forest puffed its cheeks.

Ainz wasn't sure if that was an unhappy or threatening expression, or maybe it was displaying some other emotions. Ainz was only sure it wasn't eating anything.

"Hmmm… Pray explain the details. This king has the obligation to continue the lineage of my race. If others from my race exist, I have the duty to raise the next generation, or this king wouldn't be fit to be called a living being."

According to the Virtuous King of the Forest's theory, Ainz who couldn't produce offspring wasn't fit to be a living being. Ainz thought about the excuse of an undead not being a living being and answered tiredly:

"… Eh, that creature wasn't as big as you."

"Is that so… could it be a child?"

"… No, even fully matured, it was small enough to place in my hand."

The Virtuous King of the Forest seemed to be dejected as its whiskers drooped down.

"That's a bit hard… Is this king fated to live alone till death…"

"… A cooler race would be more like it… but a hamster. I empathize with your situation, but if you find another one of your race, your numbers would increase exponentially and the world might be destroyed…"

The Virtuous King of the Forest's whiskers perked up while its beady eyes remained the same. It sounded a bit angry: "How preposterous! Continuing to raise next generation is of grave importance! And this king has always been alone! It is natural to want to meet others of my kind!"

"Eh… Yeah… It's obvious to think about it this way… Pleases forgive my slip of the tongue…"

Ainz thought about his comrades in Ainz Ooal Gown and apologised. The words of this hamster reminded him of his comrades and he actually apologised to a hamster, which gave him some complicated feelings.

"… Never mind, I will forgive thee. It's time to end the useless banter, let's duel to the death… Be aware… Those who invade onto this king's realm will end up as food!"

"Huh… Yeah…"

Ainz felt he was losing his drive.

He knew that cute appearance was just on the outside, but Ainz was unmotivated. The overlord of the Great Tomb of Nazarick dueling against a giant hamster. Objectively speaking, this scene was too sad.

If he defeated it, would he need to drag the body of the giant hamster back and tell others about it? 'This is the Virtuous King of the Forest, I couldn't chase it away because the battle was too intense.' How would the other adventurers, including the members of the Sword of Darkness, see this? The best case scenario he could think of was them consoling Ainz with gentle eyes.

Don't kill the Virtuous King of the Forest then, just capture it alive and ask what it knows.

"Nabel, stand back."

Ainz finally gained some will to fight and gave an order. Narberal had an expression of absolute faith in Ainz's victory, bowing deeply before retreating to a corner of the open space.

"Hmm— it's fine if both of you attack at the same time."

"… Two people ganging up on a hamster, I would never allow such a shameless act."

Seeing Ainz adopt a battle stance after saying that, the Virtuous King of the Forest lowered its posture and tensed its body:

"Don't regret it! This king is coming!"

With a bang, the giant body kicked the ground with enough force to make the earth tremble, pouncing towards Ainz.

The Virtuous King of the Forest pounced with its gigantic body, which would send normal people flying if they didn’t use martial arts to counter.

But Ainz used the giant sword as a shield and took the pounce head on.

It was an incredibly powerful blow, but Ainz blocked it easily.

"Oh!"

The Virtuous King of the Forest was surprised that Ainz didn't even take a single step back, and slashed with its unexpectedly sharp claws. Ainz parried it with the sword in his left hand while attacking with his right.

It wasn't a powerful blow, but it was still a mighty strike.

With a high-pitched sound, Ainz swing was deflected, numbing his arm. The Virtuous King of the Forest had defended Ainz's blow with its claws. Both their attacks bounced back after colliding in the air.

"Impressive! How about this! 「Charm Species」."

Mental attacks were ineffective against the undead. Ignoring the spell, Ainz swung both swords at the same time.

The clash of metal erupted again and Ainz's swords were deflected again.

Ainz squinted the eyes under his helmet.

He was just testing the waters, but the Virtuous King of the Forest deflected that strike with its fur. It was as tough as steel.

So it’s fur isn’t soft? It was a bit unexpected, but Ainz shook the thought that shouldn't appear in the midst of battle out of his mind.

Judging from the levels of Yggdrasil, Ainz estimated its physical attack power to be on par with a level 30 warrior. But that might be boosted by spells and equipment, so it couldn't be judged that way. But using that as a gauge, the battle power of the Virtuous King of the Forest was about level 30.

Ainz's illusionary face frowned:

"Not bad… suitable for close-combat practice."

Ainz concluded he would definitely win the fight if he used his full power. He couldn't let his guard down, but it was good sword practice for a vanguard.

Ainz swung the swords in his hands repeatedly while the Virtuous King of the Forest deftly parried the blows with the claws on its front feet… Another sigil on its body lit up as it activated another spell.

"「Blind」"

Unlike 「Charm Species」, this wasn't a mental spell and was effective against Ainz. But since Ainz had a racial skill that nullified all low-level magic against him, the spell vanished without causing any effects.

When it used magic earlier, a different sigil lit up on its body… So the number of sigils was equivalent to the number of spells it could use.

For monsters that could cast spells in YGGDRASIL, the number of spells it could cast were dependent on the level and racial type, but it was normally around 8. There were about 8 sigils on the Virtuous King of the Forest too, so Ainz felt as if he was fighting a monster in YGGDRASIL.

The Virtuous King of the Forest didn't notice that his spell was nullified and attacked with its front legs. Ainz blocked using the giant sword in one hand while attacking with the other.

He was reminded of fighting together with his comrades in the past.

In YGGDRASIL, one of the strongest warriors that used a sword and shield was TouchMe. The one with the strongest attack, Nishiki Enrai, dual wielding the swords 'Amaterasu' and 'Tsukuyomi'. Claiming he didn’t need a second attack─── although that wasn’t the truth─── using the two tachi 'God Slayer Blade' and 'Takemikazuchi Mk. 8', Warrior Takemikazuchi.

He was also reminded of the warrior he met recently — The knight captain of the Kingdom, Gazef Strolonof.

Ainz assumed the appearance of a warrior when he headed towards Re-Lantier because he was inspired by that man.

Ainz rebuked himself for thinking about such things.

I shouldn't think about random stuff in the middle of a fight. I am doing well, but I can’t let my guard down… Even if the opponent is a hamster…

The sword-attack movements his comrades used in the past appeared in Ainz's mind, and he attacked continuously while mimicking them. At the same time, Ainz blocked the counterattack of the Virtuous King of the Forest swiftly with the sword in his left hand.

The fight turned into a stalemate before Ainz's giant sword finally broke through the Virtuous King of the Forest's defense.

"What!"

With the sensation of the giant sword cutting into flesh, the stink of blood came out. The sword in his right hand slightly slashed through the skin of the Virtuous King of the Forest, sending some fur flying in the air.

Ainz followed up with the sword in his left hand, but the Virtuous King of the Forest sensed the danger, leaped backwards and retreated.

It pulled about 10 meters away.

I heard hamsters would escape from its nest with a leap, but I didn't know they could jump backwards...

As Ainz thought idly with the feeling of fighting a giant hamster, the Virtuous King of the Forest lowered its posture.

Ainz looked at his foe in surprise.

What is it trying to do at this distance? If it tries to charge again, I would raise my sword and let it smash into its own ruin… But it was most probably casting another spell.

The coiled tail behind the Virtuous King of the Forest shouldn't be long enough to reach here—

"— No, wrong!"

Ainz realized his miscalculation.

The first tail attack came from an even further distance. This was still within its attack range.

As expected, the tail swung towards Ainz with a large arc. Ainz used the giant sword in his right hand to block and stared with his eyes wide open in surprise. The tail was using the sword as a pivot point to turn.

"!"

Ainz flicked the sword to the side in order to shake off the tail, but he was a moment too slow, the tail loudly hit the back of Ainz’s armor with a great impact.

Because of his racial skills, Ainz didn't take much damage even though his armor was hit by the tail. But if this was an arcade shooting game, it would’ve been a slip up.

"Now the score is 1:1."

Just a mere hamster— the feeling of anger wells up.

I will use a ranged attack too.

Ainz decided as he increased the strength in his right hand. As Ainz was making preparation, the Virtuous King of the Forest said in awe:

"Thy armor… is really great. No, thy power and swordsmanship are impressive. Thou art a superb warrior. Were thee a famous figure among the society of men?"

Ainz relaxes his right hand.

He asked with a hint of disappointment:

"Do I look like a warrior?"

"… Why would thou question that? If not a warrior, what else would thou be? No, perhaps a knight?"

"Virtuous King of the Forest… an undeserved title. The script had been a mess since I found out you were a giant hamster…" It was difficult to see Ainz, who was clad in full armor, as a Magic Caster. But with an impressive name like Virtuous King of the Forest, Ainz was hoping it could sense something was off.

Nullifying magic was only seen as fending it off through strong force of will. The effect of resistance and nullification wasn't much different in YGGDRASIL, but it should have acted more like a wise sage.

But the title of Virtuous King didn't fit him at all. If it was named giant Djungarian hamster from the very beginning, he wouldn't have gotten his hopes up. The people addressing it as virtuous king were the ones with the problem. It was misleading advertisement or branding.

Ainz lost his will to fight and lowered his giant sword.

"What art thou doing! It is probably impossible… Surrendering before the fight concludes? Fight this king with all your might! This is a battle to the death!"

Whenever the hot blooded Virtuous King of the Forest said something unexpected, Ainz would be hit psychologically. Since strong emotions would be suppressed, Ainz should still have some strength left.

"Enough… already."

Ainz said in an icy tone, pointing the sword in his right hand at the Virtuous King of the Forest and activating his power.

Despair aura V.

Because the chance of causing instant death was too high, Ainz held back and only utilized the terror effect of level I.

Air was emitted out with Ainz as the center, the chill that causes mental effects spread out around him.

When it came into contact with the chill, the Virtuous King of the Forest's fur stood on end and it flipped over at an amazing speed. The defenseless soft stomach full of silvery fur was exposed.

"This king surrenders! This king admits its loss!"

"… Ah… it's just an animal after all…"

Ainz answered tiredly as he walked to the Virtuous King of the Forest's side, looking down at its defenseless belly and thinking of his next move.

It is a monster of this world so it would be a pity to chase it away. Too bad it's just a hamster, should I keep it as a pet… At most, its corpse would be of use.

One of Ainz's job classes was necromancer. It was a class that enslaved corpses, but the strength of the zombie created was dependent on the race of the corpse.

The best corpses would be powerful races like dragons while human corpses would turn into zombies or skeletons. What kind of undead would the Virtuous King of the Forest which didn't exist in YGGDRASIL turn into?

Virtuous King of the Forest zombie?

"Want to kill it?"

A bright voice came from behind. Ainz turned and saw Aura had suddenly appeared next to Narberal.

"If you want to kill it, I want its skin. I think it would yield great leather."

Ainz looked down and met the teary eyes of the Virtuous king looking upwards. Its whiskers were trembling as it silently feared what its fate might be.

He recalled his conversation with the Virtuous King of the Forest. It reminded him of his comrades.

After hesitating, Ainz sighed and made a decision:

"My real name is Ainz Ooal Gown. If you are willing to serve me, I will spare your life."

"Thank, thank you for your mercy! This king would repay you with my loyalty. The Virtuous King of the Forest will serve the great warrior Ainz Ooal Gown-sama!"

Aura looked with eyes of pity at the Virtuous King of the Forest declaring its fealty.

After exiting the forest, the group hoping Ainz and Narberal would make it cheered their safe return. Only Lukeluther looked a little stunned.

Nfirea asked Ainz with a mixture of surprise and praise:

"No injuries at all… Did you avoid battle?"

As Ainz was about to answer, Lukeluther interjected:

"Momon-san, did you bring something back with you? Did you get bewitched?"

"I sparred with the Virtuous King of the Forest and tamed it. Hey, show yourself."

The Virtuous King of the Forest with pearl white fur slowly came out of the forest. The Sword of Darkness members stood around Nfirea with a shocked expression, raising their swords and took a step back.

It might just be a Djungarian hamster, but it's so big…

Even though its beady eyes were cute, its gigantic size was still intimidating. It was natural of the adventurers to protect their client. Ainz lowered his volume and said:

"Don't worry everyone. He has submitted to me and won't go berserk and harm people."

Ainz approached the Virtuous King of the Forest and put on an act of caressing its body.

"As my lord said, this Virtuous King of the Forest had sworn fealty to my lord and serves him as a vassal. I swear to my lord that I will not cause trouble for everyone!"

The Virtuous King of the Forest declared its loyalty to Ainz once again.

Everyone might be wary of its gigantic body, but it was originally a cute Djungarian hamster, they wouldn't be on guard after getting used to it. The problem was how to convince everyone this was the real Virtuous King of the Forest. Ainz was at a loss.

But things didn't go the way Ainz imagined.

"… This is the Virtuous King of the Forest! Amazing, what a grand beast!"

— What?

Ainz switched his gaze between Ninya and the Virtuous King of the Forest, observing carefully to see if he was just teasing. But Ninya was serious.

"… Wow, this Virtuous King of the Forest… is as great as the legends! I can feel its tremendous power just by being in its presence!"

Dyne said in awe.

— Huh? Tremendous power?

"Ara, my hat is off to you. To accomplish such a grand feat. With such power, you are indeed qualified to bring Nabel-chan around with you."

"We would definitely be wiped out if we encounter such a monster. As expected of Momon-san. You are too good."

Listening to the praise of Lukeluther and company, Ainz looked at the Virtuous King of the Forest once again.

A gigantic Djungarian hamster.

That's the only comment Ainz had. Why would they think this monster was threatening?

"…. Everyone, don't you think the eyes of this monster are cute?"

Everyone stared with eyes wide open when they heard this, as if their eyeballs were going to drop out. This probably sounded ridiculous to them.

"Mo, Momon-san! You think the eyes of this monster is cute?"

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.”