Overlord Volume 2 Chapter 4

Part 1

They had spent a night outside on the way to Carne Village, and another night within the village itself. After that, they left Carne Village for the city of E-Rantel in the morning, and thus their journey of three days and two nights came to an end. It was almost nightfall by the time they returned to the Fortress City.

The main roads were lit by streetlamps made from 「Continual Light」 spells, which cast white-colored illumination, while the nature of the pedestrians had changed as well. There were no young women and children to be seen, but instead working men returning home after they were done for the day. The two rows of shops on either side emitted cheerful and pleasant sounds.

Ainz looked around him.

The city had not changed much in three days. Or rather, he had gone to Carne Village right after arriving in E-Rantel, so he did not have much basis for comparison. Still, he felt that the peaceful streets remained the same.

They turned off the main road, and then Ainz and company came to a halt.

Obviously stopping in the middle of a busy thoroughfare would be a big hindrance, but nobody dared complain. This was because nobody dared go near Ainz.

Ainz shrugged tiredly, and then peeked at the people around him.

Just about everyone walking past on the street seemed to be looking in Ainz's direction — no, they were staring at him — and whispering to each other.

The sounds of their chatter filtered into Ainz's ears, and he felt like they were mocking him. However, that was just a mistake on his part. If he strained to listen, he would realise that everyone was discussing matters in tones of praise, surprise, or outright fear.

Even so, he could not find it in himself to be relieved.

Ainz silently lowered his head and looked at the pearly-white fur beneath him. It was there because he was riding the Wise King of the Forest.

The people around him were surprised by the Wise King of the Forest's majestic — Ainz wanted to dispute this choice of words — form, and they were discussing how that warrior could ride such a fearsome yet dignified beast, and so on.

I should be able to take pride in that… right…?

This reaction was entirely understandable. The people were praising the Wise King of the Forest as a mighty creature, but to Ainz, it was more like a form of public humiliation. For comparison, it was like a middle-aged bachelor with no family or girlfriend proudly riding a merry-go-round by himself.

In addition, he was riding in an unsightly manner. Because the Wise King of the Forest had a completely different body structure from a regular horse, Ainz was forced to stick his butt out and back while spreading his legs wide. If he did not adopt this stance — which resembled someone jumping over a box — while riding, it would be difficult to keep his balance.

Naturally, riding the Wise King of the Forest was not Ainz's idea. It had taken not only the Swords of Darkness and the Wise King of the Forest itself to persuade him, but also Narberal's humble submission that "a ruler should not be walking." That made him think that perhaps riding it back would be a good idea, but it had ended up like this.

If I'd known this would happen I would have refused. Could it be someone was trying to set me up and arranged for this?

Riding a hamster was something one would hear about in children's fairytales. However, those creatures were best suited for boys and girls. At a stretch, it might be all right for a woman to ride one. A rugged warrior in full plate armor was right out.

However, the surrounding folk all seemed to think that Ainz was the one with the strange reaction.

Could it be that my aesthetic sense is at fault, or that they have weird taste, or is it that this world's sense of aesthetics is completely messed up?

Of course, the answer went without saying. As long as the majority of people felt that it looked good, then it was Ainz's aesthetic sense which was at fault. This was why he could not protest riding the Wise King of the Forest too vigorously. In addition, if riding it made Momon the adventurer that much more memorable — which would help in finding his feet here — all the more reason to do so. All the same—

Isn't this basically a form of shame play?

Ainz's psyche automatically suppressed any emotions he experienced which exceeded a certain magnitude, but this was not happening now. In other words, this was not really affecting him. All this told Ainz one thing.

Does this mean I'm immune to shame play… don't tell me I'm a masochist?… But I've always felt I was more on the sadist side…

"Since we're back in town, it seems the assignment is over."

As Ainz compared the images and videos he had collected in the past to his current mental state and agonized over his sexual fetishes, Peter and Nfirea struck up a conversation.

"Indeed, you're right, the request is at an end. Then… while I've already prepared the arranged remuneration, I still have to pay the bonus we negotiated in the forest. Could you come to my family's store with me?"

The wagon behind Nfirea was piled high with herbs. In addition, there was tree bark, strange fruits which looked like branches, a gigantic mushroom that was large enough for a man to put his arms around, extremely tall grasses, and other such harvests. To an amateur, they seemed like nothing more than plants, but to a trained eye, they were a heaping pile of glittering treasure.

After Ainz subdued the Wise King of the Forest, they were free to fully explore the region in its former sphere of influence. They discovered many rare and valuable herbs, as well as other efficacious ingredients which could be used to make other potions. Nfirea picked and picked nonstop, promising the others that he would pay them a generous bonus on top of the prearranged amount.

"Momon-shi, you should go to the Adventurer's Guild first!"

"Mm, indeed. Since I brought a monster into a city, I need to register the Wise King of the Forest with the Guild."

"It's troublesome, but it can't be helped."

"Well, we wiped out those Ogres and other monsters too, so how about it? Want to all go to the Guild together?"

"Hmm — no, I think not. Momon-san basically did all the heavy lifting for this job, so we should go to Nfirea-san's house first to help with the chores and unload the herbs. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to accept getting the same fees as Momon-san."

The Swords of Darkness nodded as Peter spoke, and Nfirea politely added:

"There's no need to trouble everyone…"

"Well, you did agree to pay us a bonus, so consider this a free service on our part."

After hearing Peter's light-hearted statement, Nfirea politely replied:

"Then, when you come to our store for potions, we'll give you a discount."

"Nothing would please us more. Then, Momon-san, please head to the Guild first, and meet us at Nfirea-san's home afterwards. We'll proceed directly to Nfirea-san's home, take care of the chores, and then go to the Guild to take care of paperwork. Unfortunately, we'll have to trouble you to come again tomorrow because we can only claim the bounty on the Ogres then… we'll meet at the same time as the last time we met you."

"Understood."

Ainz nodded in response to this suggestion. Since he could simply register by nonchalantly asking the Guild receptionists, he did not want to go to the Guild with them. He would have to pretend that he knew how to read this and write that, and it might well cause all his hard work over the past few days to go up in smoke.

"Then, we'll let you take care of business."

Ainz nodded slightly, and then he and Narberal parted ways with Nfirea and the Swords of Darkness. At this point, Narberal leaned in and asked:

"Can we trust them?"

"…It's fine. Even if they betray us, the most we'll lose is the bounty for the Ogres. If we fixate on that measly amount of money and end up with a reputation as penny-pinchers, it'll do more harm than good to our cause."

Ainz had come to this city to make a name for himself. Gaining a reputation for pettiness would impede his future plans.

He would simply have to pretend that he really was that big-hearted.

As he thought of that, Ainz idly reached for his laced-up money pouch. His fingertips pressed it flat almost immediately — a sign that there was not much money inside — but he could easily tell that there were still a few coins left. However, he had the night's lodgings to worry about.

It might not be enough if he included the costs for food and drink, but Ainz was undead, while the ring on Narberal's finger was imbued with magic that removed the need for her to eat or drink, which helped a lot in cutting costs. Narberal could wear and use two rings, and one of her ring slots was allocated to this one. Initially, it had been chosen to protect against consuming something poisonous, but it had proved unexpectedly useful in this situation.

However, as he glanced at the Wise King of the Forest beneath him, he mused, "This guy has got to eat at some point."

Then Narberal cut in:

"Indeed… it would be strange for the almighty Ainz-sama to be concerned about such a small sum. My apologies for my rudeness."

"Umu."

Ainz patted his money pouch again, and he felt what seemed like a stream of sweat on his back, which should not have been to produce sweat. He silently cursed himself for handicapping himself for no reason. And also—

Ainz-sama… don't call me that any more, Narberal. At least nobody was around to hear you…

As Ainz sighed internally, Narberal happily continued:

"Those inferior lifeforms (crane flies) should prostrate themselves before your awesome power, Ainz-sama."

"Well, maybe not to that extent…"

"Ainz-sama, you are being too modest. Although Ogres must be less than insects in your eyes, your sword skills are still first-rate. I am truly amazed, Ainz-sama."

Ainz felt a strange trembling through his waist from the Wise King of the Forest, but he paid it no heed, and instead told Narberal:

"…I was merely swinging my swords using sheer brute force."

Though killing Ogres in one stroke sounded quite impressive, this was not actually the case. When he watched Gazef fight earlier, Ainz had seen the man's fluid movements and technique, but when he reflected on his own moves, he was reminded of a child flailing around with a stick. It shamed him to realize it.

What the Swords of Darkness admired was only the destructive power born of his superhuman strength. It was completely different from their praise of a real warrior like Gazef.

"It would seem it's very difficult to move and fight like a real warrior."

"…Then what about using magic to transform into one?"

There were five spells Ainz could use while wearing armor, and one of them allowed him to convert his magic caster levels into an equivalent number of warrior levels. In other words, by using that spell, he could temporarily become a level one hundred warrior.

Although it also carried the benefit of being able to use certain pieces of arms and armor that would normally require specific job classes to access, there were many drawbacks to that spell. The first weakness was that he could not cast other spells while the magic was in effect. In addition, he would not gain any special warrior skills from the spell, and his recalculated ability scores would be lower than an actual warrior. In other words, it was a spell that turned him into a half-baked level one hundred warrior. Of course, it was enough when matching blades with second-rate combatants like priests and the like, but he would have no chance of winning against an opponent who was a dedicated warrior.

Even so, Ainz would be much stronger in that state than he was now.

The problem was —

"There's too many drawbacks to that spell. If I'm ambushed by an opponent of my level, I won't be able to use magic for a while, and defeat is certain. I could use scrolls to cast spells, but it would take too much preparation time. It's still a major flaw in the spell."

Since he did not know if there were any enemy players around, he could not allow himself to lower his guard. There was no need to use that spell and make himself weaker on purpose.

"I'm pretending to be a warrior to hide my true identity, so there's no need to be so shocked."

"!"

A tremor ran through the Wise King of the Forest as it raised its head to look at Ainz, a surprised look on its face.

"Your humble servant was listening to your words; could it be that you are not a warrior, milord?"

The Wise King of the Forest looked up to Ainz with its round, black eyes. Ainz looked back and nodded, as if to say, Indeed, that is so. With a hint of pride in her voice, Narberal explained:

"Ainz-sama is merely pretending to be a warrior. It is like a game to him. If he were to use the spells which are his true power, he could easily sunder the heavens and shatter the earth."

Ainz could not bring himself to deny Narberal with words like, "No way," not when he was confronted with her absolute faith in him, or the fact that she felt it was perfectly logical.

"…Mm, yes, something like that. Wise King of the Forest, aren't you glad you didn't fight the real me? If I had used my true power, you would have been destroyed in an instant."

"I, I see… Milord, your servant Hamsuke shall be doubly faithful to you!"

When the Wise King of the Forest asked for a name, the first thing that came to Ainz's mind was Hamsuke. Once he named it Hamsuke, the Wise King of the Forest seemed quite pleased with it. However, when he thought about it, the name Hamsuke was actually quite lame.

…Maybe I was too hasty in naming it Hamsuke… Perhaps Daifuku… that name might have been wittier… the people in the guild always said I had poor naming sense…

With a faint sense of regret, Ainz — mounted atop Hamsuke, the Wise King of the Forest — wobbled toward the Adventurer's Guild.

♦ ♦ ♦

They drove the wagon into the house's backyard, stopping in front of the back door. Nfirea unlocked the door, a magical lantern in hand. He hung it on a wall inside, illuminating the darkened interior.

Because of the lantern's light, they could see several barrels within the house. The smell of dried herbs hung in the air, suggesting that this room was a place for herb storage.

"Then, could I trouble you to help me with the herbs?"

The Swords of Darkness cheerfully replied in the affirmative as they carefully unloaded the bundles of herbs from the wagon, moving them into the room.

As he showed the adventurers where to put the bundles, a question popped up in his mind:

"Isn't Granny home?"

Nfirea's grandmother was quite old, but she still had keen eyes and ears. She should have come the moment she heard them moving things. However, if she was focused on making potions, then she would not pay attention to lesser noises. Since this seemed like par for the course, Nfirea did not make a big deal out of it.

After all the herbs were in their place, Nfirea called out to the slightly-panting Swords of Darkness.

"Thank you for your hard work! There should be some cool fruit juice in the house, so please come in for some."

"That sounds great."

Lukrut, his forehead shiny with sweat, exclaimed in delight. The others nodded happily as well.

"Then, please come this way…"

Just as Nfirea was about to lead the others into the house, someone opened the door on the other side of the room.

"Hiiii~ Welcome home~"

Before him stood a pretty, yet vaguely unsettling young woman. Her blonde hair swayed in the wind.

"Ah~ I've been worried, you know? I thought you went missing. What poor timing — I didn't know when you'd be coming back, so I had to wait here all this while, you know?"

"…May, may I ask who you are?"

"Eh! You don't know each other?"

Peter exclaimed in surprise. He thought they knew each other, from her familiar tone of voice.

"Hm? Ehehehe~ I came to kidnap you~ I need someone to use the spell which summons a biiiiiiig horde of undead, 「Undeath Army」, so could you be my magic item? Onee-chan's begging you~"

The Swords of Darkness sensed the air of malice radiating from the girl, and they immediately drew their weapons. Although everyone else was in a combat stance, the girl airily said:

"That's a seventh tier spell which hardly anyone can use, but it can be cast with the Crown of Wisdom. You can't control all the undead it makes, but you can guide them! What a perfect plan~!"

"Nfirea-san, fall back! Get out of here!"

Peter eyed the woman warily, his sword in hand, and spoke in a steely tone:

"She's going on and on because she's certain she can kill us all. Since you're her target, the only way to turn things around is for you to escape."

As Nfirea withdrew in a panic, the Swords of Darkness closed ranks in front of him, turning themselves into his meatshields.

"Ninya, you go too!"

After Dyne spoke, Lukrut shouted:

"Take the kid and run! Weren't you going to save your kidnapped sister?"

"That's right. You've got something you have to do. Though we might not be able to help you until the very end… at least we can buy you some time."

"Guys…"

"Mmm~ how touching~ I'm about to shed a tear myself, mm. But if he escapes, it'd be troublesome for me. So let's leave one to play with~"

The girl smiled happily and withdrew a pair of stilettos from under her robe as she saw the doubtful gaze on Ninya's face as he bit his lip. Just then, the rear door swung open, revealing a sickly-pale, stick-thin man, who looked like one of the undead.

They were caught in a pincer attack. The Swords of Darkness' faces turned grim.

"…You're getting carried away."

"Ah~ What're you saying, Khazi-chan? Weren't you the one making preparations so their screams wouldn't spill out? It's just one person, so let me enjoy myself~"

The way the girl smiled with her teeth bared sent a chill down Nfirea's spine.

"Then, since there's nowhere for you to run, let's have some fun~"