Aura's Hard work*2

The man who stood in the middle—probably their representative—answered her with somber words. The gap between his appearance and his serious attitude was a bit striking, because he didn't really look that old.

Someone in the group of dark elves surrounding them suddenly spoke in a voice just loud enough to reach everyone.

"Shouldn't you be thanking the village's savior first? And why are you referring to our benefactor without honorifics so naturally?"

"Yes, that's right. They shouldn't have greeted her like that if they were truly grateful. Maybe they are being arrogant because the other party is a girl."

Some of the women raised their voices.

Frankly speaking, Aura didn't think the elder's greeting was rude. This was probably what people meant when they say that the same action can look different for people with goodwill and for those without.

The representative of the elders grimaced.

"Hmph. We were just about to give our thanks now—Aura Bella Fiora-dono. We are extremely grateful to you for repelling the Ankyloursus Lord and for saving our village"

"That's right. The younglings' impatience is troublesome. There exists an order for the conversation to follow"

When the female elder who stood beside the representative said this, a woman somewhere else started murmuring.

"Your order of precedence is wrong in the first place. It would be bothersome if your brains are also getting fossilized as you grow older."

Glancing at the Master of the Hunt, Aura found him making an expression as if he was having stomach pain. He was questioned about whose side he was on in the past, probably. The elder who stood on the right was also making a similar expression. The two other elders had grim expressions, the female elder began to direct her glare at the surrounding dark elves.

This... Maybe I have to carefully consider which side I should be on before deciding my course of action.

Normally, both factions would want to take in a powerful outsider like Aura.

She needed to act in the way that was most beneficial to Nazarick.

The best thing to do was to probably ask their master for his directions, but there would also be times when Aura might have to take independent action because she couldn't just wait for their master's orders.

Everything would be far easier if Ainz-sama simply answered...

One of the reasons why he hid his goals was because he wanted them—the members belonging to "Ainz Ooal Gown," including the Floor Guardians—to grow and was expecting them to be more autonomous. He wanted them to think and act on their own.

But that's a heavy responsibility from Aura's point of view.

Even if I make any mistakes, he likely intends to clean up after me with one of his usual awesome plans...

But that didn't mean she was free to make mistakes.

To act without thinking just because their master was going to cover for them would be nothing but disloyalty.

As a Floor Guardian, as one of the aides on this mission, Aura had to think seriously and discover the path that would bring the most benefit to Nazarick.

That was why Aura couldn't help but get exasperated at the dark elves bickering before her, showing their inner turmoil before a guest in contrast to how serious she was.

However, this was also a good opportunity. Depending on how she capitalized on this friction, it could turn out to be an important thing.

...Did Ainz-sama aim for this? No, there's no way. He couldn't have known that this village was having such problems. Then, to follow his orders to create an amicable position inside the village, I should...

"Excuse me—Are you intentionally trying to make me regret that I went to all that trouble over a long journey to come here? If not, can't you do this somewhere else without me? I would rather be shown things that I can boast about to my acquaintances from other races when I return back to my country and say that the Dark Elves' village is a good place"

The place suddenly went silent, as if they were just splashed with cold water.

A natural development. If they had felt even a little bit of shame at their actions just now, they certainly wouldn't want the news of it spreading to other races.

Aura felt like maybe she went too far. Even though she was the one who fought back the monster bear—the Ankyloursus, she was still a child saying impudent things. She might have just turned both the factions against her, but she couldn't say that it was an absolute mistake either.

Aura was a traveler who saved this village. If they were to forget that and criticized her despite showing their disgraceful side a few moments before, they could only be considered people without character. It would be better for such people to become their enemies instead of friends.

Sure, her master ordered her to form an amicable relationship with the Dark Elves, but that didn't mean she had to be liked by all the Dark Elves.

She couldn't see the full picture of his plans yet, but it would probably be better if the Dark Elves unsuitable for Nazarick were wiped out.

And even if I turn one faction hostile, the other faction would probably try to make me their ally. I won't mind that, and I can always make a third faction with me at its core if need be

Even if she ended up turning both of the factions into her enemies, she could see that there were people like the Master of the Hunt who didn't belong to either of them. She could make them her allies in the worst-case scenario, but she would have to apologize to her master if she had to resort to that.

"Ahem. Then, can we inquire the reason for Aura Bella Fiora-dono's visit to our village?"

"Fiora is my surname, so just call me that. I think you can already guess. It's because I heard rumors about Dark Elves living in this forest. That👏👏is👏👏why, I came to meet people from my race. There are barely any Dark Elves in my homeland you see. So I would like to stay in this village for a while if you will allow me."

"We don't mind, but—alone?"

"For now."

"For now?"

"Yes. I am good at moving through the forest so the others asked me to go ahead. Actually, according to our plan, they should probably reach here by...three days at the latest, I think. My brother and uncle should be joining us by that time."

Of course, this uncle she spoke of was none other than their master, Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Uncle?"

"Hn. Actually, because our parents disappeared—" Aura continued while making a silent apology to Bukubukuchagama, "—uncle raised us".

It was easier to tell a white lie but it could become troublesome later if they were found out, so she tried to keep it as close to the truth as possible.

"I see... Sorry for making you remember such a topic. So you came here alone— seeing that you are strong enough to fight back an Ankyloursus, a Lord at that, I can understand"

Aura was surprised as she expected more words of consolation.

Aura thought over it. This was the Great Sea of Trees after all, a place filled with danger. As there was no lack of children who had lost their parents, her story was probably not sad enough to warrant more consolation.

"Then, we don't mind if you are planning to stay. We can lend you an Elf Tree if you want. So, what do you think?"

"Hn. Please do so"

"Understood. Someone—Apple. Lead Fiora-dono to a vacant Elf Tree. Can you do that?"

It was the Master of the Hunt who answered to that name.

"Of course. Leave it to me. I will lead her to the best Elf Tree in the village"

"Also, since uncle-dono and brother-dono will be joining us in three days, you won't mind if we held a shindig for you all together then, right?"

"Of course. I will be in your care for a while then."

"Now that's done, Fiora-dono. Won't you tell us the tales of your journey later?

And we will also be happy if you would tell us about your country where there are no Dark Elves. We know absolutely nothing about the outside of the forest.

Of course, we won't force you if there are painful memories."

Well then, what should she do?

Aura started thinking.

There were no benefits to revealing her true identity like an idiot. It could have helped with getting people's attention, but it had no meaning now as she had already demonstrated her strength. That said, just like how giving out information thoughtlessly was bad, appearing completely reticent would not be good either. In that case, her only options were—to lie, to dole out the truth little by little, or mix the truth and lie in proportion...

I will have to discuss this with Ainz-sama and Mare to not create contradictions when they join us later, but it seems like I don't have the choice of staying silent right now. If I told them to ask Ainz-sama, who will be coming later, they would be suspicious about my reluctance to talk...

She couldn't let them have any suspicions in the present situation.

Until she could get a read on their master's final goal, she should continue to work towards departing this place on friendly terms.

Hnnn. There's no [Message] yet so Ainz sama is probably telling me to think of the answer by myself, but what kind of answer would Ainz-sama like?

"Fiora-dono, is something the matter?"

It seemed like she was silent for too long. Aura returned a smile.

"Aah, I was wondering if you will believe what I am going to tell you. Well, it's probably fine to talk a bit about my home and travels. Like about the Trail of the Fey."

"The Trail of the Fey? Isn't that supposed to be just a legend?"

Someone among the dark elves surrounding them asked.

"...Things like the Moon's Road and the Trail of the Fey do exist" Although, they're inside Nazarick's sixth floor, Aura added internally. "But I can't talk in detail about these things with people who are not chosen by the Fey"

"Fufu. Sorry then. Fio...no, is it fine to call you Aura-dono?"

The female elder's eyes were burning with passion. The answer was already decided. Although Aura didn't really want to, she couldn't refuse her considering her master's orders.

"I don't mind at all"

"Then, Aura-dono. I have been thinking about it since a while ago, but it's a nice name"

"Thanks"

Aura replied with a pure smile. She was praising the name given to her by a Supreme Being. There's no way Aura would refuse such praise. However, as she understood it was just them being courteous, she didn't try to talk more about that point.

The female elder looked like she was satisfied with her response. She continued to talk in a good mood.

"So Aura-dono is also a Dark Elf chosen by the Fey. That's splendid...Most of the people in this village are not chosen. That's why they don't know how we—

the Dark Elves who lived in the North traveled to this place"

...Dark elves came here using the Trail of the Fey? Does it have an ability like that?

The Trail of the Fey inside Nazarick couldn't teleport people over that big of a distance. They were either mistaking it for something else or maybe there was an entirely different Trail of the Fey.

Aura managed to draw out some intel, but she felt like she may have misstepped a little. On second thought, she denied that mentally. She would skillfully draw the intel out. And—

I will make Ainz-sama praise me!

Aura pumped her fist, filling her heart with resolve.

-x-X-x-

Aura headed to her lodging, led by the Master of the Hunt.

Ainz, who had been following her this entire time using [Perfect Unknowable], let out a sigh in relief.

A part of the relief was from the fact that no one strong enough to rival him had appeared and the other part was from how well Aura's first contact went.

That said, he couldn't be sure they weren't just putting up a friendly act. People who could be so nonchalant about the fact that a child just traveled from such a far distance alone should have something wrong with their heads. They would obviously hide their feelings if they didn't really welcome her.

Maybe he was overthinking it, but he wanted to make sure that they were not just acting. It would be simple if he could just kidnap someone like the elf from before and cast mind control magic on them, like [Charm]. But, dealing with the aftereffects would be bothersome if he had to use [Control Amnesia]. Everything would be easier if he could just kill them though.

First, he should investigate the village's present mood.

A completely novel topic of conversation known as "Aura" had appeared in this village that didn't seem to have changed much for a long time. There was no doubt that the villagers were raring to talk about her with others.

Ainz wondered how honest the villagers were going to be when Aura wasn't around.

With Ainz using [Perfect Unknowable], this was their best chance to gather raw intel, free from any lies.

The three elders returned to their tree and the gathered elves dispersed gradually. The issue was which dark elf should he follow and eavesdrop on. He already noticed a few dark elf children about Aura's age—a guess based on their height—during the gathering.

Frankly speaking, he wanted to go after the children and hear their opinion on Aura.

But—he heard a voice saying "that girl" from the tree he was close to just a moment ago.

Shit! I should have been listening in on the elder's conversation!

He should snoop on the elders, who were more likely to talk about the most important things (important, but not for the matter of the twins making friends).

Ainz used [Fly] to smoothly float to the entrance of the tree the elders entered.

He couldn't find the elders when he peeked inside. The voices were coming from the top of the stairs that extended up from this room. He could hear them from here, but just to be sure, Ainz entered the tree and climbed the stairs with [Fly].

"Now then, how much of what that girl said do you think is real? She did imply that she traveled using the power of the Trail of the Fey after all"

The oldest of the elders was talking in a slightly different manner from before, but that was to be expected. Even Ainz would change his manner of speech depending on who he was talking with. Rather, the people he was more scared of were those who didn't act like that.

So this was how the elder talked with his friends.

"I don't think all of that was a lie. Wouldn't it be difficult for a little kid to travel such a distance without using the Trail of the Fey?"

"You can't be sure about that. She is strong enough to repel that 'Ursus Lord you know?"

"Ara, isn't that the strength of that weapon? You saw it right? That dazzling bow! That's absolutely something precious! Maybe it's something the Fey bestowed upon her"

The bow Aura used belonged to Ainz and was not considered strong in YGGDRASIL, but it was probably top-class in terms of gaudiness.

Maybe I should advertise Runecraft here too...

While Ainz was thinking, the elders continued on with their conversation.

"I wonder how long that child is going to stay here. I want her to stay here forever if possible"

"No, that's going to be difficult. It's more likely that she will immediately set out again after joining up with the uncle-dono and brother-dono later. Ours is not the only Dark Elf village. Maybe they will visit the other villages to establish friendly contacts. I don't know why that child came here to meet us—her kin, but there's no reason for her to stick to our village"

"That's right. We should ask her in detail about why she came to meet us—the Dark Elves. That's why we should make the welcoming party grand."

"Aah, you're right. We have to give them such a grand welcome that they will still think that this village is the best even after visiting the other villages. We should start preparing the foodstuffs in the next three days"

"Won't the younglings dislike it?"

"No way they will. We are welcoming the family of the kid who saved the village you know? Even they should understand that they have to cooperate on this"

"You're right...And we can probably use the welcome party to ask uncle-dono about the Trail of the Fey. He would probably talk a bit if he felt welcomed by us."

"Yes. But I still hope she stays in this village."

"...why are you so fixated on that idea? Is the fact that she may have been chosen by the Fey so appealing to you?"

"Yes. We—no, the people in the villages around us have already lost most of their Fey Blessing. If that child stays here..."

"You are not thinking about lording over the other villages with that, right? I will oppose everything you do if you are planning on that, you know?"

"I am not planning on anything that warrants your opposition. It's just, if we can learn how she received the Fey Blessing, maybe we can get ours back as well"

Ainz felt like the Fey they were talking about were not racial beings, but something closer to spirits. YGGDRASIL also had the concept of the Fey Blessing. Maybe the native Fey of this world had such abilities naturally.

It's also possible that they were building into classes similar to Seelie court and Unseelie court. Those classes should have a special teleportation ability similar to the Trail of the Fey if he remembered correctly.

I should probably make sure of this thing.

He should also share this information with Aura.

The elders continued to talk while Ainz was thinking about this and that.

"If we can do that, the younglings will also change their opinion."

"Anyway, don't force the guests to talk about it. Not only that. Be respectful to uncle-dono and brother-dono who will be visiting us soon. I really don't want bad rumors about this village and the Dark Elves to spread around when they return back to their country"

Ainz's eyes—or the holes in the skull that pass for eyes–turned dimmer.

fumu... Is this village the wrong choice? I really don't want to let Aura be used as a tool in internal squabbles.

He would never let the children entrusted to him by Bukubukuchagama be hurt. Ainz felt irritated with the female elder.

...I should tell her not to get close to the adults...I just have to hope at least the children here are pure.

After hearing they had changed the topic to the welcome party and confirming that they were not suspicious of Aura, Ainz cast [Greater Teleportation]. After reaching his destination, he dispelled [Perfect Unknowable].

A-Ainz-sama. Welcome back.

Mare, who was waiting outside the Green Secret House, gave a little bow.

"I am back, Mare. Looks like everything's fine here." An Eyeball Corpse he summoned using [Create Undead] was floating beside Mare. Ainz looked around for the huge thing that should be there, but couldn't find it.

"I see. So Fenrir isn't back yet"

"Y-yes. Not yet"

Fenrir was entrusted with bringing back the Ankyloursus that ran away from the Dark Elf village.

If the dark elves had brains, they would try to follow the trail of the Ankyloursus to deal with it while they had the trump card known as Aura.

So, they would have to fool the hunting party's eyes first if they wanted to bring the Ankyloursus back to this temporary base.

However, the Ankyloursus was large and did not have any stealth skills, so it would be difficult for it to erase its trail by itself. Someone else would have to do it instead.

They found Fenrir to be suitable for the task. Fenrir had an ability called [Forestwalker]. The plan was to make Fenrir carry Ankyloursus here on its back so that there would be no traces left behind.

Of course, Ainz could go there and teleport back with it using [Greater Teleportation] or he could carry it with [Fly] like Narberal did, but Ainz had to go along with Aura to the village to gather intel. In case there was an emergency, he would also be responsible for exterminating the enemy or helping Aura escape, so they entrusted that task to Fenrir.

Looks like my prediction is off...I thought they would immediately send out a team with Aura to finish off the Ankyloursus...Maybe I should just fetch it myself if there's still time.

"I see. Then let's wait here for a bit. Anyhow, you are probably worried so I will tell you...well, you probably guessed it already seeing me returning alone. You didn't receive any messages from Aura right?" Mare nodded at Ainz's question.

"Well, that's how it is. Seems like Aura infiltrated the Dark Elf village without any issues."

The twins had an item that enabled two-way communication between them. If Mare didn't receive any distress signals from Aura, it meant that she was safe.

Still, it was possible that Aura wasn't able to respond to an emergency swiftly and ended up being incapacitated. They couldn't be careless.

There was also the fact that Aura changed to far weaker gear in order to blend in better with the villagers. It was far easier than usual to kill Aura in her current state.

The fact that Ainz didn't appoint something to guard her in secret while he knew this was because they as a group had decided not to.

After a discussion with Aura and Mare, they ended up choosing not to deploy any guards around Aura. This made Ainz worry so much that he would probably go unconscious from stomach pain if he had a stomach.

Ainz continued to regret it even now, wondering if they made the wrong decision. Perhaps there was a better idea out there. For example, Ainz could create incorporeal monsters using [Create Undead], maybe they should have placed things like that somewhere around her.

There were two advantages to not having anything guard Aura. One was that they would be free to summon monsters that were more suitable to deal with the emergency situation that might arise. The other one was—

—It will be easier for Aura to forget about Nazarick for a bit if there's no one from Nazarick around, especially guards, who in a sense are her subordinates. She can interact with the Dark Elves in a more relaxed manner without putting on a bold front then.

—Maybe Aura could make friends then.

But, at present, a critical problem had risen in Aura's path to making friends.

That is, Aura ended up becoming something like a savior of the village.

He didn't think that The Red Oni Who Cried plan was wrong. He just didn't have any other method that could make Aura infiltrate the village faster and better.

Still, the present situation had gone a bit too far.

Ainz couldn't have become friends with the members of "Ainz Ooal Gown" in the real world where they were not equal. Similarly, Aura, as the savior of the village, could not interact with the ordinary village children on their level.

Ainz had to bring her down to the same level as them.

Yes, that's right.

Ainz would have to pull Aura down into becoming just a normal child.

Ainz looked at Mare.

It was probably unfair that Aura was given a chance to make friends while Mare wasn't. He wanted to give a chance to Mare as well.

Aura and Mare were children entrusted to him by Bukubukuchagama. He should then treat them equally.

Of course, he should take their personal characteristics into account while nurturing them. That said, they should both be given equal opportunities.

First of all, it's absurd for someone like me who has no experience in raising children to think about things like these. Who should I go asking for advice on being a father...

Ainz suddenly thought of Nfirea. Not a bad choice. He is a good father. But—

Yes. There's one problem with Mare.

And it's not his timid personality.

It's about Bukubukuchagama-san making Mare crossdress to match her tastes.

He already noticed that most of the Dark Elves in the village wore long trousers. There were also some who wore long skirts, but all of them were women. Furthermore, he felt like they were still wearing long trousers underneath those skirts. He couldn't be sure as he didn't go around peeking under the skirts after all. Maybe those were tights, not trousers.

Aura explained that exposing bare skin was a bad idea when you live in a forest, so maybe that's why they were wearing trousers underneath.

[Perfect Unknowable] gets dispelled when you attack someone. No, to be more precise, it's when you do something that can be considered harmful. In that case...would lifting the skirt a bit and peeking under it be considered an attack?

Such a doubt never came to Ainz's mind until now.

Ainz took a quick glance at Mare's face.

.

"Ah, Eh, Wh-what's the matter?"

Am I an Idiot? What the hell am I thinking?

The non-degenerate side of Ainz—no, the normal side of him scolded himself.

Of course, he knew he couldn't do something like that, but his curiosity about an unexplored area of magic was strongly urging him.

—Stop! Me! What are you thinking?! Wanting to peek under Mare's skirt is already beyond the bounds of curiosity!

Although Mare would probably allow it if he asked—

—What am I even imagining?!

"Wh-what happened?"

"—Nothing, my mind just went to some weird places...I will probably try it in the future, but it's not a matter for the present and I will test it on someone else if and when I do it."

Ainz didn't feel the need to explain more to the puzzled Mare.

Anyway, Albedo was the better choice to experiment with—at least the more acceptable choice—compared to Mare.

Another voice inside him objected that Mare was different from Albedo. Ainz cleared it from his mind along with his prickling curiosity.

Anyhow, Mare will likely be marginalized for his dressing style. That should absolutely be avoided...but I wonder why he dresses like that... No, No, not that. That's not what I should be thinking about right now...it's Chagama-san's decision so it's absolutely wrong to tell him to change. It's wrong but...is it fine to ask him to change temporarily? It should be alright for Mare to live with Aura in the village if he stopped crossdressing...but...

Ainz never expected he would be put in such a difficult position because of the tastes of his friend in the past.

"You see, Mare. I have something to discuss with you..."

"Yes"

Mare looked at him with a serious expression.

...Chagama-san. Am I doing something wrong?

A pink blob surfaced in Ainz's mind. He got a little irritated at the pink blob, which was giving him a thumbs up for some reason.

"E-excuse me..."

"...Sorry, Mare. I was thinking about something..." Ainz let out a sigh from his non-existent lungs and turned to look at Mare directly. "Mare. I want you to stop wearing female attire for a while."

That was too short of an explanation.

Ainz understood this and continued before Mare could change his expression.

"Listen just as I said it will be temporary because you do know I am planning to take you along to the village to act as Aura's support? So because the clothes you wear are too striking as a part of preparations for infiltration I hope you can change to different clothes for this mission."

Ainz talked on and on at a hurried pace.

Mare continued to stare at Ainz. He was probably thinking why he was the only one being told to do so because Ainz didn't say anything like this to Aura.

Ainz couldn't get any more words out.

No feasible excuse came to his mind. Actually, it's illogical to consider a man dressing like a woman weird but not vice versa. Did Bukubukuchagama think so far ahead—

No, it's her taste—or more like her fetish. She is Peroron-san's sister after all .

His only option was to deceive Mare then. Luckily Aura also changed most of her gear and weapons because the equipment they usually wear in Nazarick was just too striking. He never thought that would come in handy in a time like this.

"I also asked Aura to change her gear a bit right? It would be bad if they were to get suspicious of our overly powerful gear. So how about it?"

This is underhanded...letting Mare decide is the same as pushing the responsibility onto him

"U-understood. Leave it to me Ainz-sama."

"Is that all right?"

"Y-yes. If it's for i-infiltration I think Bukubukuchagama-sama would understand"

"I-is that so. Umu. She would certainly understand our reasons."

Ainz sensed Mare's feelings for Bukubukuchagama through his devotion to his attire, he tried to think how his friend in the past would have reacted in this place.

It's highly likely that she would just faint in agony and start apologizing to Mare...No, the opposite reaction is also entirely probable, I think...?

With this, he could probably consider Aura and Mare's friend-making plan to have proceeded into the final stage.

"Good, then let's complete our preparations and join up with Aura"

-x-X-x-

Aura stood holding a bow, at a place some distance away from the village. Made of metal, it was far more burly than the ones the Dark Elves normally used.

It was also taller than Aura.

Aura drew and loosed the string repeatedly, making the bow screech. It was a greatbow that originally belonged to the village, one that even the strongest of them weren't able to draw. The Dark Elves initially widened their eyes when they saw a child draw it so effortlessly, but they also immediately made expressions that said they had come to terms with it.

"The way this was stored leaves a lot to be desired. It's making all these sounds because parts of it have deteriorated, you know? Is this why no one was able to draw it? Hnnn, it feels unstable. I wonder if the arrow will really go where I aim it at…"

Her current target was called a 'Giga Horn Elk', a magic beast similar to an elk.

Despite its huge antlers, it could move gracefully inside the forest using [Forestwalker]. This ability made its charges extremely destructive.

Aura would have probably looked like a stylish hunter if she stood still while passionately tracking her prey with a sharp gaze, but Ainz couldn't see any tension in her side profile—she was just being her usual self. She was nonchalant, like she was just about to pick up some random stone and throw it.

In contrast, the other three rangers from the village—two men and one woman—were in a completely different stance. They were hiding from the prey's senses, their faces the epitome of seriousness itself. Ainz didn't know how they did it, but they were also wiping out their presence by clearing their minds of all thoughts.

These dark elves had yet to nock their bows, although they were holding them.

Normally, they would all shoot at the same time to prevent the prey from escaping and to also reduce the chances of a disastrous counterattack, but they were not doing so now because they didn't want to get in Aura's way.

The fact that they all stayed on the ground this time showed their intentions.

Normally, Dark Elves positioned themselves on trees that were as safe as possible, fearing counterattacks from prey. They would then wait for the kind of prey they could deal with. Bushwhack-style hunting, so to speak. The fact that they were on the ground despite that, demonstrated their trust in Aura.

And what was Ainz doing as the one worst at stealth among the members of this hunt? The one and only [Perfect Unknowable]. He was using it so much that he started to feel uneasy whether he was relying too much on it. Anyhow, after he hid his presence with it, neither the prey nor the dark elves looked like they had noticed him. He had been following them this entire hunt, but Aura was the only one who sensed him.

Aura released the arrow.

About the same time—or maybe just a little later, in the time it took to blink— the Giga Horn Elk moved its head to observe its surroundings.

It probably noticed the twang of the bow that sounded out of place in the forest.

Ainz thought that should not have been possible as the sound was extremely low. Furthermore, the target was so far away that it normally couldn't have heard it, so why did the Giga Horn Elk react then?

It was most likely just a coincidence, or maybe it had some sort of special ability. If it was none of those then maybe—although it was just Ainz's conjecture—it preternaturally sensed the aura of an attack coming towards it.

But, for all its intuition, the arrow managed to sink into the Giga Horn Elk's head without resistance like it already predicted the monster's response before it was shot.

Even with the arrow sticking out of its head, its body twitched but did not collapse.

It didn't matter if it was a magical beast or just a normal one, animals as a whole had a lot of vitality.

It would have been a fatal attack if Aura had equipped her usual YGGDRASILmade bow, but this bow borrowed from the village was just not powerful enough.

This clearly shows that the gear and weapons do greatly affect one's strength. Well, looks like Aura didn't use any special abilities this time, so maybe the results would change if she used any.

The beast tried to leap away with the arrow stuck deep into it. Deeply wounded, it chose flight over fight.

Aura loosed another arrow without any hesitation, like she had already predicted the elk's reaction.

Pierced once more in its head, the Giga Horn Elk finally collapsed to the ground.

"Well, that's how it's done."

"As expected of Fiora-sama."

In contrast to Aura's calm, the nearest dark elf man raised his voice, full of passionate admiration. He's Plum Ganen, the village's vice Master of the Hunt and the leader of the hunting party this time.

Ainz didn't feel that he was putting on an act and even considered him as a strong ally for Aura in a sense. Nevertheless, he made Ainz's face twitch.

His attitude was just too positive.

His fiery eyes were filled with a mixture of respect, adoration, and passion—

just like how that girl with scary eyes in the Holy Kingdom looked after her resurrection. Frankly speaking, he should not be looking at someone who looked at least like a child on the surface with those eyes.

This was the second time she hunted with this party and it was not like this the first time.

It was true that Aura fought back the Ankyloursus, but Plum Ganen only considered that as a measure of her battle prowess and not her talent at hunting.

In fact, while under [Perfect Unknowable], Ainz heard him saying that he proposed the hunt because they wanted to estimate her skill as a ranger.

But- the way Aura (effortlessly) traversed the forest gave Plum goosebumps, her ability to erase her presence bedazzled him, and by the time he saw her skill with the bow, his eyes started shining with admiration. It was a bit comical to see him standing there with his mouth wide open. And so, he ended up being the number one Aura fanatic in the village.

However, he was a painful impediment to Ainz's plan.

As long as someone like this existed, it would be hard to turn Aura back into a normal child in their eyes.

It could have been easily handled if this was just them cozying up to Aura to use her, but the fact that it was not the case troubled him the most.

Killing them is only the last resort after all...

"Hey now! You can praise me later, can't you? Take it apart already!" "Yes! Understood, Fiora-sama!! Let's do it, everyone!"

The two remaining dark elves, who were sending strange glances at Plum, also started moving out. They too admired Aura, but were able to remain cool-headed after seeing Plum's extreme reaction.

The elk's legs were tied with a rope, and the other end of the rope hung over a branch. They then pulled on the rope to try to hang the carcass upside down, but the elk's gigantic body proved difficult for the three of them.

Aura reached for the rope and pulled it with a light "hoy!" The corpse that proved difficult for the three elves was easily raised up.

"As expected of Fiora-sama!"

Aura frowned a little at Plum's praise.

Ainz could understand.

He nodded as the faces of Nazarick's denizens flashed across his mind.

Getting praised for the wrong things made one feel bad, but getting exaggerated praise for simple things was also weird in its own right. They might end up thinking about whether or not they were being made fun of.

While Ainz was wondering if it was his lack of self-confidence that made him feel that way, the field dressing continued. A male dark elf put his hand over the prey, covering the carcass in something like a white fog. It looked like a special skill that froze the prey's body. Ainz didn't know any such skill from the ranger's skill list, so it's either a druid skill or something from other classes this dark elf had.

After that, they bled out the body and collected the blood in a bowl underneath.

He heard that they did it to prevent the germs in the blood from multiplying.

Maybe the aforementioned dark elf's power wasn't enough to freeze the entire body.

The blood collected in the bowl was also used for cooking.

During their first hunt, Ainz heard that they rarely took back the blood with them for the fear of drawing predators toward them.

They dug a hole and threw the head and entrails into it.

They would also take some of the offal with them usually, but the elk's carcass was too large for them this time.

They stopped field dressing the carcass after that.

The Dark Elves' custom was to perform the steps like skinning only after they had brought the game back to the village.

Although Ainz called it the Dark Elves' custom as if he was knowledgeable on hunting, if one were to ask him "what's the normal custom then?" he could only answer that he actually knew nothing about hunting. Maybe the Dark Elves' custom was the same as the common one.

The dark elves lowered the carcass to the ground and tied it to a pole. With a "heave-ho!" they raised it. It looked like they found it quite heavy. Although Ainz couldn't be sure, it looked like the adage "half of what you bag is what you get to eat" holds true.

Aura was not helping them carry it as she was entrusted with the task of guarding them.

The party started their journey back to the village.

Generally, a successful bushwhack hunt took a lot of time. However, thanks to Aura, this hunt has been completed relatively quickly, resulting in the joyful expressions on the dark elves' faces. Though the dark elves lived in the forest, leaving the safety of the village exhausted them mentally.

"—Fiora-sama was totally awesome. That was some great shooting today."

Plum was the first to start talking after they started to walk back. Those were not words of flattery, but what appeared to be his feelings from the bottom of his heart.

"Really? Well, maybe it's awesome for you people...but there's always someone better than the best. How should I put it...a relative?...nn— Maybe it's rude. Well, anyway, there's someone more awesome than I am. Ah! I was not talking about my uncle by the way."

"...I heard that the uncle-dono and the brother-dono will be reaching the village today or tomorrow, but are they excellent rangers too?"

"No, they are not rangers."

"Is that so? I thought they would be skilled rangers considering the two are crossing the forest alone...Then what kind of people are they?"

"...it's true that they are skilled people. As for what they are exactly skilled at, you will understand soon. Look forward to it. That aside, sorry, but can you let me concentrate on guarding the party? I can easily escape by myself, but with everyone in mind, noticing a threat even a second faster could be a matter of life and death, right?"

She was probably unsure about how much she could talk about Ainz and Mare, so she used a good excuse to cut him off. The question was how the other side took it.

Could someone really accept if the person you were having a pleasant talk with suddenly cut you off, even if the reason made sense? Wouldn't the person feel hurt depending on their character?

I think it's fine because he is a fanatic, but he is also someone powerful in that village.

I should prepare countermeasures in case he starts to hate Aura and drag down the village's opinion of her...

Ainz thought that a fall in Aura's status in the village was not necessarily a bad thing at present, but it would be troublesome if it deteriorated too much.

But Ainz's worries were useless, just as he had predicted.

"Please forgive me! To think I didn't notice it!"

Plum bowed with a tremendous force. If he weren't carrying the carcass, he would have probably performed a dogeza—or some Elven form of apology equivalent to it. This kind of excessive response was why he was thought of as a fanatic.

"Aah—Well, you are moderately skilled yourself so you probably would have noticed it normally right? Looks like you were taking it a bit easy because I am here, but that only means you think highly of my skills, right? I am happy about that, but I want you to pay a bit more attention to time and place"

hooo—She is good at consoling someone from a superior position...Maybe that is her experience as a Floor Guardian speaking. I feel a bit happy if this is a sign of an NPC's growth...Or maybe is it something Bukubukuchagama-san left in her? That would be a thing worth celebrating in its own right, because it's a sign of Chagama-san living through Aura.

Imagining a pink blob behind Aura—which certainly doesn't make for a good picture—Ainz's immovable face made a smile.

The party heeded Aura's words and continued their journey back without disturbing her. And like that, they reached the village without being attacked by beasts even once. After he confirmed that they had reached the village safely, Plum raised his voice.

"—Everyone! Rejoice! Fiora-sama bagged a big one this time as well."

Ainz clicked his tongue.

He expected this would happen, but also realized that he could do nothing about it. It was natural for hunters who headed out into danger to be proud of their kills, and it was also natural to let everyone know who hunted it. Plum probably did it especially because Aura was an outsider, in order to make her position better.

But Ainz didn't wish for such goodwill.

Villagers who were walking across the walkways spanning the Elf Trees gathered together, looking at the massive carcass with looks of admiration.

"Okay then, I'll be going back."

"Yes! Please leave the remaining work to us Fiora-sama!!"

Leaving the work to Plum, Aura headed to the house the village lent her.

He wanted to go after Aura, who was walking back alone, but he couldn't do that. He needed to know how Aura's position was changing inside the village.

Aura continued to walk, only turning her head back to look for Ainz who stood still, floating in mid-air.

She looks so lonely...

Maybe it was just Ainz being too sentimental, but that's what her side profile told him.

In this village, there were people who looked at Aura with awe and there were people who respected her, but there were none who approached her as a friend.

She was not being seen as a girl on a journey, but as an existence above them all and someone to bow to in respect. Just like Ainz had thought before, that was not a bad thing in and of itself.

But, it was bad for Ainz's goals.

I have to turn Aura from being the village's hero to just a regular child...but that's difficult whichever way I look at it. If I try to undermine the position she built up before

I reached this village, I will be turned into a pariah instead...well, that's natural. After being helped by her, the village will obviously value Aura more than the relative who came afterward.

Ainz remained in that place as the other Dark Elves started to gather one by one. Naturally, there were also Dark Elf children around Aura's height in the group.

The carcass was being divided up and handed over to the villagers to cook.

"Now, remember to be grateful to Fiora-sama for hunting this!"

Every time a Dark Elf received their portion, they spoke words of gratitude with their faces full of smiles.

Even skilled hunters like Dark Elves cannot succeed in every hunt. It would appear that getting hold of such good meat was a rare occasion. Ainz heard about this the last time he listened in, or maybe it was the time before that.

The huge pile of meat was gradually portioned out, becoming smaller and smaller. The fanatic Plum continued to say this every time he handed out a portion to someone: "be grateful to Fiora-sama."

Just as Ainz had repeated, he had no complaints about the act itself.

It was true that Aura hunted the prey, and it would be more offensive if someone was not grateful for that, but even so—

"As expected of Fiora-sama. She should be the one to lead this village."

"Aah, absolutely. Not only did she drive away the Ursus Lord, but she is also a first-class hunter. The village would be in safe hands if she were to remain here,

but..."

"No doubt, no doubt"

Five dark elf adults gathered around Plum and continued to talk like this.

Their praise for Aura gradually increased. The fact that the children who gathered were also listening was extremely problematic.

"...But Fiora-chan is still a child you know?"

A dark elf male, who smelt of herbs, said suddenly.

The expressions of the fanatical gathering changed at once.

"That's the same as those elders'...those old farts' way of thinking!"

It was an angry exclamation.

Plum, who had been smiling a few moments before, now looked completely different, breathing wildly.

"What is age? Is just being older something great!? No! Certainly, there are people who have accumulated experience and have become skilled with age, but that's not something that naturally comes with age. Age cannot be the absolute yardstick we measure everything against—But, you see! Only ability can be absolute!!"

Ainz agreed with that opinion.

He saw it many times at his workplace. People who were good at something were good at it from the start, while those that were not would never become good no matter how many years they spent on it.

"Superior talent! That's the only power that can protect the most people in this dangerous place! Only ability is absolute! Even if it is someone young!"

"But...Isn't Fiora-chan a bit too young?"

Another fanatic replied coldly to the woman who objected, "isn't that how those elders think? So you are the same as those elders, huh"

"—Haa?"

The woman looked at the dark elf with hostility. Ainz could clearly see that the elders were very much hated.

Frankly speaking, I feel like they are not doing anything that could cause so much hate...

He didn't understand the reason why the younger ones had such a bad opinion of them, but it's been only two days since Ainz started observing this village. It's not like he was observing everything either, so Ainz may have just missed it.

"In order to reject the ideology of the elders—that which prioritizes one's age—should we not instead defer to talented Dark Elves like Fiora-sama and even possibly make her lead the village?"

Stop, please.

Ainz grimaced.

This was not why he sent Aura into the village.

If Aura heard this and if he was unlucky, she might just agree with them and proceed to bring the village under her rule. You could even say that this was a great idea for Nazarick's expansion, but this was not what Ainz desired.

Ainz turned his gaze to the children watching the adults' quarrel.

Unlike their expressions of joy at the food before, their faces were now clouded with unease.

This is the main problem...

Ainz wanted to make friends for the twins.

Unlike the children in Suzuki Satoru's world, the children of this world—like Nemu—could approach Aura with innocence and curiosity. However, from what Ainz had witnessed and from what Aura had said, there was no one like that here yet.

Maybe they were used to suppressing their curiosity because growing up in a dangerous place like the Great Forest required them to do so. However, what was more likely was that they sensed the adults' attitude towards Aura and formed an image of her as someone who lived in an entirely different world from them.

In their eyes, Aura was a child who was also not a child.

He had even felt like he should directly intervene and make the village's opinion of Aura fall just so the children could approach her.

It's probably hard to be intimate with...no, friendly with someone deeply respected by the adults... For example, even if the object of respect doesn't differ much from their age...or maybe it is all the more awkward because she is the same age? At least in the conversations I snooped on, I didn't hear parents telling their kids to not approach Aura or ordering them to treat her with the utmost respect. But is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

"Haa..."Ainz ended up letting out a sigh.

There was no way they could make friends if this continued.

In that case... should I make a move here and directly ask them to become friends?

But I can't be sure that would lead to a good result… Or maybe I should just hope that the situation will change. I wonder if every parent has to go through such hardship...

Pondering over the same question as he had before, Ainz activated [Greater Teleportation], clutching his head at the final words he heard before he teleported.

"—First of all, what do you mean by Fiora-'chan'? It should be Fiora-sama!"

-x-X-x-

A dream.

I am having a dream.

I know this is a dream.

What was it called again?

Yeah, right. A lucid dream.

A dream where you are aware that you are dreaming.

I am a kid in the dream.

And—I was sent flying.

It doesn't hurt. Yes. It doesn't hurt because this is a dream.

Yet, it hurts.

My face throbbed with pain. I probably have a cut inside my mouth from the impact.

It tastes full of blood.

I can taste it even though it's a dream.

Strange.

Is this really a dream, I wonder.

A hand came into my view.

A small hand covered in dirt.

So it's a dream after all.

My hands are no longer so small.

I am relieved.

This is just a dream.

My vision moved.

—no! I don't want to stand. Yet, I stood.

I stood again, picking up the club I dropped.

Mother is standing before me.

.

She is expressionless. It's like she was wearing a mask. She is looking down at me with cold eyes.

She held a club in her hand, to beat me until I won't be able to stand anymore.

And then she swung it.

The present me could take it, but it was impossible for me at that time.

Just as I started to feel the pain, I'm flying through the air.

More pain coursed through my body after I got knocked to the ground.

My vision blurred.

It's the tears.

Suddenly, I wondered how long it had been since I last cried.

My gaze moved once again.

Mother is saying something.

I look at the club on the ground that left my hands at some point.

Mother probably told me to stand.

But I can't.

It's painful, and difficult.

I probably replied something to that effect while crying.

Mother's expression didn't change, but she slowly lifted her club and took a stance, like she wanted me to see her doing that.

I hear a voice.

I move my eyes, and I see a plump woman running towards us.

She is someone who helped with our household work. She made delicious food.

It's aunt Nazaire.

Her runny omelets were excellent. They were my favorite. Her cooking was the taste of my memories, and also the standard by which I judge other food.

Unfortunately, she has already passed away. If I am going to dream anyway, I would rather dream about eating her food instead of training with my mother.

I later learned that mothers are supposed to cook, but I don't have any memories of eating my mother's cooking. But I do remember someone saying that she likely had her hands full with my training.

I accepted that explanation back then because I was ignorant.

But now—after becoming an adult I can say for sure that was wrong.

I don't even have many memories of eating together with my mother. Most of my memories were of me eating alone.

"Good morning..."

Color returned to the world. Am I going to wake up? They should have woken me up sooner.

It's not like I forgot about it.

Yes, I can understand.

My mother hated me.

She probably found the child born from her rape extremely unpleasant.

So, my mother never celebrated my birthday.

I never received any words of encouragement from her.

Like "thank you".

Or "congratulations".

Or "Isn't that great!".

Even such common words.

In the first place—did my mother ever call me by my name?

I wonder who named me.

But, if she really hated me she should have just killed me.

She could have easily done that.

But I was not killed.

So, it stands to reason that I was not hated.

Maybe it's nothing more than a pitiful hope of mine.

"P-please hold, Faine-sama. She is still a child. It's not good to continue her training in this state"

Aunt Nazaire does not back down even after receiving mother's glare.

Thinking back, aunt Nazaire wasn't an ordinary person either.

"S-she will need to rest soon. I will prepare drinks..."

"She's fine."

"I will tend to her wounds while Faine-sama's having a drink so..."

"She's fine."

All of my wounds were healed by a wave of mother's hand.

The pain went away as well.

"You are fine, right?"

Mother brought her face closer.

A pair of glass-like eyes and a face devoid of any expression. Repulsive.

"...yes...I feel fine"

"That's right," mother turned to aunt Nazaire. "...are you satisfied? She is still alright, and she is already strong enough to withstand resurrection anyway. See? There's no problem at all"

"...Yes. Underst—"

"—Good Morning...Excuse me, is Zesshi-sama in there?"

She faintly heard a woman's timid voice. This was not a voice inside her dream.

It came from reality.

Her consciousness broke through the surface.

She could see the ceiling. This was her own room. There was a presence of a person in the room, besides her. Maybe it was because she wasn't fully awake,

but she couldn't feel any hostility from the person.

"If I am going to dream anyway, at least let me dream about something magical…" she whispered. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Feeling something moist on her fingers, she realized that she cried at some point. "—I woke up, just now. Can you wait a minute?"

"Hiyeeee! Please don't worry about a lowly person like me! I will wait however long it takes, so please take your time!"

She didn't say a single thing to threaten the woman, but she was extremely scared. Feeling like sighing again, Zesshi rose from the bed and put on a coat that hung on a nearby chair.

She knew who came to her room from their voice.

Zesshi felt like she didn't need to take time dressing up as the visitor was a colleague of the same sex, and it would be rude to make her wait in the next room until she got completely dressed up.

When she opened the door to the next room and entered it, she found the visitor standing there like she didn't know what to do with herself.

"—Sorry for making you wait. It would have been fine if you took a seat"

"No, no, I didn't have to wait for long at all. That said, heheheh. Sorry for disturbing Zesshi-sama's rest. I would be glad if you could forgive me."

She servilely bowed with an amicable smile on her face. Also—probably unconsciously—she even started rubbing her hands together. For one of the trump cards of the theocracy—the 11th seat of the Black Scripture, with the title of "Infinite Magic," and one who reached the realm of heroes—this behavior was too pathetic.

"So then, won't you take a seat?"

"No, no, no, no. That's not necessary. I will return immediately after giving the message so something like sitting on Zesshi-sama's sofa..."

She shook her hands in a fluster.

She didn't have to reject it so vehemently, Zesshi thought.

"Nothing will happen just because you took a seat, and it's not like I will get angry you know? No, I really won't...you don't have to be so abject...aren't we colleagues?"

When she heard that, an obsequious smile floated to the woman's face.

"Ehehehe, I apologize that Zesshi-sama has to call a worm like me her colleague."

"No, you don't really have to go that far... You see. Among the people I've dealt with—among the members of the Black Scripture that I had mock battles with, you are the most servile you know? ...to think that you used to be so conceited."

The Black Scripture was a gathering of heroes. Therefore, occasionally some newcomers would think too highly of themselves. One of Zesshi's duties was to break them in. Therefore, even though all of the Black Scripture were her colleagues, she was only acquainted with the haughty guys.

That said, it was something she did to every member of the Black Scripture who grew arrogant, so it's not like this woman was special. Even the captain, who she disciplined harder than this woman—she sometimes even regretted that she might have gone too far with the captain—treated her normally now. Yet, only this woman acted like this.

Maybe just getting broken in was already a bit too much for this woman.

I should take into account things like their personality next time...

"It's bad to be arrogant, but couldn't you at least act a bit more confident?"

"Heh, eheheh. I can't do such a thing before Zesshi-sama"

She started rubbing her hands even more intensely.

Zesshi thought she didn't do anything that would make her go this far.

She only advanced while taking the woman's magic head on, mounted her, and just single-mindedly punched her in the face—and because it was supposed to be training—took care to not kill her while beating her into a pulp.

Zesshi had seen her not recognizing her defeat, throwing out her spells even when pinned, so she admired her as someone with a spine. Since then, she had even learned to cast spells while bearing the pain. She was someone with a desire to improve herself.

Zesshi felt a little sad seeing a person she had high opinions of acting like this before her.

"...And so, what's the matter today? Though I have an idea what it is about"

"R-right. As expected of..."

"—Aa, enough with the flattery."

"Ah, Y-yes. As the elf subjugation army started advancing further, I was entrusted with informing Zesshi-sama to start her preparations to head out."

"Is that so…"

The woman's face twitched when she saw Zesshi smiling. Zesshi wondered why because she wasn't making a scary face but just smiling normally.

"I wonder if I could clear one of the bones stuck in my throat at last."

(Image)

-x-X-x-

[Intermission]

Upon amassing even greater magical power, the entity formerly called an Elder Lich would advance to a more powerful existence called a Night Lich. Only a few of such beings were recorded in the annals of history, a fact which many people were grateful for.

It is because Night Liches were tremendously powerful beings.

They could use multiple spells of the Sixth Tier–a tier said to be beyond the realm of humans. With that much power, they could even hold their own against the older high dragons. In addition to that, they also possessed many special abilities, counted many undead as their followers, were highly intelligent, and took residence in impregnable fortresses.

With all of their accolades, it's as if they were the rulers of nations, existences worthy of being called the Lords of the Undead.

In fact, the renowned Three Night Liches—

The Draconic Night lich "Q'fantera=Argolos"

The Night Lich Titan "Hueon"

And a Night Lich (probably) a lord of the shadows known by his moniker of

"Fear."

—famously ruled over domains the size of small kingdoms and were dreaded existences who inspired fear in the countries around them.

And thus, Night Liches were considered beings straight out of myths and were whispered about in tones of fear and awe. They were the same as natural disasters

to the people concerned.

One of these fearsome Night Liches who moved behind the world's veil with the nickname of "The Abyss"—Banejieri Anschass came out of a huge room while bowing.

With six arms and two heads, proficient not only with arcane spells but also spells from other systems, this night lichwas a fearsome being that humans could never dream of defeating. If he ever chose to act openly, the aforementioned Three Night Liches would probably have to become Four. He was an ancient undead who was the founder and a member of the innermost core of that organization.

The organization was called the "Corpus of the Abyss."

Formed by undead magic casters, this gathering's original goal was to cooperate among themselves so that their interests would not clash.

That said, it was inevitable for immortal beings like magic casters who spent an eternity researching magic to come into conflict with beings similar to themselves.

The undead tended to have some other desires in place of the three basic desires absent in them. For undead magic casters, it generally manifested as a desire for knowledge. So, when there was a conflict with a piece of knowledge at stake, they were prone to not hold back, resulting in fights to the death.

Hypothetically, if one concentrated all three of the fundamental desires of the living into one, someone with that singular desire would also find it extremely difficult to restrain themselves.

There were many undead who had met their end because of this, though other times the living would seize the opportunity to eliminate both combatants.

This resulted in more and more undead who realized that it was better to share instead of trying to monopolize knowledge or magic at the cost of their life. If it was not possible, they should bargain amongst themselves. And so, they created a list of names.

That's the tablet known as "Graniezzo Inscription" in the later times, a stone tablet that contained the names of many beings adept at magic even though the tablet itself wasn't magical in any way.

(T/N: Graniezzo was TL'd as Granisle in the bonus volume probably since it was JP-CN-EN)

It only contained the names of four Night Liches and three Elder Liches at first, and the only obligation of the organization was that the other members should band together to thrash any member who violated the rules.

After 200 years, the organization and its rules developed into a comprehensive system.

The undead membership of the organization increased: a total of 7 inner circle members and 48 in the outer circle. Now, this was a large organization of 55 people in total, of which the undead of the inner circle were supposed to reach difficulty levels of 150.

But, there were very few who knew about this gathering.

The undead of this organization were generally divided into two types.

One group increased their power among the living and used them to achieve their objectives. The other group didn't interact with the world of the living and worked toward their goals silently out of sight of the world at large.

As the former were very few in number compared to the latter, this organization never took action openly in the world of the living.

If someone increased their power among the living like the former group, that also meant there would be an increase in the amount of enemies they had as well.

Especially as the undead were considered the enemy of all living things, these particular types tended to get eliminated by the living who'd even set aside their national allegiances for that cause.

This led to a reduction in the former group's numbers. Of course, there also existed undead who managed to gather power among the living while remaining in anonymity, but such talented undead were rare.

As a result, "Corpus of the Abyss" remained an organization that was shrouded in mystery and only talked about in rumors. The reason the aforementioned three extremely strong night liches were not invited to join was because their addition to the ranks would make them stand out too much.

Upon leaving the room where that one sat, he came to a wide corridor by the side of which was a room illuminated by a small light.

It was the waiting room for those waiting to meet that one. That one would never prepare something like this—it was not kind enough for gestures of that nature—so Banejieri and others petitioned for it and received its permission to make one themselves.

The person in that room called out to Banejieri.

"So you have returned. It should be my turn next."

As Banejieri had waited together with them in that room just a while ago, he knew who the person talking to him was without seeing them. In fact, one wouldn't enter here without being summoned—because it would anger that one—so they couldn't be a surprise visitor anyway. The only ones summoned here today were the members of the inner circle. After 400 years had passed since the founding of the organization, there were 9 members in the innermost circle at the present.

"The Abyss," "The Saintess of White," "The Death Rider," "The King of Decay," "Crimson-Eyed Duke," "Wise Wolf," "The Elder of the Hosts," "The Eaten," "The Revenant of Yellow."

All of them were gathered here earlier and were summoned in turn. There was only one left now.

"The Saintess of White," Grazn Rocker.

An undead with skin like white wax who wore a white veil and dressed in white.

An appearance that was completely white from head to toe.

She was someone who had reached the Eighth Tier of magic and was aiming for the Ninth now. Banejieri could not help but recognize her as the better researcher. She was also the favorite of the organization's present leader.

No—

—That one doesn't like anyone. That one only finds everyone unpleasant but bears with it so that one can use them.

He could sense as much from his conversations with that one.

That one didn't try to hide this at all, even calling the magic Banejieri and others use, "filthy."

So being highly valued was nothing for Grazn to be happy about.

No, that one only ever took from them and barely gave them any benefits in return. There shouldn't be anyone who could be happy being used by that one.

This was even truer for a talented researcher like Grazn.

Of course, no one would express their feelings before that one. Regrettably, there was no chance of victory even if all of them were to rebel against that one.

"...Aah. You are next. After it's done...won't you have a talk with me? It's been a long time after all"

"...What do you mean?... I see. Understood. I got it. Of course, I will happily accept. The usual place right?"

"Yes. I will be going ahead then."

Banejieri left her and walked through the darkness for a while, something he could do without discomfort only because he was an undead. There was no need for that light in the waiting room either. He didn't know who arranged it, but that was probably just for decoration.

The floor was a single slab made smooth by magical means, but the ceiling and floors were still rough, unhewn stone.

This huge cave was not natural. The leader of their organization had spent time and effort excavating it.

They visited this cave once every few years—or when they were summoned—

but he couldn't help but sneer every time when he saw the effort spent in digging such a cave.

Night Liches who were good at magic generally looked down on physical labor, but this scorn was more for what this cave represented: the cowardly side of someone who acted so high and mighty before them.

After he made sure that he put some distance between him and the room, Banejieri activated [Teleportation] twice to reach his destination.

He arrived before a castle built deep into the mountains. It was the residence of Krunui Log Entesh Na, "Crimson-Eyed Duke" of the inner circle.

Among the inner circle, Krunui was the one who loved keeping things neat and tidy the most and surrounded himself with the best stuff. That was true for his residence too.

This castle was built by the labor of different races—paid with the knowledge of magic, magic items, and treasures filled with gemstones—was so grand that even someone without an aesthetic sense could appreciate it.

That was the reason why the inner circle used his residence as the meeting place whenever they had something to discuss.

Upon reaching the gate, one of the undead under Krunui appeared and led Banejieri into the castle.

After being led to a room, he found that everyone from the inner circle except Grazn was already present.

"—Sorry for the wait."

"Good work dealing with that one."

The one who spoke was the lord of the castle, Krunui.

His most striking feature was his extremely pallid-looking skin. He was not a natural undead, but a former human who turned himself into one using magic.

Maybe that was why they could see traces of his past self in his obsession with surrounding himself with fine things. While the others always wore the same clothes—magic items with copious amounts of magical power—he alone wore a different spotless outfit each time, but his clothes did not have any magical power.

For other members, clothes were something used for strengthening themselves, but for Krunui, they were things to decorate himself with.

"I want to wait for Grazn before we start. You don't mind right?"

Banejieri asked his comrades while taking a seat on one of the sofas in the room. No one objected.

What would be happening soon was something they had repeated many times before, a discussion about preparing for a rebellion against that one.

In the first place, they only accepted that one because that one was extremely powerful.

That one probably learned of Corpus of the Abyss from some outer circle member. One day that one suddenly appeared before them and displayed its strength.

Banejieri and the others knelt to that one because they thought that one would act as a deterrent against the strongest beings of this world. They certainly didn't do it to expand their organization.

But that one was the worst kind of leader.

First of all, Corpus of the Abyss was not founded to create disturbances in the middle of the continent. They would be troubled if that one thought they were just some convenient force that could be lent out for some pacts that one had.

So they decided to prepare a new deterrent against that one. It is the general consensus of everyone in the inner circle who got to meet that one the most.

Normally the more members were included in the plan, the higher the chances were of betrayal. If no one betrayed them, then that would be a demonstration if their lack of loyalty towards that one.

And at least for now, no one had betrayed them yet. The fact that Banejieri and others were still alive was proof of that.

Everyone here would have already been destroyed if they were betrayed. That one ruled the organization only to selfishly take Banejieri's and the others' research to strengthen itself.

That one had been nothing more than a parasite feeding on them. Even so, that one would never think of tolerating their clandestine actions just because they were useful to that one.

Without a doubt, that one would take action to wipe out Banejieri and other conspirators if it ever doubted them.

That one didn't have the leniency or open-mindedness a ruler should possess.

That one was too wary about everything.

Therefore, the fact that they were safe showed that one hadn't noticed their moves yet.

Fortunately, that one lacked the ability to dominate the undead.

(T/N: 欠けている could be interpreted either as not being good at something or the complete absence of an ability. Who that one was supposed to be changes depending upon which meaning you chose so this was left vague)

Considering the difference in their strengths, that one could have easily controlled Banejieri and others if that one specialized in this field.

Don't think you can keep extorting us forever!

Banejier swept away the huge form of that one he just met from his mind along with his silent bellow.

-x-X-x-

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