14

Once they left the forest, they encountered the others, who rejoiced that Ainz and Narberal were both unharmed. Only Lukrut seemed to have his doubts.

In a tone that combined surprise and praise, Nfirea asked Ainz:

"You're unhurt... Did you avoid fighting?"

Just as Ainz was about to answer, Lukrut cut in:

"Momon-san, what did you bring back? Were you charmed by something?"

"I battled the Wise King of the Forest, and tamed it. Oi, come out."

They could all see the pearly-white fur of the Wise King of the Forest as it emerged from the trees. The Swords of Darkness gathered around Nfirea, shocked expressions on their faces as they all took a step back with weapons raised.

Well, it's huge, even if it's a Djungarian Hamster...

Though it had cute round eyes, its massive body was still a fearsome sight, and it was only natural that these adventurers should be wary on behalf of the client they were escorting. With that in mind, Ainz decided to calmly say:

"Be at ease, everyone. I have subdued it, so it will not lash out wildly and hurt people."

Then, he approached the Wise King of the Forest, and made a show of patting its furry body.

"It is as milord says; this Wise King of the Forest is loyal to milord, and is milord's faithful servant. This one swears to milord that this one will not inconvenience thee, fine gentlemen!"

In this way, the Wise King of the Forest displayed its loyalty to Ainz.

Perhaps they were on guard because of its vast size, but since it was a cute Djungarian Hamster to begin with, they would probably stop being on edge once they got used to it. The problem was how to make everyone think it was the true Wise King of the Forest. That was the only thing Ainz had no idea how to accomplish.

And then, things developed in a completely unexpected direction.

"...So this is the Wise King of the Forest! Unbelievable! What a majestic beast!"

—What?

Ainz looked back and forth between Ninya and the Wise King of the Forest, checking to see if Ninya was making fun of him, but Ninya seemed to be entirely serious.

"...Wow, the Wise King of the Forest... so the legends really were true! I can feel its mighty presence just standing before it!" Dyne gasped.

Eh? Mighty presence?

"Uwah, that's pretty awesome. You actually pulled it off. Someone as strong as you is certainly qualified to have Nabe-chan at his side."

"If we had encountered him, we would have been killed for sure. I expected nothing less of you, Momon-san. Amazing work."

As Lukrut, Peter, and the others showered him in praise, Ainz looked to the Wise King of the Forest again.

A giant Djungarian Hamster.

It did not remind him of anything else. Why were they so intimidated by a beast like this?

"...Everyone, do you not think this creature's eyes are very cute?"

Their eyes went wide as they heard those words, as though their eyeballs were about to fall out. It would seem that statement was quite absurd.

"Mo-Momon-san, do you think this beast's eyes are cute?"

Of course. After mocking the reply in his heart, Ainz magnanimously nodded, and then he began to wonder if the Wise King of the Forest had used a passive charm skill.

"Unbelievable, that's Momon-san for you. Ninya, you looked into its eyes, what do you think ?"

"...They are eyes filled with wisdom, and I could feel the power of this beast. There's no way it could be cute by any stretch of the word."

"...!?"

Ainz looked dumbfoundedly at the others. After realizing that they shared Ninya's opinion, Ainz felt his head spin for a moment.

"How about you, Nabe?"

"Actual strength aside, those are powerful-looking eyes."

"...No... way... seriously...?"

They were all gushing praise with sparkly eyes. In other words, they were in awe of Ainz for being able to nonchalantly call the eyes of such a beast "cute."

Ainz kept glancing back at the Wise King of the Forest, but there was no way he could see anything approaching "wisdom" in them.

Could it be that my aesthetic sense changed as well after becoming undead?

Since nobody apart from himself felt that way, it was quite likely that such a change had taken place. However, it was probably best to make absolutely sure.

"By the way, does everyone think rats are strong?"

"Rats... giant rats? Monsters like that aren't anything special."

"You can find them in the sewers of E-Rantel."

"Giant rats carry nasty diseases. Wererats too... hmm, since wererats can resist damage made from everything except silver weapons, would they qualify as strong?"

Don't hamsters look like rats? And the Wise King of the Forest has a very long tail... it's more like a rat than a hamster...

A puzzled Ainz came to a conclusion. In other words, "This world is weird."

Just as Ainz was agonizing over trivial matters like the differences between this world and the previous one, Nfirea asked in a worried tone of voice:

"But if you take this monster away, and thus its sphere of influence, won't the other monsters attack En... Carne Village because it's not there to scare it off any more?"

Ainz raised his chin to indicate the Wise King of the Forest. It got the message, and said:

"By village you mean... ah, well, the balance of power in the forest is now in chaos. Even if this one was there, this one would not be able to guarantee their safety by any means."

"No way..."

Ainz did not comfort the shocked Nfirea. He merely smiled inside.

The Wise King of the Forest is hardly a fitting name, let's see what I can get out of this.

Just as Ainz was thinking about how to guide the conversation, he could feel Nfirea looking at him. He seemed to be wavering between speaking and keeping quiet, and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

Ainz understood the turmoil in Nfirea's heart. On one hand, he must have wanted Ainz to save the village once more. On the other, Nfirea probably felt that it was too troublesome, and did not want to leave everything to him.

As the Swords of Darkness discussed how to save the village, Nfirea made up his mind and addressed Ainz with a serious look on his face.

"—Momon-san."

"Yes?"

A secretly delighted Ainz waited for what Nfirea would say next.

The truth was that Ainz had always intended to protect Carne Village, which was highly valuable as a source of information. However, the important thing was whether he could profit from it. Since he could frame the thing as doing a favor for Nfirea and thus make Nfirea indebted to him, it was like killing two birds with one stone. This was Ainz's plan in order to make up for the miscalculation with the Wise King of the Forest.

However, Nfirea's words vastly exceeded Ainz's expectations.

"Momon-san! Please let me join your team!"

"Hah!?"

"I want to protect Enri... Carne Village, but I don't have the strength to do it now. So I want to become stronger! I want to learn the secret to your strength, Momon-san! I don't mind if it's just a little bit! However, I can't hire an excellent adventurer like you on a long-term basis with the amount of money I have! So please, let me join your party! I have some confidence in my ability as a herbalist, but I'm willing to carry luggage and do other menial labor! Please allow me to do this, I beg you!"

Just as Ainz was blinking his non-existent eyelids, Nfirea continued:

"I've always been researching herbological knowledge. I didn't give that decision much thought because my grandmother and father were both herbalists... but now I've found the path I want to walk, and it's not as a herbalist."

"So, you want to become a great magic caster and protect Carne Village, then?"

"Yes!"

Nfirea seemed to have shed his youthful attitude, and looked straight at Ainz, his eyes filled with a manly resolve.

-x-X-x-

In YGGDRASIL, there had been an endless stream of applicants seeking to join the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. Most of them wanted to do so for personal gain, thinking that they would profit from joining one of the highest ranked guilds in the game. They did not think of what they could do for the guild, but what the guild could do for them.

In addition, there were those who wanted to infiltrate the guild to steal its information and rare items.

Because of this, Ainz Ooal Gown did not increase its numbers much beyond its founding members. They were careful not to let their hard work and effort be trampled by others.

Still, this was the simple, pure desire of a man who knew nothing of the guild called Ainz Ooal Gown. His misguided way of thinking was quite refreshing.

-x-X-x-

"...Ha, hahaha!"

Ainz laughed, long and loud. His laughter was light and buoyant. Then, when he was done, he removed his helmet and bowed deeply.

He could hear Narberal taking a deep breath in the background.

Actions like this did not fit Narberal's master, the Supreme Ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Still, Ainz felt that he had to do this, without any hesitation about whether it was right or proper. He did not feel that bowing to a young man who was only half his age was shameful.

There was no malice in Ainz's laughter, but Ainz now knew he should not have done so. He raised his head to face the surprised Nfirea:

"...Forgive me for my laughter. That was a mistake on my part. But I would like you to understand that I was not laughing at your determination. In order to join my team, you must meet two criteria. At the moment, you have only met one of them. Therefore, I am sorry, but I cannot let you join."

The hidden condition was that more than half of the present guild members had to approve of the prospective member. Therefore, even if Ainz agreed, he could not add members to the guild on his own. However, Ainz was pleased by the loyalty which the Guardians of Nazarick had shown him after coming to this world, and in that good mood, he continued:

"I understand how you feel, and I will remember that you wished to join my team. As for protecting this village, I will exert all my power to aid you. However, I might need your help—"

"Yes! Please, I'm eager to help!"

"Is that so, is that so..."

As Ainz was nodding, he met Ninya's gaze. He seemed to be enjoying the show, which made Ainz feel a little embarrassed.

"Then, we'll discuss that matter later. Before that, I have an interesting story to tell everyone, about the taming of the Wise King of the Forest."