Ainz and Mare were heading toward the dark elf village on foot.
Instead of his usual gear, Mare was wearing clothes Ainz had provided
that made him look like a boy. These matched the set that Aura was
currently wearing, and there were no data crystals in them—so no magical
properties. They were just for looks.
In this world, equipment sizes auto-adjusted only if the equipment itself
was magical. Still, this outfit was from Yggdrasil and fit Mare to a T. At the
same time, it provided far less defense than he was accustomed to, and he
would have to be careful in combat.
Initially, Ainz had planned for the twins to wear something else.
They'd told him BubblingTeapot had prepared all kinds of gear for them
besides what they typically wore.
But when he'd asked if any of these outfits were suited for this place and
purpose—in other words, if they could disguise their true identities and
abilities—both were forced to shake their heads. Almost all their alternate
costumes, like Aura's mascot armor or Mare's dress armor, seemed
excessively decorative to Ainz, so he dug up something more ordinary for
them.
Ultimately, this was his operation, so it was only natural he provided the
necessary supplies.
But the three of them weren't dressed exactly alike. Ainz and Mare
differed from Aura in one noticeable way.
Specifically, the lower half of their faces were covered in cloth, like a
mask. Their heads were covered as well, down to the brows, leaving only
their eyes exposed.
This might have been a little warm for Mare, but he'd have to put up
with it—the mask was a necessary part of Ainz's disguise.
Aura was waiting for them at the village entrance…or at least that's
what it seemed like. There was no clear demarcation. She hadn't spotted
them on the approach or been in the area by chance—he'd sent a Message
and asked her to meet them here.
She was accompanied by her devotees. Elves spent most of their lives in
the trees, so it was rare for them to descend to the ground like this. Even
close to the village, the surface was dangerous. The fact that they had come
anyway was a clear sign they trusted her strength, or simply wanted to be
with the object of their faith.
The rest of the dark elves were watching from above, on a bridge among
the trees. Though the whispers were audible, it was too far for him to hear.
Still, it was safe to assume the newcomers were the topic on everyone's
lips.
"U-Uncle! Mare!" Aura called. She acted a bit embarrassed but made
sure her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
She waved, and Ainz responded with a smile.
Ainz thought the stutter was unnecessary, but Aura might take it to heart
if he cracked a joke about it.
"Oh, Aura! We made it!"
Ainz made his voice sound cheery. He unshouldered his baggage and set
it down, waving her over. Then he patted the back of the boy next to him.
"R-right!" Mare said, waving. He whispered Aura's name, too, but not
loud enough for anyone to hear.
Of course, volume was not a major concern. The primary goal was to
ensure everyone knew Aura's uncle and brother had arrived. They looked
like family even without all the waving, but it didn't hurt to drive the point
home.
The dark elves watched over them in silence as Ainz approached her.
"Um, so. Let me show you around, U-Uncle."
Aura's smile was a bit strained. Half at a loss, half nervous. Ainz smiled,
feeling like this new side of her was extra cute. He fought off the urge to
rub her head—but that emotion quickly ebbed away.
"I… Mm."
His voice had sounded a mite too indifferent, so he cleared his throat and
tried again.
"I must thank the villagers for their hospitality. Tell me, Aura, have they
provided you a place to stay?"
Aura nodded.
"Then why don't you take Mare there? I'll be along shortly."
"Yes, si— Sorry, I mean, um. Sure?"
They were playing it like she was his niece.
There had actually been a long conversation about whether he was
BubblingTeapot's older or younger brother, and if the latter, whether he was
older or younger than Peroroncino. They'd concluded he was younger than
both.
This required a bit of a performance on Aura's part, but she still seemed
unsure how to act around him. Since he'd sent her in ahead, she hadn't had
time to adjust to the role. It must have been a challenge figuring out how
her character talked.
"Ha-ha-ha! Go, Aura, take Mare with you. It wasn't an especially long
journey, but he could use the rest."
"R-right! Understood!"
Aura must have come to some sort of resolution, because she responded
with enthusiasm. Perhaps a bit forced still.
The twins took their leave, and Ainz watched them go for a moment
before turning to the dark elves nearby.
There were quite a few of them.
The elders were not among them, but a good half of the village was
present. A few children stood among them. Aura's good deeds helped
ensure there was no hostility or suspicion. But they were certainly studying
him quite intently, trying to determine what kind of man this stranger was.
Especially Aura's devotees.
That was unexpected.
Though he ostensibly had the duty of escorting Mare, he was still the
sort of uncle who'd send a child out ahead. That would certainly make
anyone with common sense give him a good hard look.
So if these looks of suspicion had come from ordinary elves rather than
Aura's followers, Ainz wouldn't have given it a second thought.
But these people were different.
Aura's followers believed skill trumped age and experience. They
seemed more likely to agree with the logic of sending a supremely talented
ranger out ahead.
Which meant…
There must be another reason.
Ainz pondered this for a moment and found a likely explanation. Oh,
perhaps they're worrying some idiot grown-up is exploiting her exceptional
abilities. That would explain it. Hmm. They're not entirely wrong, which is
galling. Oh, I'd better get started.
There were many eyes on him now. It would be a bad idea to waste
more of their time. He couldn't afford to let their curiosity fade.
It's been a while.
Ainz felt a bit tense. He wondered if lecturing professors or stage actors
ever got used to this sea of stares. He had his remarks prepared and sold
that with a cheery tone, speaking to the audience in the trees above.
"First "
Ainz removed the cloth covering his mouth, showing them the features
beneath.
He smiled, then covered himself up again.
" I'm afraid my tribe's beliefs require males to keep their faces
hidden. Even if this village—or your people—find that rude, I ask that you
keep an open mind."
No one sounded particularly offended. His attire had been deemed
acceptable.
This was all a lie, of course.
Ainz was wearing a rubber mask and had cast an illusion on top of that
to fabricate a face, much like he did as Momon. However, the illusion was
not a particularly good one, and under close observation, a ranger's
heightened perception might see through it. To avoid that, he was
minimizing facial exposure.
He hoped his eyes alone would not be enough to reveal the deception.
"A pleasure to meet you all. You've already met my niece, Aura—and
you may have heard my name from her. I'm Ain Bell Fior."
The three of them had put their heads together to come up with this
pseudonym. The final product was almost entirely the twins' creation.
"I have brought a few small gifts. Is there a table I can borrow?"
A tree nearby began to writhe, and a plank wide enough to unpack his
things grew out. Someone in the crowd had cast a spell.
"Thank you," Ainz said, moving his baggage from the ground to the
table. "I can't guarantee you'll like these, but I do hope you'll accept them."
Ainz had spent quite a lot of time thinking about what gifts to bring.
Remembering how much the elves in Nazarick had enjoyed the food,
he'd initially considered seasonings—perhaps salt. Even Ainz knew salt
was vital to good cooking.
His initial plan was to bring a lump of rock salt. Then he realized that
just because humans needed salt didn't mean dark elves necessarily did.
Even if they did, perhaps they could get by with a lot less salt than
humans. In which case, the gift might not be appreciated.
From what Ainz had seen during his stealthy observations, no one in this
village was using anything resembling salt when they cooked. He'd also
never seen them making anything resembling preserved meats. Likely
because they had magic that could prevent rotting.
He had wondered if it was simply a rare resource and used sparingly, but
that didn't appear to be the case.
Even with Perfect Unknowable, he couldn't exactly rifle through the
larder looking for stores of salt.
Given how the hunters didn't like to waste their kill's blood, perhaps
they were like carnivores that obtained their sodium from blood.
Incidentally, the E-Rantel area had no significant salt deposits or salt
water, so their supply was generated by casters specializing in daily-life
magic. This was supplemented with imports from the neighboring kingdom
or Empire. For that reason, salt prices had briefly soared after Ainz's
occupation, but they'd long since gone back to normal.
Ainz had only a vague recollection of this; perhaps he'd read some
paperwork on the subject. Albedo had likely taken care of things.
Either way, he'd decided against the salt strategy.
Instead, he'd brought—
"Metal blades made by dwarves. Impressive, aren't they? I've heard you
use wood dramatically hardened with magic, but I doubt that makes them
harder than metal. These were crafted by an especially skilled blacksmith.
Top-class wares."
First out of his rucksack was a long, thin wooden box that held a carving
knife inside. It was followed by more containing arrowheads and steak
knives.
These were samples. The hope was this display would help bring outside
currency to the dwarves, as part of the Nation of Darkness economic bloc.
Naturally, even if this village became customers, their economy was
self-sufficient and they had no coin to spend. He would need to devise some
means for the village to generate cash to spend, but Ainz believed with the
Nation as an intermediary, they'd be able to incorporate villages like these
into a cohesive financial ecosystem.
The only potential issue was that he'd yet to consult with Albedo on the
idea.
I'm an idiot, so I doubt my plans will go off without a hitch, but we don't
really stand to lose anything…I don't think?
If his plan failed, no one would ever have to find out. If it succeeded,
well, he hoped that might impress a few people. Ainz was trying to not
dwell on the results. The worst-case scenario was him getting his hopes up
and then blowing it. That would really hurt.
If they're not interested, that's fine. This is simply me being generous, so
if they don't care for them, then we can just say that's a shame and be done
with it. But it looks like I don't need to worry.
The eyes around him were gleaming. The dark elf serving as hunt master
stepped forward.
"May I take a closer look?"
"By all means. Handle them yourself."
He moved over to Ainz, reaching first for the arrowheads. That was the
expected choice. If a hunter had reached for a carving knife instead, that
would have been far more surprising.
"Very impressive. I've heard the dwarves live in mountains, but I had no
idea they were such fine craftsmen. This must be supremely valuable. How
would one trade for something like this?"
Ah, just what I expected.
Pro salesman Satoru Suzuki was starting to smirk.
He'd successfully anticipated his client's needs.
Prior to the rise of tensions between the elf capital and the Theocracy,
they had traded with humans; some of them still regularly used coins. Of
course, that economic activity had not extended to this remote village. Nonelf traders would never pay them a visit. For that reason, everything was
done via bartering. And just as predicted, high-quality unusual wares were
more than welcome.
"These are meant to be gifts, so there's no need to trade anything for
them. You may distribute them as you see fit."
The hunt master had been testing the edge of the arrowhead, and he
made a face.
"Your niece, Fiora, has already done so much for us. Accepting these
without giving anything in return…"
"No, no, they're but a trifle, a symbol of friendship and gratitude. But if
we were to trade…I also have some magic items made using a fantastic
dwarven craft they call runes."
The gleam in the man's eyes grew even stronger.
"Runes, you say? Magic items?"
"Yes, rune crafts. I use them myself, but if you're interested, I could
trade them for the right offer. Some claim these are but the most basic
items, but I'm still disinclined to offer anything magical for free. They
didn't exactly come cheap."
Low prices drew crowds, but going too far would just create a consumer
base that refused to pay more.
If the dwarves themselves chose to do that, it was one thing, but it was
hardly Ainz's place to decide that on his own. The ideal would be to sell
quality goods for a high price. Unfortunately, this village had nothing Ainz
himself desired—or at least, not that he was aware of.
Honestly, the whole rune business hasn't produced much of worth. We're
not seeing much demand for them. But it seems too soon to shut them down
just because they aren't profitable right away. Better give these things a
century or two to develop.
"Still, with as many druids as you have, they may not be necessary."
Ainz pulled a metal rod from his coat. He'd planned to show it off like
this and had practiced taking it out smoothly.
"This simply produces a small flame at the tip. It's more useful for
starting fires than as a light source. Let go of it and the flame goes out, like
so."
He was relieved this did not immediately generate disappointment.
"I have a few other items, but those can wait till later. For now, I'd
rather join the children in their lodgings and recover from my journey."
The dark elves around all nodded.
They rarely left the village but were well aware of the local dangers and
knew anyone who had braved them would need rest.
"I'm sure you're tired, but may we ask two more things before you
retire?"
"Yes, go ahead."
These questions came from a man named Plum, one of Aura's true
believers.
Ainz straightened his collar. If he said the wrong thing here, this man
might turn against him. But if he got it right, he'd make a powerful ally.
"First, do you maybe have elf blood in you?"
"Hey, don't—" The hunt master tried to cut in, but Ainz waved him off.
"It's fine. I've heard nothing of the sort. Do I look like I do?"
"Uh, no, if that's not the case, forget I said anything. It was just a vague
impression."
"I see."
Perceptive.
Exceedingly so.
Ainz had modeled this face on an elf he'd seen in the capital but
adjusted the skin tone to match the dark elves. He'd thought the result
perfect, and Mare hadn't noticed anything amiss, but to the eyes of a purebred dark elf, the facial features must have appeared slightly off.
"Well, my parents never mentioned anything, but if you got that
impression, perhaps there's an elf somewhere a few generations back. What
else?"
"Lady Fiora's ranger abilities are truly remarkable. Does that run in the
family?"
Calling her Lady even when talking to her uncle? That's certainly
dedicated.
Weirdly impressed, Ainz briefly debated calling him out on it. Or was it
best left unmentioned?
He couldn't figure out which approach to take, so he decided to answer
the question first.
"No, I never had her knack for ranger skills. But I'm confident in my
abilities as a first-class wizard."
"…A wiz…ard?"
"Yes, a wizard."
Plum's eyes got real shifty.
Oh, he doesn't know what that is. Is that a thing? I suppose wizards are
technically people who control magic through acquired knowledge. In a
place with no formal education system, their very existence might be
unknown. In which case, I suppose it's not that surprising?
He wasn't convinced, but the evidence stood before him.
"Um, an arcane caster."
"Arcane… Ah. Okay. That's really something! You're not Lady Fiora's
uncle for nothing."
Clearly he still didn't understand, but since it sounded impressive, he'd
settled for general compliments. Good enough. Ainz got a lot of effusive
praise back in Nazarick, so this sort of lukewarm lip service was rather
refreshing.
"Uh, I guess that wasn't explanation enough. Wizards are a class that
can use magic, like druids."
"Oh! I see. So you make food and things?"
"Huh? Uh, no, sorry. I…believe there are wizards who do that, but
sadly, I'm unable to. I suppose you could say my magic is focused on
defeating enemies."
He'd heard of people using daily-life magic to make spices or
seasonings, and perhaps higher levels of that could make primary
foodstuffs.
Fundamentally, Ainz didn't mind if people decided he was useless. He
didn't think he was particularly noteworthy to begin with, and if people
underestimated or looked down on him, that could be taken advantage of.
Ordinarily, he would accept that label with a smile.
But here, he was Aura's uncle and had to avoid a bad reputation at all
costs. He was here in BubblingTeapot's stead.
"Enemies…interesting. Does that mean you can work as a hunter? That
settles it. Definitely Lady Fiora's relative!"
Ainz wasn't sure what to make of that. This man was an actual hunter by
trade, after all.
Perhaps in this village, the hunters were the ones who handled external
threats, but that was hardly all they did. Their primary role was to bring
food back from excursions into the dangerous forest. If the mere act of
felling enemies justified the hunter label, this village would be filled with
warriors trampling around in full plate.
But Ainz wasn't a hunter, and he wasn't well versed in the village's
culture. Arguing the point would be seen as odd and possibly ruffle
feathers.
Aura and Mare would be spending some time here, so Ainz had to be
careful not to rock the boat. If his presence soured things, he didn't know
how he would ever make it up to them. Aura would almost certainly say she
didn't mind and mean it, but still.
Explaining properly and getting verbal confirmation was the ideal. He
didn't want it coming back to haunt him later. Plus, Aura and Mare were
listening closely to everything he said here. If he made a stupid mistake,
Nazarick's top minds would read too deeply into it and say, Brilliant! but
the children had a tendency to innocently ask, Why'd you do that? Can you
explain it to us? which was a terrifying thought. The last thing he wanted to
do was bust out the "figure it out yourself" card on them.
While he silently worried about these things, Plum seemed to have
arrived at some private conclusion and nodded.
"Very impressive. As expected!"
Ainz was once again unsure what this man was impressed by but
decided that all's well that ends well. After all, things certainly seemed to
be going his way. And on that note…
"I've never worked as a hunter, so I can't say for sure. But if this
village's hunters think I can handle it, then that's a relief." He shifted all
responsibility onto them. "Aura's been helping with the hunts, I assume?
But I'd be glad to take over for her. That would give the two of them some
time to play."
Plum looked genuinely stunned. Ainz didn't think he'd said anything
particularly outlandish. Even after reviewing what he'd said, he still
couldn't figure it out.
"These kids grew up in the city, so I brought them out here to let them
see what village life is like. I thought they'd enjoy seeing how children play
in a place like this. Give them a chance to try their hand at the sorts of
things they can't do in the city."
"Aha. I suppose city and village life are pretty different." The hunt
master nodded.
It was a mystery what the man was picturing, but Ainz couldn't possibly
be expected to keep up with every leap of imagination. He might be
stretching the truth a bit, but nothing he said had been a total fabrication.
Whatever issues that cropped up later could be handled then.
"Can I ask a question, too?"
This speaker was a ranger on the bridge above. Handsome features—
like basically all elves—but this one definitely seemed cool.
"Certainly, certainly."
Ainz was less than thrilled and would've preferred not to entertain more
queries, but he couldn't exactly openly say that.
The man dithered a long moment, then said, "Is Fiora engaged?"
Ainz came incredibly close to making a weird noise but managed to stop
himself. This was the last question he'd expected.
What's this dude thinking? What possessed him to ask that? Ainz looked
around and found everyone else looking equally aghast.
…Okay, I'm not the only one who thought he just blurted out something
weird, then. But why would he care if Aura was engaged? Does he want to
know if she's got someone waiting for her back in the city? Heh. Guess that
explains it.
Ainz was sure he'd figured out the purpose of that strange question.
Nothing else made sense.
They must want to bring her blood into the village.
A glance at the village kids confirmed there were several boys.
Maybe one of them is his kid? It's so hard to tell how old dark elves are
by looking at them. But, man, marriage? That wasn't part of the plan… If
Aura finds someone she likes, I suppose I'm fine with it? I'm
BubblingTeapot's proxy, so I'll have to give any suitors a thorough vetting.
Uh-oh, too much thinking. Do I lie here? Tell the truth? Make up your mind,
man.
This wasn't really worth thinking about. There was no downside to
revealing the truth, but if he did lie, that would likely force him into more
deception down the line.
"…No, not at the moment."
"Aha."
The dark elf looked relieved.
If he's playing matchmaker for his kid, that's some serious hands-on
parenting. Not ideal. She's here to make friends. If this guy gets pushy with
his own kid and scares off the others, that'll be a real hassle. I need to know
more.
"…Um…what's your name?"
The man snapped back to attention.
"Blueberry Egnia."
Ainz couldn't help but notice a pattern. Like this Plum fellow, perhaps it
was a hallmark of dark elf culture to name people after foods. If that was
true, perhaps he should have come up with a fake name for Aura. He'd
initially avoided that because he thought it would be weird to have a friend
not even know your real name. Adding murk to the mire was another
question: Were they naming these fruits according to cadences of this
world's language and that was reaching Ainz's ears via auto-translation, or
were they simply calling themselves these things, unaware of what any of it
meant? In other words, might this be the sign of a player in the past? It was
impossible to tell.
"I'll remember that. Blueberry Egnia, yes?"
"That's right. Thank you for remembering it."
Why thank someone for that?
Ainz opened his mouth to ask, but a stir ran through the dark elves.
The cause was clear. Following their gaze, he spotted the approaching
elders.
"About time," he heard someone whisper.
Ainz sighed internally. Tensions had clearly not eased.
Have I been to any business that would let an outsider hear them
complaining? Even if they grumbled, no one would openly bash a
colleague, I don't think. Should I really be leaving Aura in a place like this?
Or is it safe to assume kids won't be involved? Still…they hear what their
parents say, and there's no telling what the kids will take away from that or
what it'll make them do. I guess I've just gotta handle my own side of things
and make sure it doesn't cause trouble for Aura and Mare.
He could see where this might lead, but Ainz didn't want to get mixed
up in local disputes. His goal was to maintain a degree of independence and
freedom.
He'd have to handle this well. In other words…
Just hope my simulations pay off!
As Ainz steeled himself, the elders drew near, ignoring the sharp looks
they earned. One began to speak.
"You hail from the same flow as the sapling Fiora. Well met, voyager
from afar."
Sapling? Right, just as I expected.
Ainz suppressed a smirk.
Dark elf idioms. In this new world, the languages of all species were
automatically translated into words Ainz could understand. If the word
sapling remained as is, then it had no real meaning. If it meant anything
specific—boy or girl, for example—then Ainz would hear that word
instead. In other words, the dark elves simply had a custom of placing the
word sapling before a child's name.
They'd brought out these phrases to test how much an adult city dark elf
knew.
Here in the village, the elders' faction placed great stock in tradition,
while the younger crowd was trying to break away from their way of life.
Aura had reported on this, and Ainz himself had eavesdropped on
conversations about it. The elders were here to figure out where Ainz—and
by extension, the city dark elves—stood on matters of tradition.
I'd prefer to play both sides. But a careless word here will force me onto
one side or the other. If I'm gonna join a faction, it'd be easier for Aura and
Mare to make friends if the kids' parents like me. That means the younger
faction is probably a better choice. Still, we don't have solid evidence to
support that. We need to know more. I'll just say something that sounds
decent and act like that's how we greet people. Smoke and mirrors.
He'd prepared some lines for just this eventuality.
"The earth may be the same, but we hail from separate forests. I am
grateful those who live here were willing to accept us."
Ainz hadn't put much thought into these phrases. He was just going with
the flow. But this seemed to make a positive impression.
"The sawtooth and evergreen oaks are equally hard, and each grow with
equal might. I am pleased. The more trees grow, the more the forest
changes."
Ainz let the words flow freely, then nodded emphatically.
He had no clue what this all was supposed to mean. There wasn't any
attempt to make it cohesive or logical.
If Ainz himself didn't know what his words meant, there was no way
anyone else could, either. But the elders all nodded in return.
As if they followed every word.
Satoru Suzuki had been in the workforce long enough to know exactly
what that meant. He'd seen this happen before. Or more accurately, he'd
been the one nodding.
That's what this is. It's how a boss acts when a subordinate is rattling off
a bunch of jargon or abbreviations they've never heard before.
With the conclusion of Ainz's greeting, there was a brief silence.
"...Glad to hear it," an elder said. "We shall take our leave of you
now. Lengthy salutations after a long journey are like overgrown vines."
"Vines?" Ainz asked without thinking.
Perhaps dark elves simply said that when they didn't want to linger. In
that case, he should have heard it as words that conveyed that intent instead
of a literal translation.
They must have heard his question, but the elders turned and walked off
anyway.
...Huh.
That wasn't how he'd planned it.
He looked down at the gifts he'd brought.
He'd expected the elders to insist they be in charge of passing them out.
Um? They came just to say hello? Why? Did I mess up?
The meeting ended so quickly, it made him nervous. It was like being
asked if he had any questions two minutes into a job interview.
If they'd grown visibly irked by his performance and made it clear he'd
screwed up, he would've at least learned something, even if it ultimately
meant Ainz would have to try a different village.
But they'd betrayed no response at all, so he had no clue if this was
good or bad. This couldn't even be called a learning experience.
A cursory glance at the onlookers confirmed that no one seemed
particularly disgruntled or hostile. They all seemed pretty baffled, too.
I seriously don't get it. But no use pondering. Maybe I'd be better off
using Perfect Unknowable to sneak into a meeting of the elders and see
what they made of me.
Ainz glanced once more at their retreating backs, then turned to the
villagers nearby.
"Apparently I've been welcomed. I did have more to discuss with the
elders, but…are they busy?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah…sure."
The villagers were being a bit evasive. To Ainz, it looked like they were
racking their brains for an explanation.
"The elders gather at a specific tree. I'll show you the way later," the
hunt master said. He certainly possessed a certain dignity. Ainz got why
Aura had mistaken him for someone much older.
"Sounds good. I'll have to stop by when they have more time. For now,
I'll join the children. I'd appreciate a guide…"
"Allow me!"
A loud voice suddenly cut in. The unexpected shout almost made the
heart Ainz didn't have leap from his chest.
It was Blueberry.
He must have quietly moved off the bridge while the hunt master was
talking.
"Sudden yelling is bad for the heart. I don't recommend it."
"S-sorry about that. I'll make every effort to ensure it doesn't happen
again."
Blueberry acted like he'd done something awful, so Ainz couldn't
exactly press the issue. Partly he felt it was best to be magnanimous and
partly he wanted this dude to settle down before he did anything else wild.
"I'm pleased you understand. Well, then, Blueberry, if you could show
me the way?"
"It would be an honor. While you're in this village, if you need anything
—anything at all—just come to me, and I'll help in any way I can."
"Good to know," Ainz said.
He followed Blueberry's lead, but he wasn't quite done yet. The most
important thing was still to come.
On the way, he paused, his eyes on the children. He smiled at them—
though it was hidden beneath the cloth.
There were six kids here, four boys and two girls.
Two of them were smaller than Aura and Mare. One boy and one girl.
One boy looked about their age, the other three a little older.
"Hey there," Ainz said, moving over to them.
The adults around didn't brace themselves or try to stop him. Likely
because Ainz had made a good impression so far.
"I hope you have fun with Aura and Mare."
The kids all looked surprised. He couldn't let this end here. He needed
one more push. Quite frankly, this exact moment was the whole reason he
had embarked on this trip.
"I'd like you to include them in your games. I'm sure they'd easily win
anything athletic, so I'm hoping you can find something else to play,
something we don't have in the city."
Mare had helped him rehearse for his planned exchange with the elders.
However, Ainz had been on his own while getting ready for his
conversation with the children. That practice had been entirely inside his
mind. He was sure it must've had all kinds of problems.
Screwing up while the grown-ups were watching could certainly be
counterproductive. That was also the last thing Ainz wanted to do in front
of the kids. But he had his doubts they'd let an outsider talk to their kids
without anyone watching. He had to make the most of this opportunity.
He pulled a leather pouch out of his pocket.
From it, he produced an orange lump, the size of the tip of his thumb.
"Hold out your hand," he said, addressing the boy in front. Ainz
reckoned he was the leader of the village children.
Careful not to make direct contact with the boy's hands, he dropped the
lump into the waiting palm.
This wasn't like a cashier returning change with zero physical contact.
Ainz would've chosen to pass out things normally if he could, but his
hands were illusions. If the kid actually touched them, he might notice
something was wrong.
That had to be avoided at all costs.
Hmm, what if I cut off a criminal's hand and used that flesh and skin to
make a glove? I bet someone in Nazarick is good at that sort of thing. But
they might object to it being human… Neuronist would probably be into it,
though.
"Errrr…what is this?"
This kid was staring at the lump in his hand, not sure what to make of it.
"It's candy," Ainz said, smiling. "Sweeter than fruit. Don't bite it,
though. Just let it sit in your mouth. Though…I suppose really good fruit
might be sweeter…"
He wasn't too sure about that part.
In this body, Ainz couldn't confirm the flavor himself. At best, he could
tell how it felt against his teeth. He wasn't sure how good these sweets
really were. He did have candy before in the world he came from. That said,
he'd never tried Yggdrasil candy, so even if those became real, he couldn't
be sure they actually tasted good.
And in this world, fruit with magic properties existed, so Ainz had to
entertain the possibility that there could be fruit sweeter than the candy he'd
brought with him. There was even a chance that the dark elves ate that fruit
all the time.
Still, he was fairly confident this candy would outdo ordinary fruit.
This world didn't have much in the way of selective breeding, so fruits
were not always diner friendly. There were some in Nazarick who were
actively researching this field—the sous-chef, for example.
The boy hesitated but put the candy in his mouth.
The kids around him—as well as Ainz and the grown-ups watching—all
waited for this poor brave soul's reaction.
" Whoa! Wow! It's so sweet—how?!"
The boy's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Ainz grinned. The kid spit
out the wet candy and looked it over, stunned.
I'm glad he liked it. And no allergic reaction, either… The odds of that
were low, but still.
"I have some for all of you."
Ainz proceeded to dole out candy to the kids.
Some of the adults looked like they wanted to try, but he ignored them.
This bribe was meant for the kids, and there was no use giving it to anyone
older. It had meaning only when offered up seconds after asking them to
play with Aura and Mare.
And once he'd finished passing the candy out, he pressed that point
home, keeping his voice nice and friendly so it wouldn't sound like a threat.
"Have fun with the twins!"
Ainz walked away, confident he had done his bit. He was sure nobody
would stop him.
Yeehaw!
A triumphant cry from the heart.
This presentation had been a smashing success. No—he let his smile
fade. Not that he'd actually been smiling in the first place.
He'd only know if this was a success when those children came to invite
Aura and Mare. Still—
I've done everything I can. But why didn't Blueberry say anything? I
gave his kid some candy. Wouldn't any normal parent thank me? Or is
Blueberry's kid not part of that group? Are there more kids somewhere?
Hngg, guess I've gotta keep my wits about me.