“The old way of thinking I had isn’t going to work anymore. We need to reorganize and protect the village’s safety with our own hands. The only ones who can do this… are the flexible, the young, and along with this they need strength as well.”
The chief had said his piece. He looked calmly at Enri.
As the chief spoke, Enri had listened seriously to him. At first, she wanted to refuse because the burden was too heavy. If they were attacked again, she wasn’t sure she could bear responsibility for the lives of her fellow villagers. However, like the chief said, she couldn’t just run away from it.
“I don’t know if I can accept this responsibility.”
“That’s a natural reaction. The goblins and I can help with the administration of the village. Even if I say that, though, it’s always scary to have to make the big decisions.”
“What about a council formed from the villagers?”
“To be frank, I’d thought of that myself. However, the bigger the problem, the more likely something will come up that will split up the group and leave them paralyzed by indecision. In the end, without one person calling the shots, we won’t be able to solve problems effectively.”
“What if we had two systems, one for dealing with things in normal situations and the other for emergencies?”
“That won’t work. It won’t nurture our leaders. The people will follow their leaders in emergencies and work together because they know those leaders are also capable in peacetime.”
The chief’s will was firm and he had explained his reasons. With a sour expression, Enri asked her final question.
“…When do you need my answer?”
“I won’t rush you for it. Take your time and consider it.”
“I understand.”
After Enri said this, she stood and left.
♦ ♦ ♦
As she left the Chief’s house, Gokoh followed behind Enri.
“Say, I want to think about this by myself, could I have some space?”
“Got it, Ane-san. Then, take your time and think about it. The rest of us will back you up, Ane-san. If you need anything at all, just let us know.”
“Yeah, I’ll be counting on you then.”
After watching Gokoh leave, Enri returned to her own home.
Can I be a good chief?
Enri didn’t feel confident of that at all.
Who knew, when the time came, she might have to give an order she didn’t like — sacrificing the few for the greater good.
I can’t do that at all…
Everyone in the village thinks too highly of me. For starters, the goblins that everyone says are my strength, they weren’t even allies I made with my own charisma and connections. In the end, they were merely summoned from the horn given to me by the great magic caster Ainz Ooal Gown.
That item was the first bit of help the village received— Strange, was I the first person he helped? I do remember Gown-sama in a mask… Hm? Was he wearing a mask?
Her memories of that incident were muddled, but that was only to be expected given the chaos of the situation.
Enri shook her head to clear out her doubts.
In any case…
If the horn had been given to anyone else, that person would be the next chief, not herself. Which meant that the problem wasn’t a matter of Enri’s own competence, but it had been nothing more than sheer dumb luck.
I should talk to someone about this…
Nfirea was the first person she thought of. He’d lived in the big city before, seen a lot of people, and Enri felt that he would know if she could be the next chief. And he was widely read, so he would definitely be able to give her an answer.
However, the chief had said that Nfirea — or rather, the Bareares — had approved of her succession. That meant that even if she talked with Nfirea, he would end up pushing her for the position.
He won’t do… and neither will any of the villagers. That leaves Agu and the ogres, but Agu already thinks of me as the chief, and the ogres are just plain dumb.
At this moment, someone called out to the frowning Enri with a cheerful voice.
“Ossu~ Seems like they’re done talking… Oya? What’s wrong, you’ve got a strange look on your face? Problem, Enri?”
That voice made Enri tingle as though electricity were coursing through her skin. That’s right. She was an outsider to the village, a neutral third party who could calmly and logically assess the situation.
Enri ran toward Lupusregina with all her strength.
“Lupusregina-san!”
She tightly clutched the surprised maid’s shoulders.
“What what what what’s this? Oh no~ My heart’s beating so fast. But please don’t confess to me. I’m not a lesbian, I like the opposite sex. Noooooo~ Let me go~ I’m going to be raped su~”
“Wait! Please, wait a bit!”
Enri’s hands left her shoulders, because she was planning to cover Lupusregina’s mouth. But she nimbly slipped out of Enri’s grasp and smiled to her.
“Ahhhh, sorry, sorry, but you seemed so excited, I thought I needed to cool you down a bit. It was just a joke su~”
“It’s a really bad joke…”
Enri sagged her shoulders. However, she immediately recovered again. Lupusregina was a person who came and went as she pleased, if she didn’t take this opportunity to pin her down she would vanish again.
“Please hear me out. I need some advice on what to do next!”
“I dunno what you’re talking about, but we can talk while we walk right? I don’t want the villagers to look at me strangely~”
Enri’s face turned bright red. Lupusregina had a point there. However—
“Buuuut if you want to violate me again I won’t scream~”
“Ggk!”
Lupusregina stuck her tongue out playfully at Enri.
“Really — really, Lupusregina-san!”
“Come, come, let’s go, let’s go.”
Without waiting for an answer, Lupusregina set off, and Enri followed.
“Well, come lay your problems onto onee-san — from the secrets of H stuff to seducing men~”