“…It just feels gross.”
Shalltear’s eyebrow twitched, but she said nothing.
“In that case, how about having 25 of your undead ride my magical beasts?”
“I don’t mind —” Shalltear looked to Ainz “—But that would be more than the number you mentioned, Ainz-sama. Would that be all right?”
“It’s fine.”
“We’ll do that, then.”
Since the two of them seemed to have reached a consensus, Ainz continued speaking.
“Then, let’s get to work on our own accounts. I’ll give you two hours to select your personnel. Keep in mind that you may not be able to return for a while after leaving, and do not think that you can teleport back to Nazarick with teleportation magic. Aura, you need to be particularly careful about this as one of the living. If that’s all, let’s split up. I have a lot of things to discuss with Pandora’s Actor.”
At the same time, he made a mental note to contact Albedo about this with a [Message].
“At last, the time has come!”
After she was sufficiently far away from the supreme being’s room that her voice would not reach it, Shalltear clenched her fists and shouted in joy.
“It’s been so long… but at last, I can make up for my past failure and let everyone know that Shalltear Bloodfallen can be of use to everyone!”
Shalltear gazed off into the distance.
Aura was quite aware of the feelings contained within Shalltear’s voice, which was unusual for her. Although Shalltear had already been punished for her mistakes and Ainz-sama had personally told her that it was not her fault, Shalltear still wanted to erase the mistakes she had made. As a fellow Floor Guardian, Aura could understand her feelings very well. Still — she was a little uneasy.
“It’s been a long time coming… All the work I’ve been given until now had been so easy that anyone could do it. However… However…”
“Ah~ I feel that the work Ainz-sama gave you was very important, Shalltear.”
“Well, it is as you say, to some extent. Still, was that work really important?”
“Protecting Nazarick is pretty important, no? After all, being the first line of defense against any invader is a task you’d give to reliable Guardians, right?”
“Nngg!”
Shalltear could not deny that.
Then, she nervously pressed her fingertips together and pulled them apart again.
“Does Ainz-sama really think that way?”
“Mm~ probably. Ainz-sama said that you were very strong, Shalltear.”
Shalltear smiled broadly. That response let Aura sigh in relief. If she had let her go on like that, Shalltear would surely have gone to a lot of trouble for nothing and that would only inconvenience Ainz-sama. If that happened, she had no idea how she would apologize to him for it. In addition, she felt pity for Shalltear.
“But when I was in the human city, Demiurge singled me out. He must have felt I was useless. If that was what Demiurge — the greatest mind of Nazarick — thought about me, then wouldn’t the others, especially Ainz-sama — whose wisdom surpasses that of Demiurge — feel the same way?”
“Hm, you can’t really say that. Perhaps it’s because Ainz-sama is smarter than Demiurge that he felt that way about you.”
In that moment, Shalltear moaned wetly with a “Ho…”
“As expected of Ainz-sama…”
“…Haah.”
Aura was starting to feel a little tired. However, she had the feeling that being direct with Shalltear would not work, so perhaps an indirect method would be effective.
“Still, that means that the others feel the same way as Demiurge.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
Or rather, that was definitely the case. Aura spoke up before the wide-eyed Shalltear could continue.
“Ainz-sama wanted to test your flexibility by exposing you to various situations, so I think encountering difficulty isn’t a bad thing. Until then, if you take notes and learn from around you, you’ll be able to impress Ainz-sama and the others.”
“So I should study up before that?”
“That’s right. Think about it, you’re travelling with the greatest person in all of Nazarick, right? Doesn’t that mean you can learn something from Ainz-sama?”
“I see!..But, what should I do?”
“Shalltear, that’s where the learning starts.”
“That — that’s right!”
At a loss for words, Aura had simply thrown that question back to her.
That ought to be okay… right?
A flicker of unease passed through Aura’s heart. Still, the ball was in Shalltear’s court now, and there was nothing else she could do.
Will she behave herself…
Aura offered up a prayer to Bukubukuchagama, the Supreme Being who was also her god:
Bukubukuchagama-sama, please watch over Shalltear, who was made by your little brother Peroroncino-sama!
3
Ainz traveled to the Lizardman village through a [Gate].
He was escorted by Hanzos for his protection. Of the five Hanzos, one had a red cloth tied to his right arm.
It was not enchanted in any way; it merely indicated that he was their leader.
At first, he had simply thought that doing so would make it easier to manage them. However, the newly appointed leader was delighted at being chosen, and Ainz could tell that he was smiling under his mask.
Frankly speaking, Ainz felt somewhat guilty. After all, he had merely given him a piece of cloth.
Defended by his vassals, Ainz could now see the statue of himself.
Ainz had already been here several times before, since it was a pre-arranged teleport destination. Still, it deeply embarrassed him.
There were statues of historical figures and so on in Suzuki Satoru’s world, but surely anyone would be ashamed to witness a monument to themselves while they were still alive.
What truly disturbed him was the fact that the facial bones were slightly different from his own. It would seem they were trying to beautify him
Do the cheekbones look more handsome when they’re like that? I don’t get it at all. What kind of aesthetic sense could have produced this?
As Ainz contemplated the matter, he turned and noticed Cocytus and his Lizardmen kneeling before him.
He was used to such genuflection now that he was more experienced in playing the role of a superior being. Still, it did not please Suzuki Satoru the salaryman. That said, he understood that it was a sign of their loyalty, so he did not ask them to stop.
“—Raise your heads.”
After that permission — given with mixed feelings — was granted, the Lizardmen looked back up, as though they had come back to life.
“Thank. You. For. Coming. All. This. Way. Ainz-sama.”
Ainz indicated to the still-kneeling Cocytus that he should rise.
“Umu. Thank you for your hard work. I have received your report on the village. Though I only glanced through it, I did not see any problems, which is good. Your accomplishments here are worthy of praise.”
“Many. Thanks! All. This. Was. Accomplished. By. Your. Glory. Ainz-sama.”
I didn't do anything, Ainz wanted to say. Instead, he accepted Cocytus’ loyal praise with dignified grace. After all, if he had said anything else, it would have devolved into an infinite loop of “Nono,” “Nonono”, “Nononono” and so on. Ainz was quite certain of that.
“…That said, the excellent results you have shown deserve to be rewarded.”
Thinking back, Albedo and Mare had already received a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown each, Aura had received a watch with Bukubukuchagama’s voice recorded into it, Shalltear had been given Peroroncino’s bestiary, and Demiurge — he had given Demiurge that demonic statue made by Urbelt.