“Nothing special. The big thing was that we built a place where the ogres could stay inside the village. Of course, the stone golems did most of the work, and it was pretty crudely made out of wood, but in the end, it ended up being a pretty nice place. However, we can’t do anything about their smell. Even the towels we give them end up stinking.”
“So that’s how… but it’s still really fast!”
“Like I said, the golems did most of the work. If you want to thank someone, thank the magic caster who gave them to us.”
“And Lupusregina-san, right?”
“…Let’s not talk about her for now. I don’t want to do anything related to thanking her. Something about her just pisses me off.”
Enri found it hard to believe her ears. This was the first time Gokoh had ever spoken ill of someone.
“How should I put it… she’s very scary, like a monster watching us… I don’t think Ane-san’s sensed it yet…”
“But she’s the maid of the one who saved our village, Ainz Ooal Gown, so she can’t be that bad.”
“…Ah, what a pain~”
Enri and Gokoh’s shoulders twitched. Speak of the devil…
Enri looked back frantically, and just like the day before, the maid was sitting on the wagon bed like she belonged there.
“Really, En-chan, it’s such a pain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe, maybe before that, you should tell us how you appear out of nowhere.”
“Mm? It’s simple. I fell out of the sky.”
“That’s not going to fly. There’s quite a few times you’ve come from above now, but we couldn’t sense you.”
“I can make myself invisible, yanno. I’m trying to be subtle about what I do. See how nice I am~”
Gokoh turned his face to the front once more. Irritation was written all over it.
“But, ah, yes. It’s kind of rare that we get to see Lupusregina-san two days in a row. Did something happen?”
Lupusregina turned an annoyed look on Enri. Even when she’s angry, she still looks beautiful, Enri thought.
“Well, kind of. Buuuut anyway, I was just wondering what was going on. Speaking of which, what happened to that miniature gobbo of yours?”
“…He’s fine. I think he should be in the Chief’s house.”
“Why the Chief’s house?”
“Ah, could you help the goblins from my tribe, or something like that. They’re staying there while we build a place for the goblins to stay in the village.”
“Ah— yeah, it kind of makes sense, Agu’s the son of his tribe’s chief. He must feel like he has a duty to protect them or something. Really, he’s just a kid but he’s acting like a man~”
Although Lupusregina was just smiling lightly, anyone who saw it would be captivated by the charm radiating from her. Even Enri found herself looking longingly at her despite the fact that they were both women.
“Aiya, shouldn’t you be watching your front instead?”
“That, that’s right!”
Enri, blushing to the tips of her ears, hastily looked to her front once more.
After stopping in front of the chief’s house, Enri and Gokoh got off the wagon.
“Then, I’ll bring the horse back to the stables. Don’t feel like disturbing you guys. Let me know what you guys talked about later~”
“I understand. Then, I’m sorry for imposing, but we’re counting on you.”
Enri bowed to Lupusregina, who smiled with a “hoho” and drove the wagon off.
Enri knocked on the door, announced herself loudly enough for everyone inside to hear, and opened the door.
The Chief and Agu were facing each other across a table.
“Oh, welcome back. Please, have a seat. How were things in the city?”
As the Chief spoke, Enri sat herself beside Agu. For a moment Agu’s body seemed to go stiff, but that must have been a trick of the light.
“Ah, then, that’s it for me. In that case, Chief, please take care of us.”
Enri had no idea who those words were meant for. Since the only others present were Enri, Gokoh and the Chief, it seemed obvious that they had been intended for the village chief.
However, Agu had been looking at her, with a stiff back and pursed lips. Enri looked into Agu’s eyes, and in his steadfast, unblinking gaze, she realised that he was not kidding or playing a trick.
“Eh…eh?!”
Why did it have to be her?
Amidst Enri’s confusion, Agu excused himself and left the Chief’s home.
“Hey! Wait—”
“Then, Enri, can you tell me about it?”
“Eh? No, that… this… ah, yes. I get it.”
It weighed heavily on her mind, but she could clear up her doubts later. The report was more important for now.
After deciding that, Enri clearly and concisely related the events that had occurred in the city. The most important part was that nobody wanted to move to Carne Village. However, the chief seemed to have anticipated this, because there was no regret on his face, only calm acceptance.
“So that’s how it is. Well, it can’t be helped. We’re a frontier village, so people won’t want to move where the monster appearance rates were high.”
The village chief said what Enri had been thinking. It might have well been what everyone in the village had already accepted.
“You’ve done a lot for us. Thank you.”
The chief lowered his head, and Enri said, “It’s all right,” in return. It had been confusing at times, but it had also been a good experience.
“Then―” the chief’s line of sight flickered to Gokoh for a second. “There is one thing I would like to entrust to Enri Emmot.”
“Ah, yes. What is it? You’re being so serious, Chief…”
“…I hope you will carry on in my position as village chief.”
Enri’s expression would have transcended acting in terms of how quickly and dramatically her face changed.
“Haaaaaaaa?! What, what is this? Hey! Don’t tell me Agu was saying those… ehhhh?!”
“You getting flustered won’t help…”
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m flustered! Chief, are you retarded? Why are you saying this?!”
“…Maybe retarded is a bit much. I understand you’re excited and nervous about this — I know that much, but I’m hoping you can calm down and listen to me.”
“Calm down, how can I calm down? I’m just a girl, why do I have to deal with this village chief crap?!”
“Get a hold of yourself!”
The voice was full of power, but to Enri it was just a little loud. Even so, it helped her regain a bit of her composure. No, if she didn’t listen to the chief, she’d never make sense of things, or at least that was what part of her was thinking.
“I understand that you’re very confused. However, I hope you can sit down and consider things with a clear head. For starters, who is the heart of the village?”