Overlord (Light Novel)

Aura followed after the dark elf who introduced himself as the village’s Master of the Hunt. He was supposed to be the one who managed all the rangers in the village, but Aura felt like the man who collapsed earlier was stronger. But then, why did this guy name himself the chief? Even among the warriors in human society, only the strongest took on the title of the chief. No, maybe—

—are the classes different? Like, the one from before could be a warrior, while this one is a ranger. Or is he someone like Victim?

Aura came to an understanding after she remembered the Eighth Floor’s Guardian, thinking this guy probably also had some specific duty to fulfill. While this thought surfaced, she tried to sense if anyone was behind her.

He was here.

And he would continue to be here.

A bunch of dark elves followed after Aura and the Master of the Hunt. There shouldn’t be any casualties from the monster bear they had sent into the village. Perhaps it was because they had nothing to do for now, or perhaps they were stimulated by curiosity, they followed after their rare visitor.

Obviously, she didn’t feel any hostility or killing intent from them.

Of course, there was a possibility that there was someone very skilled among them who could hide from Aura’s senses, but Aura’s intuition told her that there was no one like that here. In the first place, if there was a person here who was that strong, they could have easily killed the monster bear before Aura arrived.

...Looks like we are not exposed.

Right now, she thought no one in the village realized that they were the ones who had sent the monster bear.

Aaaaah, Aura thought listlessly. Why did Ainz-sama want to not let anyone from the village die?

Her master’s orders in a gist were, “infiltrate the village and prepare the groundwork for an amicable relationship.”

The village would have been more grateful if she had saved them after a few people had died. Maybe some would have complained that “she should have saved us sooner,” but such people would grumble no matter what she did. People like them who would be nothing but trouble for Aura—and consequently, trouble for Nazarick—could be wiped out when an opportunity presented itself.

For example, they could send in the monster bear again.

Hnnn. But I still can’t understand Ainz-sama’s thoughts. Considering his instructions, pushing them to the edges of despair and a dramatic rescue after would have been more effective...would Albedo or Demiurge have understood Ainz-sama’s intentions better if they were here?

Aura couldn’t understand her master’s thoughts however much she pondered. Of course, there was probably no one who could understand the wise ruler, but that didn’t mean she should stop thinking about it completely.

Their master wished for their growth. Furthermore, as the top brass of Nazarick, Floor Guardians were supposed to act as role models for every denizen of Nazarick.

Hnnnn. Hnnnnnnn... maybe it would be troublesome if someone we killed could have been useful later, but Ainz-sama is probably thinking on a deeper level than that.

It was also the same for that monster bear.

When she asked if she should just kill it while the Dark Elves were looking, he replied that it would be wasteful and there was a big demerit in doing that.

Certainly, it was a rare specimen unknown to her and it also looked like it could be considered strong for this world. She agreed with her master’s decision because they were uncertain whether they could find another strong specimen like it.

Sure, she was the one who proposed a way to put the monster bear to good use, but killing the monster bear would be better to allay the village’s suspicions about them. Her master agreed on that point.

But, it felt like he refused because didn’t want Aura to kill the monster bear with her own hands.

Since she wasn’t informed of any demerits of that act, she continued to contemplate on the possible reasons.

With Ainz-sama’s intellect, troubles or mistakes shouldn’t occur if I follow his orders to the letter. But, just following orders without thinking is not good...

If someone only followed orders, they would be second-class. Only those who could understand the intention and aim behind the orders and also bring about a better result could be considered first-class.

Albedo and Demiurge do enough first-class work to be praised by Ainz-sama. I can’t lose to them. But...hnnnn... Maybe I should have used the weaker monster bears around this village instead of killing them all. Would that have been better?

Aura looked at the Master of the Hunt, who was walking ahead of her.

He was silent the whole time.

Normally, if the savior turned out to be a kid like me, they would be flooded with questions. I didn’t even tell them my name. Is this normal for the Dark Elves? I don’t think so, but...

It didn’t feel like he hated talking with her or that he was just not in the mood for it. She couldn’t feel a dismissive mood around him. His gait also supported her hunch.

He was making his steps shorter, slowing his pace down to match Aura’s. If he could show such goodwill while also managing to hate her, he could only be considered a complicated person then.

He was likely just an untalkative person, or maybe he was not used to speaking with children.

Frankly, he was a failure as a host, but it’s not like Aura wanted some kind of grand reception either so it would be wrong to criticize him on his quality as a host. Perhaps it was her mistake in not selecting a more amicable person to approach first.

—Seems like it can’t be helped, I should just start the conversation from my side.

She should probably start with a conversation starter to relieve the mood, but with the short distance to their destination in mind, she went straight to the point.

“Elders, right? We are going to meet the people who didn’t show themselves even with the monster bear’s attack, right?”

“Monster bear? Is that how the Ankyloursus is called where you come from?”

“Hn. That’s how we call it,” Aura smoothly lied. “That aside, can you tell me more about the elders?”

“Aah. You were right, we are going to the elders’ place now. We need not have walked if the elders were present with us there, but they were preparing oil inside their Elf Tree”

“hnnnnn. So, how many elders are there?”

The Master of the Hunt turned his head back for the first time to look at her.

“Ah, is it different at your place? There are three of them”

“The place I lived—A city far away from here, doesn’t have anything like an elder council as far as I know”

“I see. It sounds very different from our village. I’ve also heard the Elven city is ruled by a king...I heard that a city is like a village with more residents, so could it be something like having three elders just isn’t enough?”

“Well? There are barely any Dark Elves in my country, so I am not sure about those things”

Aura shrugged. She wanted the other side’s information, but didn’t want to give her own out as much as possible.

First of all, until she found out what kind of authority the elders wielded and what kind of people they were, she couldn’t just give random answers. Secondly, she couldn’t agree with his opinion about the city’s administration being the way it was because it required more people to properly govern it. She had her master as a counterexample.

If we had three Ainz-samas, it would be perfectly possible to rule the entire world without needing any of us…

As Aura thought about her master, the Master of the Hunt widened his eyes in surprise.

“...aren’t you here on a journey from the country of the Dark Elves?”

“Nn? That’s wrong. Just like I mentioned before, there are barely any Dark Elves in my country”

It was better not to give them accurate numbers, so Aura gave a general answer.

“It’s mostly populated by other races like Humans, Goblins, Lizardmen, Orcs, etc. We went through the trouble of traveling here after hearing people from our race lived in this forest”

“Is that so...”

Aura wondered about the heaviness in his response. She wanted to ask him, but decided that she shouldn’t be impatient and didn’t try to inquire further. She wanted him to notice the “We” in her sentence instead.

“But to think that many races can co-exist together...I am surprised”

“Is that so?”

It didn’t matter however many races there were. As long as there was an absolute existence that stood above everyone, it would only be natural for everyone to bow down to said existence’s grandeur. On the other hand, if there’s a world where that didn’t happen, it could only mean that such an existence was absent.

That was why they had to spread the name of Ainz Ooal Gown across the world.

Ainz-sama should rule over all the living beings of this world as the absolute ruler

This would give rise to absolute peace. If anyone desired such a world, they should bend the knee to the Supreme Being.

Aura felt pity for the Dark Elves who didn’t know of her master. It was the type of compassion a civilized person tended to reserve for ignorant savages.

Albedo would probably get angry about their ignorance, but that would be truly cruel. The important thing is kneeling to Ainz-sama after learning of him.

But there could be one more reason why someone wouldn’t bow their heads other than sheer idiocy.

It was either when the other party was someone on the same level as the Supreme Beings, or was under the rule of someone like that.

Supreme Beings were existences that rivaled gods, but unfortunately, similar entities also existed.

Of course, the Supreme Beings stood at the top of even such existences. In the past, they repelled those entities who came to violate Nazarick, it was also said that one of the Supreme Beings was the third strongest person in the entire world.

Yet, the fact that there were some who could rival the Supreme Beings in power was undeniable. That was why their master, the only Supreme Being who stayed behind with them, was being cautious.

I can understand Ainz-sama’s caution because he is the one who has the most experience against them...I feel like there’s no one like that here though... But I shouldn’t be having such optimistic thoughts while Ainz-sama is being cautious...

If there was someone who could rival Supreme Beings, even if they hid skillfully, they would be at least moderately famous as long as they interacted with others. There were some similar existences in this world’s history, but there were not even any rumors about such existences in this era.

It’s conjectured that this area was at the edge of the wider world, so information was hard to reach here.

Demiurge said that we should continue to be on guard after all...

He said that it was hard to stop the information about the birth of the Sorcerer Kingdom from leaking out, so when the information spread to the entire continent, they could finally confirm the presence—or the absence—of Players. Therefore, as the Floor Guardians, they should keep their master’s warning in mind.

He also said that opponents were most likely to appear in the chaotic situation caused by a war, and it would also be their chance to fish them out at the same time.

“We are not exactly on friendly terms with other races, but it’s not like we are in a fierce conflict with them either. There are times when we stand in opposition trying to occupy a safe place in this forest, but there are also times when we have to cooperate because the monsters are our common enemy...Are the monsters outside the forest strong?”

She felt like the question “Is that why you are strong too?” was hidden behind his words.

“—Ah, Hn. Strong, I think? But, maybe not that strong for me?” As the man looked like he wanted to ask something, Aura interrupted him with a question of her own. “It looks like you don’t know about the world outside of the forest, but how long has it been since you people went outside?”

“I heard from the elders that we came to this forest more than 300 years ago, but I have never heard about any Dark Elf who has headed out since that time”

“300 years? You heard it from others? That’s a weird way to put things...Uncle, weren’t you already born 300 years back?”

Master of the Hunt’s expression changed considerably for the first time.

“—I am only a little bit over 200 years old.”

Aura suppressed her urge to take a long, hard look at the Master of the Hunt’s face.

200 years? Is he trying to fudge the numbers? That, or the Dark Elves here count years differently...

She thought he was lying, but she couldn’t say that to his face. She could already feel his mood becoming more dejected.

He was probably, no, certainly worried about it.

Aura didn’t feel like consoling him, but if she wanted a good relationship with him going forward, it would be better if she did.

“Aa—, Hn. It’s just that you exude this air of maturity...in a good way.”

“...No, don’t mind it. It just shows how exhausting life in this forest is”

Aura didn’t reply to him. If that’s how he was trying to swing it, staying silent was the utmost kindness she could show him.

“Fuu—n...So don’t you people feel like coming out of this forest? Like, to the country I live in?”

She was not clear about her master’s intentions, but broaching this topic shouldn’t have any faults. They could excuse it later as a joke if need be since these were just the words of a child. Also, her master was not someone who would scold her for something as small as this.

He would use [Message] to tell her if she did something he didn’t want anyway.

“Maybe that’s not a bad idea...”

“You sound very reluctant. Our country is great, you know? It’s pretty safe and monsters like the one that attacked before don’t prowl out in the open. You will face a different kind of hardship if you do come, but you will also receive different kinds of support as well. You don’t have to toil as hard as you do now.”

“That sounds like a splendid country. I can feel how good it is from the way you speak about it. Even so, it’s difficult to shed our unease. Unease about going to a new place, and unease about whether we can continue our present lifestyle there...Maybe it’s because I am mostly fine with things as they are, I think it would be better to stay put rather than going to all that trouble”

He replied earnestly to a child’s irresponsible words. Maybe it was because he was a good and earnest person at his core, or maybe it was because he thought highly of Aura. Whatever the case may be, it looked like he would talk freely if she was the one to lead the conversation. A smile slowly took shape in Aura’s mind.

“In that case, what if some people come over to test things out?”

“That’s not a bad idea too...Will they go or won’t they? If they will, how many? If we end up having to decide about it, the elders’ opinions will play a large role...though there are a lot of people who oppose the opinions of those three.”

“Eh?...the elders we are going to meet soon don’t have enough clout in the village?”

The Master of the Hunt made a bitter expression.

“I don’t hate them myself though.—We are here” They arrived before a tree that looked the same as the others around it. “I think you already know, but it’s not that wide inside. Let’s call the elders out—Elders, We have a guest!”

He raised his voice a bit. Gradually, three dark elves appeared and climbed down from the hole in the tree. The group consisted of two men and a woman.

Even though they were being called elders, they didn’t look that old. When compared to humans, they looked like someone in the later part of their 30s.

It’s hard to guess the Dark Elves’ ages from their appearance after all. I already made a mistake by calling this guy an uncle... Ah, maybe I should have called him brother instead, but he really doesn’t look all that different from these elders here.

While Aura was having such idle thoughts, the dark elves that followed them fanned out into a semi-circle behind her, surrounding them.

“Guest, these three are the elders of our village. Elders, let me introduce our guest to you. She was the one who fought back the ‘Ursus Lord, a traveler who came from a country where different races live together in peace and where not many Dark Elves live in, a place beyond this forest”

Aura bowed slightly at the Master of the Hunt’s words. Though, instead of a bow, it’s more like a nod. She felt like her future status in this village would be jeopardized if she gave in too much. Even if Aura was a child, she was also the savior of this village. It would be bothersome if she was taken lightly because of her age.

Ainz-sama’s directions were to become friendly with them, so would it be bad if I acted like I am absolutely superior to them?

“...I am Aura Bella Fiora. Pleased to meet you”

“Umu. You have done well in coming here, sapling from faraway, Aura Bella Fiora”

The man who stood in the middle—probably their representative—answered her with somber words. The gap between his appearance and his serious attitude was a bit striking, because he didn’t really look that old.

Someone in the group of dark elves surrounding them suddenly spoke in a voice just loud enough to reach everyone.

“Shouldn’t you be thanking the village’s savior first? And why are you referring to our benefactor without honorifics so naturally?”

“Yes, that’s right. They shouldn’t have greeted her like that if they were truly grateful. Maybe they are being arrogant because the other party is a girl.”

Some of the women raised their voices.

Frankly speaking, Aura didn’t think the elder’s greeting was rude. This was probably what people meant when they say that the same action can look different for people with goodwill and for those without.

The representative of the elders grimaced.

“Hmph. We were just about to give our thanks now—Aura Bella Fiora-dono. We are extremely grateful to you for repelling the Ankyloursus Lord and for saving our village”

“That’s right. The younglings’ impatience is troublesome. There exists an order for the conversation to follow”

When the female elder who stood beside the representative said this, a woman somewhere else started murmuring.

“Your order of precedence is wrong in the first place. It would be bothersome if your brains are also getting fossilized as you grow older.”

Glancing at the Master of the Hunt, Aura found him making an expression as if he was having stomach pain. He was questioned about whose side he was on in the past, probably. The elder who stood on the right was also making a similar expression. The two other elders had grim expressions, the female elder began to direct her glare at the surrounding dark elves.

This... Maybe I have to carefully consider which side I should be on before deciding my course of action.

Normally, both factions would want to take in a powerful outsider like Aura. She needed to act in the way that was most beneficial to Nazarick.

The best thing to do was to probably ask their master for his directions, but there would also be times when Aura might have to take independent action because she couldn’t just wait for their master’s orders.

Everything would be far easier if Ainz-sama simply answered...

One of the reasons why he hid his goals was because he wanted them—the members belonging to “Ainz Ooal Gown,” including the Floor Guardians—to grow and was expecting them to be more autonomous. He wanted them to think and act on their own.

But that’s a heavy responsibility from Aura’s point of view.

Even if I make any mistakes, he likely intends to clean up after me with one of his usual awesome plans...

But that didn’t mean she was free to make mistakes.

To act without thinking just because their master was going to cover for them would be nothing but disloyalty.

As a Floor Guardian, as one of the aides on this mission, Aura had to think seriously and discover the path that would bring the most benefit to Nazarick.

That was why Aura couldn’t help but get exasperated at the dark elves bickering before her, showing their inner turmoil before a guest in contrast to how serious she was.

However, this was also a good opportunity. Depending on how she capitalized on this friction, it could turn out to be an important thing.

...Did Ainz-sama aim for this? No, there’s no way. He couldn’t have known that this village was having such problems. Then, to follow his orders to create an amicable position inside the village, I should...

“Excuse me—Are you intentionally trying to make me regret that I went to all that trouble over a long journey to come here? If not, can’t you do this somewhere else without me? I would rather be shown things that I can boast about to my acquaintances from other races when I return back to my country and say that the Dark Elves’ village is a good place”

The place suddenly went silent, as if they were just splashed with cold water.

A natural development. If they had felt even a little bit of shame at their actions just now, they certainly wouldn’t want the news of it spreading to other races.

Aura felt like maybe she went too far. Even though she was the one who fought back the monster bear—the Ankyloursus, she was still a child saying impudent things. She might have just turned both the factions against her, but she couldn’t say that it was an absolute mistake either.

Aura was a traveler who saved this village. If they were to forget that and criticized her despite showing their disgraceful side a few moments before, they could only be considered people without character. It would be better for such people to become their enemies instead of friends.

Sure, her master ordered her to form an amicable relationship with the Dark Elves, but that didn’t mean she had to be liked by all the Dark Elves. She couldn’t see the full picture of his plans yet, but it would probably be better if the Dark Elves unsuitable for Nazarick were wiped out.

And even if I turn one faction hostile, the other faction would probably try to make me their ally. I won’t mind that, and I can always make a third faction with me at its core if need be

Even if she ended up turning both of the factions into her enemies, she could see that there were people like the Master of the Hunt who didn’t belong to either of them. She could make them her allies in the worst-case scenario, but she would have to apologize to her master if she had to resort to that.

“Ahem. Then, can we inquire the reason for Aura Bella Fiora-dono’s visit to our village?”

“Fiora is my surname, so just call me that. I think you can already guess. It’s because I heard rumors about Dark Elves living in this forest. That?is?why, I came to meet people from my race. There are barely any Dark Elves in my homeland you see. So I would like to stay in this village for a while if you will allow me.”