Текст книги "Overlord Volume - The Two Leaders"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Enri was saying this to one of the goblins in the bed of the wagon. Five goblins had gone to E-Rantel with Enri as her protection, including Cona the priest and a goblin wolfrider, who was currently keeping a distance to spot any potential threats.

“Well, most of the problems have been dealt with, but how about the chief’s request, Ane-san?”

“Yes, about that… according to the priests, almost nobody wants to move to the village.”

“That’s strange. I mean, there’s already other immigrants from other villages here. Why doesn’t the number of residents increase? Was the priest lying?”

“No, a priest would never lie,” Enri smiled faintly. “To be honest, frontier villages are pretty dangerous, so they’re keeping their distance. Although some people look forward to it, like those third sons who’ll immediately abandon the city if they get a chance for a plot of land… but not many people will come here without an order. And the people who moved here in the beginning had lived in frontier villages like us. There’s a difference.”

“Is that so…”

“That’s how it is. But actually, that kind of relieves me.”

It would probably be very difficult for normal people to form a good relationship with goblins and live with them in the same village. Any immigrants from the city would probably blanch at the sight and do their best to stay away.

And frankly speaking, if Enri were forced to choose between the city-dwellers and the goblins, she would choose the goblins without hesitation.

At this moment, the wagon shook, and the sound of something metallic hitting the wagon bed rang out from behind her.

“Ah, sorry. Are you alright?”

Enri turned her head to look behind.

Although the goblins were seated on the floor of the wagon, there were some sacks there, one of which made the metallic noise when the wagon shook.

“Ah, we’re fine, Ane-san. No need to worry. Speaking of which, with this many arrows, we’ll be able to hunt to our hearts’ content.”

The goblins looked so happy when they looked at the bag that Enri forgot to reply to them, simply smiling instead.

They crossed the wheat fields, and entered a half-opened gate.

After greeting everyone, Enri drove the wagon to their original meeting point, in order to unload the cargo.

As she stopped the wagon at the meeting point, the goblins within, having heard the wagon, streamed out to greet her.

“Oh! Welcome back, Ane-san. I’m glad nothing happened.”

Enri smiled. Their welcome was what made Enri feel that she had really returned to the village, because to her, the goblins were part of her family.

“I’m home!”

“That’s a lot of stuff. Are you bringing it inside?”

“That’s right, bro. Do me a favor and lend me a hand.”

“Coming!”

The goblins moved as one, deftly unloading the cargo. Some went here, some went there, and eventually all the items were packed away without the need for Enri to direct them. This was the proof of how much the goblins had integrated themselves into village life.

“Ah, Ane-san, let us handle the rest. Why don’t you go meet your sister and Ani-san? Although I don’t know if Ani-san’s still helping with Agu’s people.”

“Thank you, but I still need to report to the chief first.”

“Really? Got it. Then, just to be safe, I’ll come with you. After all, there’s still the matter of the ogres.”

Gokoh spoke to some of his comrades after leaving the meeting place, and then he hopped up onto the wagon beside Enri, who was driving. The other goblins who had been guarding Enri on the road to E-Rantel looked at him with jealousy in their eyes, but none of them actually voiced any opposition. It was probably because they agreed he was doing the right thing.

“Then, Ane-san, let’s go!”

Enri smiled faintly and said, “I'm counting on you guys! And thank you very much!”

After thanking the goblins, she spurred her horse into motion.

“So, what happened in the village since I left?”

“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?”

“Isn’t that you, Chief?”

“That would be incorrect. This old man feels that you are the heart of the village. The goblins and the newly-arrived ogres all acknowledge you as their leader, right?”

“That’s correct. We’re all loyal to Ane-san from the bottom of our hearts.”

“Then, there’s the goblins you helped. From what Agu’s told me, they also see you as the boss.”

Enri’s mouth turned into the shape of a ‘Λ’. It might be true that the goblins were that way, but what would the villagers think? They would never accept this.

“I can guess at what you’re thinking. The villagers will object, is that it? I’ve already spoken with everyone and gotten their approval. Last night, we had a meeting of the villagers and got their opinions. And it was unanimous – they all wanted you to be the new chief.”

“But, but how?!”

“…That attack was a huge shock for all of us, Enri. Everybody is hoping for a strong ruler.”

“How am I strong? I’m just a simple village girl!”

Although there was some muscle on her arms, she was still a village girl who could barely use a weapon. If they wanted strength, they should have asked the self-defense force, shouldn’t they?

“Strength is not measured by one’s muscle alone. Don’t you think being able to order the goblins around is a form of strength too? The Bareare boy said that while putting your name forward.”

“Enfi!”

Enri let out a sound like someone strangling a chicken to death.

“That, and this old man is getting on in years. I need to find a successor soon.”

“What do you mean, ‘old man’? Chief isn’t anywhere near old. Is that why you’ve been talking like an old man?”

The chief was around his mid-forties, so it was still a bit early to be calling him old. After all, he was still at an age where he could contribute to the village’s work.

“Leaving aside the matter of talking like an old man, you should have noticed by now, but the forest around the village is undergoing a number of changes. Since the Virtuous King of the Forest is gone, there’s a higher chance of monsters coming out of the forest to attack. Under these circumstances, I’m not suitable to be the chief.”

“Chief, this may be rude, but I need to ask. I can’t get out of this, can I?”

“…Frankly? Even if you refused, I couldn’t do much about it.”

What Enri saw was the eyes of a man who was honestly speaking his mind.

“I still remember that day even now. That horrible day when my friends in the village were killed. I knew the Emmots well. If we hadn’t lived idly, if we had built a wall, if we had been on guard, maybe we wouldn’t have suffered so much… maybe we could have held out until Gown-sama came to help us.”

That would be tough, Enri thought. This village also had a lot of immigrants who were survivors from the other destroyed villagers. Their villages had sturdy walls ― though not as strong as Carne Village’s at the present ― but they had still been attacked and slaughtered. But those walls could have delayed the attackers by just a little bit and allowed more people to be saved. Enri agreed on that part.

“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~”

“Ah, is that right? Lupusregina-san really is an adult then…”

To Enri, who knew nothing about such matters, she certainly seemed adult enough. There was no obvious change, but for some reason Lupusregina seemed to look more mature now.

“Ahem! I am a mimidoshima after all!”

[TL. mimidoshima is a young woman who is inexperienced but has a lot of knowledge on h-stuff]

“…huh?”

What does “mimidoshima” mean? As Enri pondered the strange term, Lupusregina beckoned her over with a “come hither” gesture. Eager to get the suspicious questions over and done with, Enri began telling her about what had happened in the chief’s house.

“So, what should I do?”

“Hm? Beats me.”

That was all.

“Hey – didn’t you say I could lay my problems on you?”

“Aw, do I have to answer you… hm, well, whatevs. To begin with, if you’re being pushed into this position and you know you’re going to regret it, then you’d better not take it on to begin with. Think about what kind of things you can and can’t handle.”

The usual carefree girl was gone, and in her place was a haunting, bewitching beauty. The usually wide-open eyes were narrowed, and the inviting smile now sent a chill down her spine.

“This is just my opinion anyways; you should probably decide what you want to do on your own. Sit down, chew the cud a little, that sort of thing. For starters, let me put this out here, it doesn’t matter if you’re the chief or someone else is the chief, you’re going to mess up sooner or later. There’s only forty-one people I know who’ll never make a mistake. ‘Cos of that, no point worrying about what happens when you fail. But when you think about it, nobody’s better suited to the job than you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask the gobs. When the village is attacked by scary monsters and they know they can’t win, what happens? Imagine the situation with yourself as the chief and yourself not being the chief.”

Lupusregina’s expression changed again, back to her cheerful self.

“Welp, that’s about it. Haaa, I don’t want to play counsellor at all. Then again if En-chan didn’t become the chief, the beautiful tragedy would unfold and it would be more fun.”

“—Eh?”

Lupusregina smirked as she patted Enri’s shoulder.

“Personally, I think you’d make a great chief. Also… why don’t you ask that boy?”

After taking her hand off Enri’s shoulder, Lupusregina twirled in place. It was a movement that seemed estranged from any concept of the word “friction”.

“Seeya then.”

Lupusregina strode off, her hands flying freely through the air. In front of her stood Nfirea with Nemu’s hand in his. Lupusregina patted Nfirea on the shoulder, and as though she had flipped a switch, the two came to life.

“Welcome back, onee-san!”

Nemu must have been very worried, because she tackle hugged Enri while running at full speed. Enri was hit hard enough that she thought she might be knocked down, but her sturdy leg muscles absorbed the impact.

“Welcome back, Enri. You’re earlier than expected. Didn’t spend the night?”

“I’m home. And yes, I camped out last night.”

“Is that so… I’m glad you weren’t attacked by monsters. Still, I can’t approve of that sort of thing. The goblins are strong. but there’s still monsters stronger than them. Granted, I haven’t seen any of those near the plains…”

“Nee-san, don’t do dangerous things!”

Nemu said this while clinging tightly to Enri’s clothes. Enri was the only family for her little sister. Her life was no longer solely hers. It seemed like Enri had forgotten that little detail.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Enri smiled and gently ruffled Nemu’s hair.

“Mm! Then I’ll forgive Nee-san!”

Nemu looked up and smiled.

“Thank you. Speaking of which, has Nemu been a good girl? You didn’t bother Enfi, did you?”

“I didn’t! Really~ I’m not a little girl anymore! Right, Enfi-kun?”

“Ahaha… well, I’ve been treating Agu’s tribespeople, so I didn’t look too closely, but I trust Nemu’s behaved herself.”

“Really, Enfi-kun! Say, how about this, Nee-san. Enfi-kun stinks!”

“Nemu-chan! That’s the smell of herbs! When you grind them up, didn’t you say your hands stank as well?”

“That colorful stuff is from herbs?”

“…No, it’s different. That’s from making alchemical items, so please don’t say I stink…”

“But you do stink!”

Nfirea’s face froze.

“Mm, It’s all over Enfi’s clothes. So maybe he should take them off when he’s not working?”

Enri frantically tried to explain her little sister’s actual meaning, and Nfirea’s face softened as he heard it.

“I don’t have any other clothes, though… in E-Rantel I pretty much wore those all the time.”

“Then, what if I made a set for you afterwards?”

“Eh? You can do that?”

“Enfi, who do you think I am? I can still make simple clothes on my own.”

“Is that it? I bought all my clothes, so being able to make your own sounds awesome.”

“Well, thanks for that. But everyone in the village can… Nemu, you’d better start learning.”

“Kay~”

“Then, Nemu, do you mind heading back first? I need to discuss something with Enfi.”

Nemu covered her mouth with her hands, but the smile was already making her eyes sparkle.

“Mm! Got it! Then, I’ll be going first. Good luck, Enfi-kun!”

Nemu waved to them, then headed back home with a spring in her step.

Enri watched her as she left, mumbling to herself.

“She’s so obedient. Nevermind, are you hiding anything from me?”

“No, I don’t think… ah, you mean that? Is that it? Although I can roughly guess, since I was at the town council meeting yesterday.”

With that, they’d skipped over a lot of pointless exposition. Enri told Nfirea what she and the chief had discussed.

It didn’t stop there either. She also told him about her discussion with Lupusregina, and Nfirea took it all in without a single word. After she finished, Nfirea looked Enri straight in the eye. and spoke.

“I think Enri can do it and no matter what your answer is, I’ll always support you… ugh, that line is so cheesy. I hope you’ll become the new chief.”

“Why? I’m just—”

“No. You’re not just a simple village girl. You’re the leader of the goblins, Enri Emmot. You probably want to say that the goblins aren’t your strength, right? But in the end, the goblins really are your strength. Lupusregina asked you to ask the goblins, but I’ll explain. If you’re not the chief, and if the village is in danger, the goblins will fight a holding action until you can escape by yourself.”

“No way! They would never do such a thing!”

“They might say that in peacetimes. However, during a crisis they’ll do just that. I heard it from them myself.”

“No way…”

Enri looked incredulously at Nfirea. Was he lying? But there wasn’t even a shred of deception in the air around him.

“The most important thing to them isn’t the village, it’s you. But if you become the chief, then the village becomes your property, and the goblins will stay and fight for the village to the bitter end. It may not seem like a big difference, but it is a difference. As an aside, they’ve told me that if an emergency like that happens, they’re hoping I can take Nemu and flee behind you. Enri… if you want to check with them it’s fine. But I hope that if you do, you’ll keep the fact that I told you about it a secret.”

“I won’t ask them.”

Nfirea lifted his hair up as he heard the straight, direct reply, revealing his wide eyes.

“Is that okay? I might be ly—”

“—That’s not possible. Nfirea wouldn’t lie to me. I trust you. However, is the master really that

important to her summons?”

“Well, wouldn’t that be because you’re their master? You bought weapons for the goblins, right? Don’t you think they’d make you their top priority because of that? It may sound bad, but the goblins have never gotten anything from the villagers, who treat them as nothing more than your summoned monsters. Who do you think they’d prioritize, the people who barely acknowledge them, or the person who feeds them and arms them?”

Of course, none of the villagers would actually say that sort of thing out loud. However, it was true that she couldn’t remember any of the villagers thanking them in any concrete way.

“…But, the villagers are grateful to the goblins.”

“They’re grateful to you. It’s like paying you back for expenses incurred and time spent. Have you ever seen anyone in the village call the goblins by name?”

There were none. At first she thought it was simply because they couldn’t tell them apart, but when you thought about it, it was because they didn’t want to tell them apart.

The thought of that filled Enri with an indescribable loneliness.

“Is that so.”

Yet, in her voice was not simply dejection, but her eyes shone with the light of revelation.

“That’s right. That’s why I, personally, feel that you’ll be a good chief. If nothing else, when you’re chief, you’ll change things for the goblins.”

“…Everyone’s going to help me, right?”

“Of course. You might as well say nobody will hold back in rendering their aid.”

“I understand. Then, I’ll head over to the chief’s place. I’d better do it before I change my mind!”

Enfi smiled as he heard Enri’s declaration.

He understood the storm of emotions behind Enri’s decision. It was a stern, yet kind frame of mind.

“All right! Good luck, Enri!”

She nodded in reply, and then without looking back, set foot on the path to becoming the new chief.

♦ ♦ ♦

From the sky, Lupusregina could see that almost everyone in the village was gathered in the village square. Enri was at their head, addressing them, but she couldn’t hear what Enri was saying.

After Enri appeared to finish, the villagers were applauding.

“Ha… so it did turn out like this after all. Ahhhh, I can’t take it, uhihihi.”

“—What’s so funny?”

The voice from behind made Lupusregina turn around to face it.

“Oya~ isn’t that Yuri-nee? Are you flying because of a magic item?”

“That’s right. Ainz-sama bestowed it upon me himself. This would be… Carne Village, right? That would be why you were scolded.”

“That’s right. Ahhh, now the fun’s about to begin~”

“What do you mean?”

“A new leader has just arisen within the village. To the villagers, they’re about to turn to a new page in their history. However, I wonder what would happen if, at this glorious moment, the village was attacked and everything set ablaze. I wonder what kind of faces those villagers would make?”

A sadistic grin spread over her beautiful face, and anyone who saw her would immediately conclude that something evil and horrible had been unleashed.

“And I thought you got along with these people. Is this coming from the bottom of your heart?”

“That’s right, Yuri-nee~ I mean every word of it. Every time I think of the people I get along with getting trampled like ants and exterminated with brute force, I can’t help but laugh.”

“You’re terrible. You’re as bad as Solution. Why are my little sisters like this? Really, the only good one is Shizu… although I suppose Entoma isn't a bad girl.”

Lupusregina laughed as her older sister grumbled.

“Ah~ will the village be destroyed after all?”

 

Part 4

“Ah, I’m so tired.”

Enri dumped the small slate she was holding on the table and flopped down, devoid of energy. She turned to look at the source of the quiet laughter and saw Nfirea there with a smile that said ‘just as planned’ on his face.

“You’ve worked hard, Enri.”

“It’s soooo haaaaard~ I’m not good at using my head…”