Chapter 66
Maseguru 66: Arrogant Nobleman?
「I was quite satisfied nya~」
The night view of Ist seen from the water train station and the clear night sky was impressive.
It had only been a short day since professor Oz had told her about the red fox, but Kadyma had decided to return to the royal capital.
As planned, she borrowed Dill as her escort and parted ways with Ainz.
Kadyma had stayed only a few days, but after leaving professor Oz's place yesterday, she spent a lot of time in town buying and seeing various things with Dill. So even though it was a short trip, Kadyma was very satisfied with it.
And by Kadyma and Dill's side, the sisters Fhalla and May are also waiting.
「Come on nya~. Look, it's there nya!」
Said Kadyma while she hits Fhalla on the waist with her paw. After returning to the inn yesterday, Ainz and the others had revealed their true identity to them. When she heard that, she instantly dropped into a daze and it took her about half an hour to come to her senses. Her sister, May, didn't seem to understand what was going on and just sat on Ainz's lap while smiling...
「I-I understand, Kadyma-sama, so please don't hit me so hard!」
The speed at which she hits Fhalla is getting faster and faster. It doesn't seem to be a painful hit, but her appearance while doing so was really annoying.
「W-well then, Ainz-sama. Please allow me to return to the Royal Capital first」
「Well, I'm rather sorry to have you accompany Kadyma-san, but take care on your way there」
Dill smiled bitterly. Normally, he would want to give priority to escort Ainz, but Kadyma also needed an escort on her way back to the Royal Capital.
And it was understandable that Chris, who was more capable than him, would stay behind to escort the crown prince.
「Big brother, big brother! Can I see you again soon!?」
「Yup, just wait for it, you'll also get lots of delicious sweets there」
「Really!?」
It was as if he had gotten himself a little sister, Ainz couldn't help but spoil May.
It was probably best for him to stay with her since he was the one who brought her here, but this time he had no choice.
「I'm very sorry, Your Highness... Come on, May! You shouldn't call His Highness with that!」
「B-but big brother is big brother...」
「Well, we can teach her little by little. I was the one who brought you girls here, so I won't blame her」
The way Fhalla apologizing by raising and lowering her head vigorously was not polite at all. But it was easy for him to guess why she felt so sorry.
――They all then said their goodbyes outside the station, but the departure time was getting closer and closer.
「Well then, Ainz. It's about time for us to go nya... I'm going to prepare everything on my own there, so don't worry nya」
「I'm counting on you, Kadyma-san. Everyone, be careful!」
Since Kadyma and the others' luggage had been loaded onto the royal train earlier today, the girls went to the train empty-handed. Among them, though, rather than the luggage they had brought with them, all the items that Kadyma had purchased were taking up the space.
「...」
With a wave, he sent Kadyma and Dill... and Fhalla and May off. As soon as they were out of sight, he exhaled deeply, and Ainz's breath turned white in an instant.
「It's getting cold. Shall we go back to the inn?」
Chris, who had also seen them off, suggested that they go back to the inn. They'll only get cold if they just stood there.
「Let's go then... But, do you think Fhalla and her sister will be okay there?」
「She's got a lot of guts, after all. She has survived the harsh environment of the slums, so I'm sure she'll be fine even if Warren-sama and the others give her a hard time」
「Certainly...」
Ainz had never had such a hard life. When he was in Hyme, he was treated with a fair amount of dislike, but even so, he had a better life than the commoners.
So, he doesn't know what life was like in the slum where Fhalla and her sister lived. However, when he thought of the environment he saw the other day, he can understand why they would grow up to be strong.
As soon as they arrive in the capital, they will first meet with Warren and the royal court scholars. He was told that she will be demonstrating a few of her abilities to examine the extent of her healing magic...
「I didn't get a chance to relax yesterday after returning to the inn. But would you like to read the document that Professor Oz gave us first?」
Chris was dressed in something more like casual clothes today. Her long, beautiful blond hair was not tied up, and it was fluttering in the air.
Little by little, Ainz was beginning to understand a new side of her. What he found out immediately was that she had a tendency to change her attitude according to her clothes.
In other words, when she wears casual clothes, her expressions and gestures become more relaxed.
The words she had just said were also accompanied by gestures that were unthinkable from her normal self.
「...Hmm? What's wrong, Ainz-sama?」
While she was walking with a cheerful rhythm, she then turned around and said so while she held her hands around her waist on her back and hunched her body over him. Her face, which was now close to his face, starred straight at Ainz.
「N-nothing... Anyway, let's go back to the inn and have dinner! Yeah! That's a good idea!」
Her appearance, her style, and the movement she just made. It was a sight that would have made any ordinary girl run away with their tail between their legs.
But there was no way Ainz could admit that he was impressed by her act just now. From that point on, he decided to cover it up with enthusiasm.
「Eh? W-wait a minute, Ainz-sama!」
Ainz suddenly started to walk quickly. Chris, who had been left by a few steps behind, hurriedly walked up next to Ainz.
「There's no need to rush though...」
Ainz looked sideways at Chris, who was looking a little unhappy. He then smiled as to cover his embarrassment.
「I've got the information I was looking for, like the red fox, so now I'm wondering what to do」
「How about visiting the wyvern flights you've been looking forward to? And maybe, the monster arena...?」
「Monster arena!? What's that!?」
「A place where monsters that are being raised for experiments fight. The researchers and nobles who own them compete with each other by bringing out their most prized monster. Would you like to go there too?」
「Yes, I'd love to! That sounds like a lot of fun!」
If he were to sum the age of his previous life and this current life, his current reaction was not appropriate for him, but... Now that the memory of his previous life has faded, it was no use to think about it. He also had been trying to act like an adult since he was born in this world, but it has been unsuccessful.
There are times when he attempted to cry like a kid would, and there are times when he acted sweet in front of Olivia... But he then decided to accept the fact that he had become "Ainz" now.
「Fufu... Then let's visit it tomorrow when we have time, shall we?」
...Still, it was also true that Ainz is a good boy that often behaves like an adult. Given that, she didn't often see Ainz as joyful as he was now. Olivia would probably want to see Ainz expression too... When Chris thought about it, she felt a little bit superior for being able to witness it for herself only.
***
A good mood hum echoed through the lab. He was in a good mood because he had been having so much fun the past few days.
「Well, it is a long-living thing. I'm sure I'll be able to find something more fun and interesting」
He doesn't usually do this, but he spins a pen with his fingers. It's been a habit of his for a long time, something he would do when he had fun or felt a sense of accomplishment.
「Am I a traitor? Or... Well, this is also quite complicated, but I think the same is true for human society. People would always fight each other. This has always been and still is the case, and it is quite natural. This means that humans are always betraying each other... There is no doubt about that either」
Take crime for example. Even if it was a small crime, there is no doubt that the other party has been clearly harmed by it. And what he is doing nowadays is definitely causing clear harm to his kind.
「There is no significant difference between those who have the knowledge about this. But whether they are enemies, allies... or neutral, that's what I don't know. However... from their point of view, even a neutral person is like an enemy. They won't help me anyway, but the more I think about it, the more I enjoy it. After all, standing in this ambiguous border is more interesting than anything else... That is for sure」
The vague boundary he describes is his perception of neutrality.
But is neutrality the same as pacifism? The answer is not... but the opposite. That's what he thought.
「Not being on either side, that's what it meant to be neutral... But what about an outsider? That is not neutral, they'll be an observer... But shouldn't a god-like being be called an outsider then!?」
He always starts thinking out of the blue. The content of his thoughts often changes two or three times, and he raises many self-conclusions and issues in his soliloquies.
Actually, what goes on in his head when he's alone with his thoughts is probably full of things that other people can't understand.
「...That's it. This is the time to rely on something spiritual, and... insubstantial thing. That is, love... yes, Love! I must rely on love!」
Bam!
He hit the desk in front of him with his hands.
He then walked with an exaggerated gait to a case placed on the wall. As he gets closer to it, his face flushed and his heart beating fast.
「I'm bringing it out! Now... Come with me!」
Then he opened the case and took out the box that contained the "love" he needed to rely on. He then carefully carried it to the center of the room and put it on top of the table.
「It's still somewhat fragrant. And I always can't contain my excitement when I open it... Now, please show yourself to me!」
"I must rely on love", he said, but it was just a pretext, a pretext to meet this "love".
But to him, this farcical pretext was more important than anything else. It was one of the most important factors in his personality that made him who he was.
「Aah... haa―h... It's beautiful today as well」
He took it out and began to stroke it gently, as if it were his lover. It was the most important thing to him than anything else.
Then he feels the blood gathering to his lower body, and the heat is nothing but comfort to him.
He even brings his nose closer to "it" to smell it.
「I get so excited... Just like when you kill the vixen close to you and having her blood all over you! That's how excited I am!」
These recent encounters had been exciting for him. It was on par with some of the things he had experienced in the past.
「Haah... Haah... Fuuh... I've calmed down now」
After a few moments of this, he was finally calmed down.
His flushed face, heartbeat, and the large amount of blood that had gathered in his lower body seemed to have calmed down, and the tension that had been building up slowly began to subside.
「Is this the good fortune you have bestowed upon me...? my beloved father」
Mutter Oz in a low voice.
Then he kissed his father's magic stone a few times before finally putting it back in its case.
He was a little bit reluctant to part with it, but it can't be helped. He must treat it with care after all... so he decided to part with it.
「I'll give that filthy vixen's magic stone to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at some point... It's a good opportunity for me to get rid of that woman's magic stone as well. I'm sure he'll be pleased!」
He hated woman. It wasn't just woman from his own kind, but from other species as well.
He had kept them separately out of a sense of duty, but now was a good time to let them go. So he made up his mind to do so.
「But for me to give the Crown Prince Ainz that filthy vixen's magic stone... N-no, I'd rather give him my magic stone! But why...? Why do you still torment me, vixen...!?」
But no matter how his feelings of jealousy may arise, it would only get drowned out with the night of Ist, with no one ever knowing how he felt.
***
The weather was fine today, but in this crowded place, Ainz was attracting a lot of attention.
「...Then give me that woman. That should be enough」
The place where they were now was the monster arena, the place where Ainz had been looking forward to, but to his surprise, trouble was waiting for him there.
「That woman? You mean the one right next to me?」
「That's what I'm saying. Good grief... Is that too hard for you to understand?」
In other words, he wanted him to give Chris to him. But of course, there's no way he's going to agree to it, nor he's going to offer a compromise.
「Why do I have to do that in the first place?」
「I already told you many times! Ever since you approached my wyvern... it won't move at all! I don't know what you've done, but you owe me compensation, you fool!」
He wondered why did this all happen...
It happened right after Ainz appeared in this monster arena and approached the people who were showing off their monster outside.
A wyvern belonged to a nobleman suddenly shriveled and refused to move. It would not listen to its owner and was no longer useful. It seemed that it was so frightened of something.
「(Hey, Chris-san. Do you know what's going on here...?)」
「(This is just my guess, but... it seems that wyvern is frightened of Ainz-sama. Wyvern are a lesser dragon species after all)」
「(B-but why would they be frightened of me...?」
He couldn't help but wonder "What did I have done?" so he asked Chris.
「(...It must be because of the Sea Dragon. They must have sensed the presence of Sea Dragon within Ainz-sama, monsters are sensitive to the presence of the Sea Dragon after all)」
「(I was responsible for this fuss then...?)」
Chris guessed that that dragon must have been frightened by the presence of Sea Dragon within him... but her guess was not entirely wrong.
After all, the twin Sea Dragon in the Royal Capital had also sensed the presence of the Sea Dragon within him and had grown fond of Ainz, thinking that he was their parent
That's why it was natural for wyverns to be afraid of him when they sensed the presence of a being as powerful as the sea dragon within him.
「Well... I don't know what to do now...」
「What the hell the two of you were whispering about!? You insolent!」
Said the fat nobleman to them.
But Ainz can't hide his surprise at the fact that there is a nobleman who would ask for a woman so easily.